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Cybersecurity - Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity

Core infrastructure including financial, medical and military systems, water, gas and oil pipelines, the electrical grid, communications, weather forecasting, GPS navigation/guidance systems and other critical social systems rely heavily on software and computer systems. These computing-based systems are fundamental to modern society and are constantly under attack and stress from natural disasters and man-made malicious threats ranging from minor crimes to military-style cyberwarfare.  To preserve our way of life, it is imperative that we secure and safeguard these critical computer systems. This exigent need has accelerated the growth and advancement of Cybersecurity as a vital and indispensable aspect of our current and foreseeable computing landscape.

Cybersecurity Requirements

2023-2024

English (3-4 hours)

  • ENG 109 or ENG 111 Composition and Rhetoric

Required Mathematics/Statistics Courses

Mathematics (7 hours) Take both of the following:
  • MTH 151  Calculus I
  • MTH 231  Elements of Discrete Mathematics or MTH 331 Proof: Introduction to Higher Mathematics
Statistics (3-4 hours) Take one of the following:
  • STA 261 Statistics
  • STA 301 Applied Statistics

Other General Requirements

Communication (3 hours)
  • STC 135 Principles of Public Speaking 
Miami Plan Perspectives Areas Courses (33 hours)
  • 1 Advanced Writing Elective
  • 2 Social Science Electives
  • 2 Natural Science Electives (at least one with a lab)
  • 1 Creative Arts Elective
  • 1 Humanities Elective
  • 1 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Elective
  • 1 Intercultural Consciousness Elective
  • 1 Global Inquiry Elective
  • 1 additional Intercultural Consciousness or Global Inquiry Elective
Miami Plan Signature Inquiry Courses (6 hours, in addition to 4 hours earned through CEC 111+112)
  • 2 electives, each from a different department. These courses may overlap with Perspectives Area courses.

Cybersecurity Core (49 hours)

  • CEC 111 Imagination, Ingenuity and Impact I
  • CEC 112 Imagination, Ingenuity and Impact II
  • CSE 174 Programming & Problem Solving
  • CSE 201 Introduction to Software Engineering
  • CSE 271 Object-Oriented Programming
  • CSE 274 Data Abstraction and Data Structures
  • CSE 278 Systems I
  • CYB 134 Introduction to Cybersecurity
  • CYB 234 System Admin & Scripting for Cybersecurity
  • CYB 235 Computer Network Design and Administration
  • CYB 236 Data Security
  • CYB 331 Software Security
  • CYB 332 Human, Organizational, and Societal Security
  • CYB 334 Network Security
  • CYB 335 Defensive Security
  • CYB 435 Offensive Security
  • CYB 437 Cybersecurity Senior Design Project

Cybersecurity Electives (12 hours – Select 4 courses)

  • CSE 262 Technology, Ethics and Global Society
  • CSE 301 Software Architecture and Design
  • CSE 374 Algorithms I
  • CSE 381 Systems II
  • CSE 382 Mobile App Development
  • CSE 383 Web Application Programming
  • CSE 385 Database Systems
  • CSE 401 Software Quality Assurance and Testing
  • CSE 432 Machine Learning
  • CSE 485 Advanced Database Systems
  • CSE 486 Introduction to Artificial Intelligence
  • ISA 412 Data Warehousing & Business Intelligence
  • POL 437 Cyberlaw

Free Electives

  • All students are required to complete at least 124 semester hours of coursework. In addition to courses you take to satisfy the requirements of your major, you will need to take enough free electives to complete the 124-hour requirement. These can come from any courses that Miami offers. No more than 10 hours may come from Sports Leadership and Management courses (SLM) numbered 110-170.

Cybersecurity Flowcharts

2023-2024

Textual Description of BS in Cybersecurity Course Flowchart
2023-2024

This chart shows the courses needed to graduate, when those courses are typically taken, and the order in which the courses must be taken. The main area of the chart shows four boxes, one each for first-year, sophomore, junior, and senior years. Within each year, classes are shown in two columns representing the fall and then the spring semester. Courses are listed within each semester to indicate when the course is typically taken. An arrow leaving a course and pointing to another course indicates that the first course must be taken prior to taking the second course. Below all the years is a section containing a collection of courses that can be taken when convenient for the student and therefore no particular semester is recommended. All students may have some variation in degree plans, so be sure to communicate with your academic advisor.

Notes at the top of the flowchart state the following:

  • Meet each semester with your academic advisor to review plans.
  • Most courses are 3 credit hours, unless otherwise noted.

Within the Junior and Senior years, there is a box containing 4 CYB Electives. A note in this box states: Consult Miami Bulletin for a list of electives and their prerequisites. Typically, you can begin taking electives after taking CSE 271 & CSE 274. So, it is possible to begin electives sooner.

