Courses

The 33-credit online master's degree program in cybersecurity analytics and operations can be completed in as little as two years on a part-time basis.

The core course of study includes:

information technology
cybersecurity
network management and security

Up to 9 graduate credits may be transferred into the program from an accredited institution (as permitted by the Graduate School). At least 18 credits must be in courses at the 500 or 800 level, with at least 6 credits at the 500 level.

Please note that as per the Graduate School transfer credit policy, credits that have been applied toward the degree requirements for a previous degree, whether at Penn State or elsewhere, may not be applied to degree requirements for a graduate degree at Penn State.

Collaborative Learning

The online courses are interactive and collaborative, allowing you to build strong ties with other students and gain perspectives from other disciplines and industries. Maximum flexibility is maintained by the program in an effort to meet both the professional needs of individual students and academic quality standards.

Course List - Master of Professional Studies in Cybersecurity Analytics and Operations

Required Courses (21 required credits)
Title	Abbreviation	Description	Credits
Web Security and Privacy	INSC 561	A web-centric look at the latest techniques and practices in computer security as they apply to the Internet. Prerequisite: IST 815	3 credits
Network Security	IST 451	Fundamental issues and concepts of network security, network security technologies and protocols, and emerging technologies in network security.	3 credits
Information Security Management	IST 456	Contemporary Security Issues; security management processes, architecture and models; risk analysis and management; security planning, analysis and safeguards; security policies development and administration; contingency planning, incidence handling and response; and security standards and certification processes.	3 credits
Network Management and Security	IST 554	Essential skills and knowledge for effectively utilizing networks and Internet technologies to facilitate, manage, and secure data communications and applications.	3 credits
Foundations of Software Security	IST 543	This course teaches the principles and practice of software security. The course gives an overview of the foundations of computation models and languages.	3 credits
Foundations of Information Security and Assurance	IST 815	This course provides theoretical and applied foundations of information security and assurance.	3 credits
Cybersecurity Analytics	IST 820	This course provides theoretical and applied foundations of fundamentals of network security, data sources, data collection techniques and tools, cybersecurity analytics infrastructure, machine learning and data mining, network forensics, anomaly and malware detection, security data visualization, and security dashboard design and implementation.	3 credits

Electives (Choose only 9 credits)
Title	Abbreviation	Description	Credits
Enterprise Architecture Foundations I	EA 871	Theoretical foundations and practice of enterprise architecture.	3 credits
Enterprise Modeling	EA 873	Theoretical foundations and practice of enterprise modeling. Prerequisite: EA 871	3 credits
Enterprise Information Technology Architecture	EA 874	This course is intended to provide an exposure to the foundational concepts associated with each of the three primary layers of the enterprise information technology architecture stack: the enterprise applications architecture, the enterprise data architecture, and the enterprise technology infrastructure architecture. Prerequisite: EA 871	3 credits
Architecting Enterprise Security and Risk Analysis	EA 876	Analytical skills to produce credible, meaningful answers to critical risk management questions across enterprise architecture layers, including the supply chain. Prerequisite: EA 871	3 credits
Emerging Issues and Technologies	IST 402	Introduction to emerging issues, technology forecasting and analysis; overview of emerging issues and leading technologies in IST and how they impact information systems, users, the IT labor force and society. Note: Contact Program Office for course sections that are designated for graduate students.	3 credits
Computer and Cyber Forensics	IST 454	Fundamental issues and concepts of computer forensics; aspects of computer and cyber crime; methods to uncover, protect, exploit, and document digital evidence; tools, techniques, and procedures to perform computer and cyber crime investigation.	3 credits
Intelligent Agents and Distributed Decision Making	IST 555	Distributed decision-making theories and agent-based technologies, models, and systems with applications in command and control, emergency, and resource management.	3 credits
Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management	IST 564	This course examines the fundamental elements of crisis, disaster, risk, and emergency management.	3 credits
Web Fundamentals	IST 816	This course will cover fundamental techniques used in building and maintaining the web.	3 credits
Topics in Visual Analytics for Security Intelligence	IST 868	Introduce visual analytic techniques for security informatics and intelligence. Survey technical approaches for data analysis, threats and vulnerability, communicating risk Prerequisite: IST 816 or IST 554	3 credits

Culminating Experience (3 required credits)
Title	Abbreviation	Description	Credits
Research Paper or Project	IST 594	In this project all students in the program are required to focus on a well-defined issue or problem relevant to information sciences and technology. Each student will submit a project proposal to his/her faculty adviser for approval. Note: IST 594 must be scheduled over the final two semesters in a 2-credit/1-credit consecutive sequence for a total of 3 credits	3 credits

Course Availability

If you're ready to see when your courses will be offered, visit our public LionPATH course search (opens in new window) to start planning ahead.