CYSO Non-thesis Option

For the MS program without thesis, the program of study requires 31 graduate credit hours:

• 22 hours (7 courses + seminar) in the CYSO Core
• 3 hours (1 course) of a CYSO Elective
• (Optional) 3 hours of Directed Project (CSE 8080)
• 3–6 hours (1–2 courses) Free Electives

Any required courses previously completed by a student may be applied for completion and replaced with another free course of the student’s and committee’s choosing. Students must have at least 12 8xxx credit hours (4 8xxx level courses) on their final program of study; as such, two electives must be at the 8xxx level (this includes CSE 8080 Directed Project). The majority of credits must have course code CSE. See the Graduate Handbook for additional course policies.

Core

The CYSO core introduces students to fundamental areas in computer security. These courses explore the nature of computer and information security, how to find security breaches in disks, and network/cryptographic protocols.

• CSE 8011: Graduate Seminar
• CSE 6243: Information & Computer Security
• CSE 6173: Cryptography
• CSE 6253: Secure Software Engineering
• CSE 6383: Network Security
• CSE 6363: Software Reverse Engineering
• CSE 8713: Advanced Cyber Operations
• CSE 8753/ECE 8823: Wireless Networks

CYSO Electives

A student must take an additional 3 hours in pre-approved security electives. This elective be replaced with an approved CSE 7000: Directed Individual Study, counted at the 6xxx or 8xxx level as appropriate. Similarly, the security elective course can be replaced by a special topics 6/8990 by committee permission. The student’s Graduate Committee has final approval of all applicable courses.

• CSE 6743: Operating Systems II
• CSE 6273: Introduction to Computer Forensics
• CSE 8473: Advanced Network Security
• ECE 8753: Distributed Systems

Other Graduate Hours

Students have 3 additional credit hours (6 if Directed Project is not taken) of graduate coursework of their choosing that are not tied to security requirements. The only restrictions is that CSE 8000 Thesis Research or any Ph.D. level (9xxx) courses cannot be applied.

A non-thesis student my further develop their professional skills by taking a Directed Project (CSE 8080) under the direction of their major professor. This replaces three credit hours (1 course) from the elective portion of their study.

The first step in developing a project is to write a formal project contract. The contract should specify the goals of the project, a list of the deliverables, and must be signed by the student and committee before commencing CSE 8080. The student will then work on the project. While it may take more than one semester to complete the project, CSE 8080 can only be taken once.

At the end of the project (usually the end of CSE 8080), a final report with deliverables must be prepared. The report must follow the same format as theses and dissertations, as specified in the latest edition of the Standards for Preparing Dissertations and Theses available from the Library and departmental requirements, except that the approval page should include the signatures of the student's Graduate Committee only; a LaTeX template is provided by Dr. Ramkumar.  A copy of the original project contract should be included in an appendix. Deliverables of the project (user guides, design documents, etc.) can be included as appendices, but normally will be separate documents. The format of any deliverables (user guides, technical manuals, etc.) not included as appendices shall be as appropriate for the client of the project. Deliverables included as appendixes must follow the same form and format as the report.

The non-thesis option of the CYSO Masters degree program requires that the degree candidate successfully demonstrate mastery of graduate material. At the end of the program, the student will sit for a comprehensive exam covering their graduate coursework; students with a Directed Project will focus on defending their project and its relation to their coursework. The guidelines below supplement, but do not supersede, those provided by the Graduate School; see their guidelines for additional details such as the deadlines, exam process, and so on.

For students electing this option, the following steps must be followed:

1. If doing a Directed Project, the student develops a project contract at least one semester before graduating. A copy of this contract must be sent to CSE office at CSE-Grad-Paperwork@cse.msstate.edu
2. The semester before their anticipated graduation, students should review their Program of Study via CAPP on Banner to ensure all coursework will be completed.
3. Upon completion of their project and coursework (or within 6 hours of completing), the student must schedule their exam. Part of this process requires students to complete the Graduate Exit survey for the College. Contact the CSE office via email at CSE-Grad-Paperwork@cse.msstate.edu to reserve the room and any other preparation needed to schedule the exam.
4. The student will sit for the exam with their major professor and committee. The exam will go over their graduate studies, with focus on courses related to the project for those doing a Project. The student will be asked to give a presentation on their Directed Project or on some other major classwork for non-Project students.
5. The student graduates once the Comprehensive Exam has been successfully passed and coursework concluded.

The report must follow the same format as theses and dissertations, as specified in the latest edition of the Standards for Preparing Dissertations and Theses available from the MSU Office of Graduate Studies, and departmental requirements, except that the approval page should include the signatures of the student's Graduate Committee only.

A copy of the original project contract should be included in an appendix. Deliverables of the project (user guides, design documents, etc.) can be included as appendices, but normally will be separate documents. The format of any deliverables (user guides, technical manuals, etc.) not included as appendices shall be as appropriate for the client of the project. Deliverables included as appendixes must follow the same form and format as the report.