Cybersecurity Minor

The Cybersecurity minor provides students in any major with a foundation in protecting digital systems, networks, and data. Students develop skills in threat assessment, cyber defense, and information management while exploring the ethical and legal dimensions of cybersecurity. The interdisciplinary curriculum draws from Computer Science, Data Science, and Information Technology Management, with elective options in cryptography, digital forensics, network programming, and web application security. Tailored pathways allow students to select coursework aligned with their primary discipline and career goals. This minor complements degrees across all schools, preparing graduates to contribute to organizational cybersecurity in an era of growing digital threats.

A program is also offered.

Program Goals

• Produce graduates prepared to collaborate with organizations in implementing cybersecurity posture.

• Produce graduates who are able to contextualize cybersecurity challenges and solutions within ethical and legal parameters of the field.

• Produce graduates with experience assessing and implementing defenses to a broad set of cybersecurity threats.

• Produce graduates who have had exposure to cybersecurity across a broad range of systems and application concepts.

Student Learning Outcomes

• Information Management: Demonstrated knowledge of principles of information technology within an organization.

• Ethics and Law: Demonstrate a broad understanding of relevant literature on ethical and legal issues pertaining to computing technology and security.

• Cyber Defense: Demonstrated experience in identifying and assessing vulnerability, threat intelligence, penetration testing, and defending against common attack vectors in cyberinfrastructure.

• Application Breadth: Demonstrated ability to relate cybersecurity concepts to critical areas of software development, such as database systems, web applications, and operating systems.