Program Structure and Requirements

Overall Program Structure

The MSc CSEC consists of a minimum 36 credit hours, distributed as follows: 12 credit hours of Program Core courses, 12 credit hours of Elective courses, 12 credit hours of Master’s Thesis and a zero credit Research Methods course. The components of the program are summarized in the table below.

Program Component	Credit Hours
Seminar in Research Methods	0
Program Core	12
Program Electives	12
Master’s Thesis	12
Total	36

Program Requirements

Students seeking the degree of MSc in Cyber Security must successfully complete a minimum 36 credit hours as specified in the program requirements detailed below, with a minimum CGPA of 3.0. Course selection should be made in consultation with the student’s Main Advisor. All courses have a credit rating of three credits each, except the Seminar in Research Methods and the Master’s Thesis.

Program Core (12 credit hours)

Students must complete the core courses listed below.

Core Courses

Program Electives (12 credit hours)

Students must select four courses from the list below. Subject to approval of the Main Advisor, students can select up to two elective courses (6 credit hours) from other MSc programs in the College of Engineering at KU.

Program Elective Courses

Master’s Thesis (minimum 12 credit hours)

Students must complete a Master’s Thesis that involves creative, research-oriented work within the broad field of Cyber Security, under the direct supervision of a full-time faculty advisor from the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department, and at least one other full-time faculty who acts as a co-advisor. The outcome of research should demonstrate the synthesis of information into knowledge in a form that may be used by others. The research findings must be documented in a formal thesis and defended successfully in a viva voce examination. Furthermore, the research should lead to publishable quality scholarly articles.