Oct 10, 2024  
2020-2021 Graduate Catalog 
    
2020-2021 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Cybersecurity, M.S.


Cybersecurity is the computer science discipline concerned with the design and development of secure systems and applications. Cybersecurity covers security of computer networks and systems as well as physical security. In addition to the technical aspects such as cryptography, protocols and access control, the curriculum deals with the policy and management issues, integration and logistics, and budgeting. Centering on the problems of working professionals in the critical field of security, the SMU program in cybersecurity serves the needs of both full-time and part-time students.

Admission Requirements

In addition to meeting the Lyle School of Engineering admission requirements for an M.S. degree, applicants are required to satisfy the following:

  1. A bachelor’s degree in one of the quantitative sciences, mathematics or computer science or in one of the engineering disciplines.
  2. A minimum of one year of college-level calculus.
  3. A minimum of two years of industry experience or submission of official GRE general graduate school admission test scores.

Degree Requirements


In addition to meeting the Lyle School of Engineering degree requirements for an M.S. degree, candidates are required to satisfy the following:

Elective Courses


Satisfactory completion of three elective courses; these courses may be any of the available graduate-level course offerings in the Lyle School of Engineering.

Note


Any deviation from the stated requirements must be approved in writing from the student’s adviser and department chair.

Additional Requirements


In addition to meeting the Lyle School of Engineering degree requirements for an M.S. degree, candidates are required to satisfy the following:

  • Either 24 credit hours of coursework and a master’s thesis or 30 credit hours of coursework.
  • Twelve credit hours of core courses. Students on campus are required to register for a seminar course (for zero credit hours) for at least one term and secure a grade of Pass.
  • Six credit hours of concentration. Thesis students take six credit hours of thesis, instead of concentration.
  • Twelve credit hours of electives. All students are allowed to take at most three credit hours of independent study, which will be counted as one elective course.

The CS Department requires that the courses taken constitute a coherent program leading to mastery of computer science. These requirements are discussed in the subsequent subsections. Any deviation from the stated requirements must be approved in writing from the student’s adviser and department chair.

Students entering the program without an undergraduate degree in computer science must satisfy the following competency requirements in addition to the degree requirements listed above:

  1. The ability to write programs in a high level language such as Java, C++, Python, etc.
  2. Demonstrate competence in six core areas of computer science.

Students may fulfill (1) by either:

  1. Demonstrating their programming ability in a departmental examination.
  2. Successful completion of CSE 1341 - Principles of Computer Science.
  3. Obtaining a certificate of achievement from EDX (or comparable entity) in one of the high‐level programming languages (e.g. Java, C++, Python).

Students may fulfill (2) by demonstrating competence in the following core areas of Computer Science:

  1. Computer Architecture
  2. Programming Languages
  3. Data Structures and Algorithms
  4. Database Management Systems
  5. Operating Systems and Concurrency
  6. Networks and Distributed Systems

Competence in core areas may be demonstrated by one of the following:

  • Completing a course from an ABET Accredited program that covers a core area.
  • Obtaining 70% or better on a departmental examination that covers a core area. Exams will be based on a set of specified readings published by the Computer Science & Engineering Department and should be taken prior to beginning of the first semester.
  • Completing CS 7311 - Foudations of Computing . (Note that this course does not count toward the 30 hours degree requirement.)

Residency and Level Requirements


A minimum of 30 graduate credit hours must be earned toward an M.S. degree, of which at least 24 must be earned in residency at SMU. Up to six credit hours may be transferred with departmental approval. Of the 30 credit hours needed for graduation, at least six credit hours must be at the 8000-level CS courses, with the remainder at the 7000 level or above.