Cybersecurity, BS

About the Program

The Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity Program is based on curriculum standards of the ACM/IEEE/AIS SIGSEC/IFIP Cybersecurity Curricular Guidelines and meets the requirements of Purdue University Northwest’s instructional guidelines. The curriculum core is made up of general education courses and specific cybersecurity requirements of the Guidelines including data security, software security, system security, network and platform security, human and organization security, computer and mobile forensics. The core courses also include knowledge areas in computational thinking and problem solving, operating systems and platform technologies, network technologies, artificial intelligence and machine learning. The course curriculum is built upon hands-on based learning. Our graduates are prepared with knowledge, skills, and abilities to pursue careers as cybersecurity specialist, cybersecurity analyst, cybersecurity penetration and vulnerability tester, cybercrime analyst and investigator, IT auditor, network and system administrators.

Degree Requirements

PNW General Education Core (30 Credits)

• English Composition (6 Credits):  and  
• Speech Communication (3 Credits):  
• Quantitative Reasoning ( 6 Credits): ( or   ) and  
• Natural Sciences (3 Credits):  
• Technology (3 Credits):  
• Humanities (3 Credits):  
• Social Sciences (3 Credits):  
• First Year Experience (FYE) (3 Credits):  

Major Core (75 Credits)

• ENGL 22000 - Technical Report Writing
• ITS 13500 - Operating Systems Technologies
• ITS 14000 - Introduction To Computer Algorithms And Logic
• ITS 17000 - Networking Technologies
• ITS 24000 - Programming Fundamentals
• ITS 24500 - Integrative Programming
• ITS 25000 - Fundamentals Of Information Assurance
• ITS 26000 - Applied Database Technologies
• ITS 26500 - Introduction To Artificial Intelligence
• ITS 27000 - Internetworking Technologies
• ITS 33000 - Advanced Operating Systems
• ITS 34000 - Advanced Programming
• ITS 35000 - Fundamentals Of Cryptography
• ITS 35200 - Disaster Recovery And Planning
• ITS 36500 - Machine Learning Foundations
• ITS 37200 - System Administration And Management
• ITS 37800 - Security Operations Practice
• ITS 45000 - Software Assurance
• ITS 45200 - Computer Forensics
• ITS 45400 - Assured Systems Design And Implementation
• ITS 45800 - Advanced Topics In Cyber Forensics Practices
• ITS 47200 - Network Design And Implementation

Other Required Courses (15 Credits)

Choose five (5) courses from:

Courses approved by CIT faculty. Any approved minor may be substituted for selective

Civics Literacy Proficiency

The Civics Literacy Proficiency activities are designed to develop civic knowledge of Purdue Northwest students in an effort to graduate a more informed citizenry.

Students will complete the Proficiency by passing a test of civic knowledge, and completing one of three paths:

• Attending six approved civics-related events and completing an assessment for each; or
• Completing 12 podcasts created by the Purdue Center for C-SPAN Scholarship and Engagement that use C-SPAN material and completing an assessment for each; or
• Earning a passing grade for one of the approved courses (or transferring in approved AP or departmental credit in lieu of taking a course)

For more information visit the Civics Literacy Proficiency website.

Total 120 Credits Required

Degree Map

Additional Information and Guidelines

The program requirements are determined by the date a student officially becomes a Cybersecurity major. A student who is not qualified to take at least  and  is considered deficient and cannot take any cybersecurity courses until the deficiency is removed. A grade of a “C” or better is required in each cybersecurity major course. Cybersecurity courses in which lower grades have been received must be retaken before progressing to the subsequent course in the sequence. An incomplete is not considered a passing grade. Only two cybersecurity courses may be repeated because of an unsatisfactory (D or F) grade. These courses may be repeated one time. No student shall choose the pass/not pass option for a cybersecurity course unless permitted with institutional policy. Advisor agreement is required for any other course. Students must meet the University requirements for freshman experience, general education, and experiential learning prior to graduation. It is expected that students taking 20000, 30000, and 40000 level courses have taken all of the previous level courses regardless of prerequisites.

Resources

The 8 semester plan of study is a recommended sequence of classes designed to show how this program can be completed within four years.

Visit the 15 to Finish website for information and resources.

For career information, click here to visit the Careers and Employment Trends page.

For Financial Aid eligibility, click here.  See Important Dates and Deadlines for annual FAFSA filing deadlines and Indiana state aid deadlines. State Financial Aid recipients are required to complete 30 credits per calendar year to maintain eligibility for the 21st Century Scholars award and the On-time Frank O’Bannon grant.

Financial Guarantee: If you follow the degree map and find a course unavailable, you may be able to take the course for free in a future semester.  Certain exclusions apply.