Lindsey Wilson College

Master of Science in Cybersecurity Management

MS - Program Requirements

Helen MacLennan, Ph.D., Dean, School of Graduate Business & Technology

Center for Entrepreneurship

 (270) 384-7415          maclennanh@lindsey.edu

Mission Statement

The mission of the Master of Science in Cybersecurity Management (M.S.C.M.) program is to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to identify, manage, and communicate cybersecurity risks in a global environment through a project-based curriculum delivered by highly qualified faculty.

Cybersecurity, the practice of protecting systems, networks, and data from attacks, in becoming increasingly important as individuals and organizations rely more heavily on technology, cloud computing, and remote workers.

 

According to the Hechinger Report (March 2023), the U.S. Department of Education and the National Security Administration (NSA) is calling for educators to address a talent gap in cybersecurity – there were more than 300,000 job openings in the growing sector and no one qualified to fill them.  A report by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics suggests that the job market for Information Security Analysts is expected to grow 35% by 2031.  Cybersecurity Magazine reports the global shortage of cybersecurity professionals is at an estimated 3.5 million unfilled positions in 2023, up from 1 million in 2014.

 The M.S.C.M. program adheres to the requirements for a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity Endorsement (NCAE), which encourages consistency in cybersecurity education within the United States.  It is an initiative to continue America’s competitive edge in cybersecurity.  It also gives colleges an opportunity to apply for grants that non-NCAE schools cannot.

 

The National Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C) program is managed by NSA’s National Cryptologic School.  Federal partners include the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)/National Initiative on Cybersecurity Education (NICE), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Defense Office of the Chief Information Officer (DoD-CIO), and the U.S. Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM).

Curriculum

The School of Graduate Business & Technology’s Master of Science in Cybersecurity Management program requires 30 credit hours of core coursework in management and cybersecurity and a minimum of three hours of internship.  The courses are offered through a combination of a flexible online or hybrid format.  

A.            Core Curriculum:  30 credit hours

  • Strategic Management (MBA 6043) – 3 credit hours
  •  Organizational Leadership (MBA 6093) – 3 credit hours
  • Foundations of Project Management (PM 5003) – 3 credit hours
  • Process Management (PM 6013) – 3 credit hours
  • Legal & Ethical Environment of Business (MBA 6023) – 3 credit hours
  • Data Systems & Algorithms (MSDS 6203) – 3 credit hours
  • Foundations of Cybersecurity Management (MSCM 5013) – 3 credit hours
  • Cybersecurity Risk Management (MSCM 6013) – 3 credit hours
  • Cybersecurity Threats, Attacks & Defense (MSCM 6023) – 3 credit hours
  • Strategic Cybersecurity Management (MSCM 6033) – 3 credit hours

B.         Internship:  3 credit hours

  • Internship (MSTM 5900) – 0.5 credit hours*

*Students must earn a minimum of 3 credit hours and be continually enrolled in the course during the program.

TOTAL HOURS:  33 credit hours

Admission

Program Application Procedure

Applicants to the M.S.C.M. program will need to:

  1. Complete the Graduate School Application for Admission form, which must be submitted online with non-refundable fees of USD 35.00; and
  2.  Submit either:
  1. Official undergraduate transcripts documenting the completion of a U.S. undergraduate degree from an institution with U.S. Department of Education recognized institutional accreditation or its equivalent from a governmentally recognized or similar authority as a postsecondary, academic degree-granting institution of higher learning with the equivalent of a 2.5 GPA; or
  2. Official graduate transcripts documenting completion of a graduate degree from an institution with U.S. Department of Education recognized institutional accreditation. Official graduate transcripts from a nationally accredited institution or its equivalent from governmentally recognized or similar authority as a postsecondary, academic degree-granting institution of higher learning will be considered for admission on a case-by-case basis.  

Students who have not taken undergraduate courses in technology and management may want to consider taking coursework prior to enrolling.

International Student Application Procedures

An international student’s success will rest on the ability to understand, read, write, and speak English as all classes in the program are delivered in English. Thus, in addition to the application materials required of students from the United States, international students applying to a graduate program must provide proof of English proficiency based on:

  • TOEFL minimum score:
  • Internet-based (iBT): 79 composite,
  • Paper-based: 550, or
  • Revised paper delivered:  21 writing and 19 reading;
  • IELTS minimum composite score of 6.5 (score of 6.0 may be considered);
  • Duolingo 100;
  • English is the student’s native language; or
  • Student completed undergraduate or graduate program at an accredited U.S. institution or equivalent English-speaking institution.

Students who fail to demonstrate English proficiency may still be considered for admission but will be required to successfully complete a provisional ESL (English as a Second Language) course before being officially accepted into the program and enrolling in classes.

The English proficiency standards apply to domestic students who have not received an undergraduate degree from an English-speaking institution.

Transfer of Credit

The program will accept up to six credit hours in transfer for equivalent courses from institutions of higher education with U.S. Department of Education recognized institutional accreditation.

All master’s students who wish to transfer graduate credit from other institutions to be applied to Lindsey Wilson College’s M.S.C.M. degree should be aware of the following criteria:

  • Transfer credit must carry a grade of B- or higher and must be earned at the graduate level; and
  • Transfer credit must be consistent with the program’s curriculum.

Graduate Credit without the Bachelor’s Degree

The following criteria apply to those students who wish to enroll in master’s coursework but who have not earned a bachelor’s degree:

  • Undergraduates must have senior status;
  • They must have a cumulative quality point average of at least 3.0; and
  • They must have the permission of the director.

No coursework applied toward undergraduate graduation requirements may be counted toward requirements for a graduate degree. A maximum of nine graduate credit hours may be taken by an undergraduate.