First-year

Fall semester
  • Calculus I MTH 151 (4 hrs)
    • Forward to MTH 231 First-Year Spring semester
  • Fund. of Programming & Problem Solving CSE 174 (Need C- or higher to take CSE 271)
    • Forward to CYB 234 Sophomore year Fall semester
    • Forward to CSE 271 First-Year Spring semester
  • Imagination, Ingenuity and Impact I CEC 111 (2 hrs) (MP Signature Inquiry)
  • ENG 109 (4 hrs) Or ENG 111 (MP English)
Spring semester
  • Discrete Mathematics MTH 231
    • Forward to CYB 236 Sophomore year Spring semester
    • Back to MTH 151 First-Year Fall semester
  • Intro to Cybersecurity CYB 134
    • Forward to CYB 236 Sophomore year Spring semester
    • Forward to CYB 331 Junior year Fall semester
    • Forward to CYB 234 Sophomore year Fall semester
  • Object Oriented Programming CSE 271 (Need C- or higher to take CSE 274)
    • Forward to CSE 274 Sophomore year Fall semester
    • Forward to CSE 278 Sophomore year Fall semester
    • Back to CSE 174 First-Year Fall semester
  • Imagination, Ingenuity and Impact I CEC 111 (2 hrs) (MP Signature Inquiry)

Sophomore year

Fall semester
  • System Admin and Scripting CYB 234
    • Forward to CYB 235 Sophomore year Spring semester
    • Back to CYB 134 First-Year Spring semester
    • Back to CSE 174 First-Year Fall semester
  • Intro to Software Engineering CSE 201
    • Forward to CYB 331 Junior year Fall semester
    • Dotted arrow labeled corequisite Back to CSE 274 Sophomore year Fall semester
  • Data Abstraction & Data Structures CSE 274
    • Dotted arrow labeled corequisite Forward to CSE 201 Sophomore year Fall semester
    • Back to CSE 271 First-Year Spring semester
  • Systems I CSE 278
    • Forward to CYB 334 Junior year Fall semester
    • Back to CSE 271 First-Year Spring semester
Spring semester
  • Data Security CYB 236
  • Forward to CYB 332 Junior year Spring semester
  • Forward to CYB 334 Junior year Fall 
  • Back to MTH 231 First-Year Spring semester
  • Back to CYB 134 First-Year Spring semester
  • Computer Network Design and Administration CYB 235
  • Forward to CYB 334 Junior year Fall semester
  • Back to CYB 234 Sophomore year Fall semester
  • Statistics STA 261 (4 hrs) (no prerequisite) or STA 301 (MTH 151 prerequisite)
  • Principles of Public Speaking STC 135

Junior year

Fall semester
  • Software Security CYB 331
  • Forward to CYB 437 Senior year Spring semester
  • Back to CYB 134 First-Year Spring semester
  • Back to CSE 201 Sophomore year Fall semester
  • Network Security CYB 334
  • Forward to CYB 335 Junior year Spring semester
  • Forward to CYB 435 Senior year Fall semester
  • Back to CYB 236 Sophomore year Spring semester
  • Back to CYB 235 Sophomore year Spring semester
  • Back to CSE 278 Sophomore year Fall semester
  • CYB Elective
Spring semester
  • Human, Organizational, & Societal Security CYB 332
  • Forward to CYB 437 Senior year Spring semester
  • Back to CYB 236 Sophomore year Spring semester
  • Defensive Security CYB 335
  • Forward to CYB 437 Senior year Spring semester
  • Back to CYB 334 Junior year Fall semester
  • CYB Elective

Senior year

Fall semester
  • Offensive Security CYB 435
  • Forward to CYB 437 Senior year Spring semester
  • Back to CYB 334 Junior year Fall semester
  • CYB Elective
  •  
Spring semester
  • Cybersecurity Senior Design Project CYB 437 (MP Capstone)
    • Back to CYB 435 Senior year Fall semester
    • Back to CYB 332 Junior year Spring semester
    • Back to CYB 335 Junior year Spring semester
    • Back to CYB 435 Senior year Fall semester
  • CYB Elective

All years

  • A box labeled: 11 Miami Plan Electives
  • Within the box are 9 boxes:
    • 1 Creative Arts Elective
    • 1 Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Elective
    • 1 Intercultural Consciousness Elective
    • 1 Global Inquiry Elective
    • 1 Intercultural Consciousness or Global Inquiry Elective
    • 1 Humanities Elective
    • 1 Advanced Writing Course
    • 2 Social Science Electives
    • 2 Natural Science Electives (at least 1 w/lab)
  • A note below these 9 boxes says: 2 Signature Inquiry courses required in addition to CEC 111 and 112. These can be separate from the above 11 electives, or may overlap with them.

Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering

Benton Hall, Room 205
650 E. High Street
Oxford, OH 45056