Master of Science in Cyber Security Program Online at Birchwood University

Overview Why Birchwood Admission Requirements Objectives Curriculum Additional Information FAQs Apply Now

This 18-month Master in Cyber Security program is designed specifically to prepare individuals with undergraduate degrees in technology disciplines for responsible leadership roles in technology-based and information-based workplaces. Our curriculum was developed with the involvement of leading figures in the cybersecurity industry. The Cybersecurity Master's Program prepares technical professionals to assess the security requirements of information and network systems and manage the implementation and maintenance of recommended security solutions. The program is designed to develop professional skills that will take you beyond entry-level jobs in cybersecurity. This will give you the knowledge and expertise to assess, design, and build secure computer systems, processes, and people involved in cybersecurity.

At Birchwood, it costs an average of $325/credit to pursue your online Master of Science in Cyber Security. Invest in your future, not in a campus.
Personalizing your Master of Science in Cyber Security online is easy. Pick a pathway based on your career goals, with support at every stage.
Take a different path and stand out from the crowd with Birchwood Online Master of Science in Cyber Security Program.

The Cyber Security Landscape

667%

increase in spear-phishing attacks since the end of February 2020.

74%

organizations have been affected by the cyber security skill shortage.

$6 Trillion

losses from cybercrime damages by 2021.

0%

cybersecurity industry unemployment rate. (Security Intelligence, 2020).

80% Students who say they've achieved their goals post graduation.
46% of students got a bigger role and 70% say Birchwood helped them get it.
Median salary increases +28% within 6 months of graduation.

Why choose a Master of Science in Cyber Security

Master of Science in Cyber Security is a professional degree program designed to prepare students for careers in the field of cyber security. It typically combines technical skills from the field of computer science with policy, law, ethics, and business to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to protect organizations from cyber threats. Courses cover topics such as network security, digital forensics, information security management, cyber law, cryptography, and secure software engineering. With the increasing demand for cyber security professionals, a Master of Science in Cyber Security can open doors to a wide variety of exciting job opportunities in the rapidly evolving field.

Admission Requirements

General Admission Requirements

Submission of a copy of valid government-issued picture identification.
Submission of a copy of an updated Resume.
Any document not in English must be accompanied by a certified translated copy.

Additional Admission Requirements for the Master of Science in Cyber Security:

Submit a 500-word essay (Minimum) summarising the applicant’s interest in the program and their professional goals.
Provide Official undergraduate degree in any stream, or a related field with a GPA of 2.5 or higher.
Provide two (2) Professional Recommendation Letters.
A professional readiness interview will be conducted with the Director of Education if the GPA is below 2.5.

Admission Decisions & Process

We evaluate candidates on their academic background, career accomplishments and the thoughtfulness, and candor within their application. Ultimately, we look for driven, early-career professionals with business leadership potential.

Online Application

Online Assessment

Personal Interview

Entry Documents Verification

Final Committee Decision

Admission Application & Graduation Requirements

Application For Admission

All persons interested in applying for admission to the university should complete an application which must be accompanied by a non-refundable required application fee of $150.00 (check, money order, or credit card) to process the application. The check/money order should be made payable to Birchwood University. Applicants must submit all required application documents to be considered for admission. Once a decision is made, an email will be sent to the candidate with further instructions. Candidates will be contacted by their admissions agent regularly to ensure the completed documents are received by the office.

Graduation Requirements

To graduate from Birchwood University, and to receive a degree, the student must:

Complete all credits as stated in the catalog.
Earn a minimum 3.0 cumulative grade point average.
Meet satisfactory academic progress. Fulfill all monetary obligations.

Master of Science in Cyber Security Course - Key Highlights

Earn a globally recognized online master’s degree equally credible as offline.

100% Online Programs

No campus visit required

24*7 Access

to World class advanced learning management system

World Class Curriculum

developed by experts from Leading MNCs

The Cohort Experience

build your professional network and establish connections across industries.

Program Description

Upon completion of the program, students will:

Apply the necessary skills to protect a network or system from hacking.
Apply theoretical knowledge in real-life scenarios and perform hacking on different devices.
Effectively use the skills to perform ethical hacking.
Be proficient in different techniques used by the attackers to gain access to any device.
Be proficient in the countermeasures for different techniques of hacking.
Be proficient in analyzing and detecting security threats to an organization's computing systems.
Be proficient in applying security principles and practices to maintain operations of computing systems in the presence of risks and threats.
Effectively communicate across all levels of the organization to convey complex technical matters.
Recognize professional responsibility to make informed decisions on computing practices based on legal and ethical principles.

Program Breakdown

MCS500 | Networking and Kali Linux | 3 credit hours

This course provides fundamental concepts for Networking. It provides delves into different networking technologies. Topics included in this course: Network topology, IP addressing and subnetting, MAC address, OSI and TCP/IP model, IP routing, Network security devices, Routers, and routing protocols like EIGRP, OSPF, RIP and other protocols for communication like HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, Telnet, DHCP, ARP and the ports. It includes knowledge of networking devices such as switches, L2 and L3 switches, servers, hub, routers, and repeaters. Compare physical interface and cabling types: single-mode fiber, multimode, copper, connection media like Ethernet and point to point. Comparison between TCP and UDP protocol.

