Program Highlights
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Industry Snapshot
This program is designed to help prepare you for a career in the cybersecurity and information assurance field in areas such as network and internet security, intrusion detection and prevention, cryptology, cyber law, and software assurance.
508K
Job Openings
U.S. employers advertised nearly 508,000 job openings for cybersecurity workers between June 2019 and May 2020.
Source: Burning Glass Technologies | "CyberSeek™ Releases New Cybersecurity Job Market Data" | July 15, 2020
Accreditations
Special Designations
This program has received a special designation as Professional Science Master’s Degree program through the Council of Graduate Schools.
Professional Science Master's (PSM) programs are designed for students who are seeking a graduate degree in science or mathematics and understand the need for developing workplace skills valued by top employers.
Additional Program Information
- Experience Recommended for Success
- Technology Requirements
- Student Organizations
- You are expected to have some familiarity with Microsoft Excel. You are also expected to have some background in information technology. This background may be acquired through noncredit preparatory coursework, listed below.
- If you do not have previous coursework or experience in programming, you are strongly advised to first enroll in UCSP 635 and UCSP 636 to gain the appropriate foundation. Taking UCSP 605 is recommended to help improve writing skills.
This program's curriculum requires that you use a computer with the following.
- Microphone and speakers or headset with microphone or equivalent device
- 5 GB of free hard drive space
- 4 GB RAM or higher
- A high-speed internet connection
- Computer processor (Intel Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon 64) running at speeds of at least 1 GHz
- Windows 8.1 or Mac OS X 10.6 or higher for an operating system (Linux operating systems can also be used but require more technical knowledge from the user)
Note: The higher the processor speed of your computer (e.g., 2.4–3.4 GHz), the larger the amount of available memory (e.g., 4–12 GB), and the larger the amount of available hard drive space (e.g., 5–20 GB), the better your computer will perform and the smoother your experience will be.
Computing Club
The Computing Club provides a dynamic environment where members can work collaboratively, share innovative ideas, enhance their career-readiness, and gain marketable experience in their respective fields. It is available to graduate or undergraduate students, alumni, faculty, and staff members. Students and alumni can join the Computing Club group on CareerQuest.
Cyber Competition Team
The Cyber Competition Team represents UMGC at various cybersecurity events and tournaments nationwide. Being a member of the team gives students an opportunity to develop their cybersecurity skills and network with other students. The team is open to undergraduate and graduate students and alumni through a tryout process. Email jesse.varsalone@umgc.edu or visit the cyber team webpage to learn more.
Upsilon Pi Epsilon (Computing & Technology Disciplines)
Upsilon Pi Epsilon encourages the enhancement of knowledge in the computing and information science fields. Membership is by invitation only. It is available to undergraduate and graduate students. Undergraduate membership is open to students majoring in one of the computing disciplines who have completed at least 45 credit hours towards their degree, including 30 or more credits at UMGC (in graded coursework) and at least 15 credits from information technology and computer science courses. Undergraduate students need to have a cumulative GPA of a 3.5 or higher and a GPA of 3.5 or higher in all coursework taken from the information technology and computer science courses. Graduate student membership is open to students pursuing a master's degree in cybersecurity management and policy, cybersecurity technology, data analytics, or digital forensics and cyber investigation; a master's degree in information technology with a specialization in database systems technology, informatics, information assurance, software engineering, or telecommunications management; or a legacy master's degree in cybersecurity. Graduate students must have completed at least 18 resident credits towards their degree at UMGC, with a cumulative GPA of a 3.5 or higher. For more information, please email upe@umgc.edu.
- You are expected to have some familiarity with Microsoft Excel. You are also expected to have some background in information technology. This background may be acquired through noncredit preparatory coursework, listed below.
- If you do not have previous coursework or experience in programming, you are strongly advised to first enroll in UCSP 635 and UCSP 636 to gain the appropriate foundation. Taking UCSP 605 is recommended to help improve writing skills.
This program's curriculum requires that you use a computer with the following.
- Microphone and speakers or headset with microphone or equivalent device
- 5 GB of free hard drive space
- 4 GB RAM or higher
- A high-speed internet connection
- Computer processor (Intel Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon 64) running at speeds of at least 1 GHz
- Windows 8.1 or Mac OS X 10.6 or higher for an operating system (Linux operating systems can also be used but require more technical knowledge from the user)
Note: The higher the processor speed of your computer (e.g., 2.4–3.4 GHz), the larger the amount of available memory (e.g., 4–12 GB), and the larger the amount of available hard drive space (e.g., 5–20 GB), the better your computer will perform and the smoother your experience will be.
Computing Club
The Computing Club provides a dynamic environment where members can work collaboratively, share innovative ideas, enhance their career-readiness, and gain marketable experience in their respective fields. It is available to graduate or undergraduate students, alumni, faculty, and staff members. Students and alumni can join the Computing Club group on CareerQuest.
Cyber Competition Team
The Cyber Competition Team represents UMGC at various cybersecurity events and tournaments nationwide. Being a member of the team gives students an opportunity to develop their cybersecurity skills and network with other students. The team is open to undergraduate and graduate students and alumni through a tryout process. Email jesse.varsalone@umgc.edu or visit the cyber team webpage to learn more.
Upsilon Pi Epsilon (Computing & Technology Disciplines)
Upsilon Pi Epsilon encourages the enhancement of knowledge in the computing and information science fields. Membership is by invitation only. It is available to undergraduate and graduate students. Undergraduate membership is open to students majoring in one of the computing disciplines who have completed at least 45 credit hours towards their degree, including 30 or more credits at UMGC (in graded coursework) and at least 15 credits from information technology and computer science courses. Undergraduate students need to have a cumulative GPA of a 3.5 or higher and a GPA of 3.5 or higher in all coursework taken from the information technology and computer science courses. Graduate student membership is open to students pursuing a master's degree in cybersecurity management and policy, cybersecurity technology, data analytics, or digital forensics and cyber investigation; a master's degree in information technology with a specialization in database systems technology, informatics, information assurance, software engineering, or telecommunications management; or a legacy master's degree in cybersecurity. Graduate students must have completed at least 18 resident credits towards their degree at UMGC, with a cumulative GPA of a 3.5 or higher. For more information, please email upe@umgc.edu.