MCS505 | Networking Concept and Kali Linux | 3 credit hours

In this course, students will focus on Kali Linux operating system wherein the topics included Introduction to Kali Linux, setting up Kali Linux as a virtual machine on VMware workstation, terminal, file system, useful commands, basic network commands, services, managing users, troubleshoot Kali Linux, install, remove and customize and troubleshoot software using Debian package manager, use Kali as a portable USB distribution including options for encryption, persistence and self-destruction and thoroughly administer, customize and configure Kali Linux and create your own packages and host your own customer package repositories.

MCS510 | Kali Linux for Hacking | 3 credit hours

This course presents the use of Kali Linux as an attacker machine, using more than 600 tools, use terminal and commands for performing hacking. Perform scanning, vulnerability scanning and create exploits and payloads to gain access to the target system. Perform Penetration testing and information gathering to collect information of the target system.

MCS515 | Concepts of Hacking | 3 credit hours

In this course, the students will be made to examine the concepts of hacking, types of hackers, how is hacking done, phases of hacking: reconnaissance, scanning, gaining access, maintaining access, and covering tracks, how these phases are performed, what are the tools and techniques used for hacking. Tools like NMAP and NESSUS used for scanning and use of Metasploit framework used for execution of exploits and payloads for controlling system after gaining access to a system. Use of various password cracking techniques like brute-force attack and tools like Lophtcrack and Ophcrack. At the end of this course, students will have the tools to protect and safeguard an organizations operating computing environment. At the end of this course, students will have the tools to protect and safeguard an organizations operating computing environment.

MCS520 | Engineering Hacking | 3 credit hours

This focuses on the techniques used by the attackers to gain access in the system using social engineering attack, session hijacking, bypassing firewalls, IDS and IPS. Techniques used in social engineering like phishing, shoulder surfing, dumpster diving and using tools like shell phish to create fake pages. Knowing about different types of malwares and the adverse effect of these malwares in any system. Techniques like sniffing used to steal confidential information like username and password using Man in the middle attack performed by tool like Ettercap and Cain and Abel. Knowing about different attacks like SQL injection, XSS attack, JSON injection attack and directory traversal attack and understanding the techniques for preserving an organizations system and people against these attacks. Hands on training will be provided to the students will perform these attacks and the ways to encounter these attacks by use of tool Burp Suite, allowing safe HTML.

MCS525 | Internet of Things and Cryptography | 3 Credit Hours

This course focuses on techniques used by attackers to perform mobile hacking using tools to find the vulnerabilities present in the mobile phone and executing exploits and run payloads using Metasploit framework. Tools like alpha devices are used for hacking Wi-Fi by capturing the four- way handshake and cracking the password using brute force or dictionary attack. It also includes cloud computing and IOT hacking which consists of detailed knowledge of IOT devices, layers of IOT and its security features and cryptography techniques used for encryption and decryption using keys like public and private keys. This course provides students with the tools to protect the use and security of mobile devises.

MCS530 | Forensic Computing – 3 credit hours | Credit Hours

This course focuses on fundamentals concepts of digital forensics. Use of various tools and techniques to combat any cyber-attack. Use of various tools for investigation and extraction of data from digital evidence collected from the crime scene. Techniques used for securing and collecting evidence from the crime scene.

MCS535 | Application And Device Control | 3 Credit Hours

This course focuses on security technology and students will be made familiar with the policies which ensure listing of only good files. Policies used for securing network with BYOD, prevention of damaged or malicious applications.

MCS540 | Administration and Audits | 6 Credit Hours

This course includes Security Administrators, Network Security, Cyber security Audits.
Students can choose any two courses and will get training for both the courses:
• Security Administration: In this course, students will be provided with
knowledge about system security, how attackers harm the system and practical
including Data and System Security, Disk encryption, Hardware Firmware
Security, securing different operating systems from data destruction and any
cyber-attack. Students will be provided with expertise in firewall technologies,
Intrusion Detection, and Intrusion Prevention System.
• Network Administration: Students are trained for identifying and solving any
problem that arises in computer network and installing and configuring computer
networks. Hands on training provided on Network Firewall, proxy servers, using
Virtual Private Network (VPN), protecting servers from cyber-attacks, security of
different layers and application of Code Quality and Testing.
• Cyber Security Audits: In this course, students will be trained for performing
audits which includes Operation Security which includes review of policies,
procedures and security controls, Data Security including use of encryption
techniques, data security during transmission and storage, Physical Security
including role-based access controls, disk encryption, multi-factor authentication.
The student will get complete practical knowledge and will be able to identify
vulnerabilities in security, compliance, and testing controls.

MCS545 | Capstone Project | 6 Credit Hours

Followed by the dual specialization comes the Capstone Project where students will be required to apply the knowledge gain with this curriculum and projects. Students are expected to engage in a real project for an organization to solve any one of the security and data issues. This includes the Capstone project where the student will be provided with internships, hands on practical knowledge will be developed such as forensics, NIDS, HIDS and honeypots. It also includes secure inventory management; application control and device control will be performed by the students to check for the ability of the student after the completion of the course.

Additional
Information

Additional Information for Master of Science in Cyber Security Program.

FAQs

How many credits do I need to take to qualify as a full-time student?

When should I apply?

Do I have to have a background in cyber security to be eligible for the program?

Is this program entirely online or am I required to come to campus for anything?

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Master of Science in Cyber Security

Master of Science in Cyber Security