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M.S. in Cyber Security and Operations

Mississippi State University's Cyber Security master's program is ranked #5 in Cyber Security Guide's latest list of best affordable master's programs.

You can check out the full ranking at : Cyber Security Guide

The program of study of a Master of Science in Cyber Security and Operations (MS CYSO) degree includes advanced courses in computer security that are selected according to the goals of the student.  The program of study includes a thesis option, a professional project option, or courses-only option. Students must currently be on the Starkville campus;  online education is not currently an option.

Admission

A student who wishes to study Graduate Cyber Security and Operations must have the ability to develop and analyze software for their study. An in-depth understanding the interface between computer hardware and software is also required, as is data communications. Some mathematical fluency is required. Students must demonstrate their potential for success in the program via strong previous academic work, a competitive GRE score, and demonstrated English proficiency as appropriate. Details for these requirements are provided here.

Admission and financial assistantships are separate decisions. For information on teaching & research assistantships, fellowships, and other scholarships, please refer here.

**Under normal circumstances, admissions requires a GRE score, but due to COVID-19, the BCoE has waived this requirement through fall 2021.**

Program of Study

The MS CYSO degree is a 31 credit program designed to be completed in 2 years for traditional students. Students must select either a thesis or a non-thesis option in their program of study. Working with a major professor and guiding committee, students will select appropriate core, concentration, and elective courses to develop mastery. This mastery will then be demonstrated as part of a comprehensive exam (which may include a thesis defense as appropriate).

MS CYSO Program of Study (31 Credits) (Effective Fall 2022)

Degree Pre-Requisites (Generally taken by students in our BS Computer Science/Cybersecurity or equivalent from other schools, evaluated during the admission process)

  • CSE 2383: Data Structures and Analysis of Algorithms
  • CSE 3723: Computer organization
  • CSE 4153: Data Communications and Computer Networks
  • CSE 4733: Operating Systems I
  • CSE 4833: Introduction to Analysis of Algorithms

Required (22 credit hours)

  • CSE 8011: Graduate Seminar (1 Credit hour)
  • CSE 6243: Information & Computer Security
  • CSE 6173: Cryptography
  • CSE 6253: Secure Software Engineering
  • CSE 6383: Network Security
  • CSE 6363: Software Reverse Engineering
  • ECE 8823/CSE 8753: Wireless Networks
  • CSE 8713: Advanced Cyber Operations

Electives (3 credit hours)

  • CSE 6743: Operating Systems II
  • CSE 6273: Introduction to Computer Forensics
  • CSE 8743: Advanced Network Security
  • ECE 8753: Distributed Systems

Thesis/Free Electives (6 credit hours)

For the non-Thesis MSCYSO program the student take 2 courses from the list of electives OR Directed Independent Study (DIS) with faculty. To complete degree requirements all students complete a comprehensive exam (non-thesis) or a thesis defense.

CYSO Non-thesis Option

Non-thesis students develop their professional skills to prepare them for employment or further graduate study. Under the guidance of a major professor and guiding committee, they demonstrate their mastery via a comprehensive exam and possible professional project.

Non-thesis students would have to take 6 hours from Free Electives to meet their requirement of 31 credit hours.

Directed Project

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 their 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.

Comprehensive Exam

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 will be kept by the CSE office.
  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 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.
Directed Project Format Requirements

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.

CYSO Thesis Option

Thesis students, in collaboration with their major professor, thesis director, and guiding committee, chooses a research area when enrolled. This research area is supported by their coursework chosen and then fleshed out in subsequent research hours. This work culminates in a thesis document and defense shared with the community of scholars.

Thesis Hours

Graduate students must complete at minimum 6 credit hours of graduate research, indicated by CSE 8000 sections under the direction the major professor or thesis director. Thesis hours representing work as a TA or RA cannot be used for this purpose (unless the RA position is tied to the relevant research).

Thesis & Defense

The thesis (research) option of the CYSO Masters degree program requires that the degree candidate successfully undertake an independent research project and present the results of the research in a defensible thesis document. These guidelines supplement, but do not supersede, those provided by the Graduate School; see their guidelines for additional details such as the deadlines, exam process, submission steps, format for the dissertation, and so on.

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

  1. The student develops a thesis proposal with the major professor containing:
    • a. Introduction to the research being proposed.
    • b. Review of the relevant research in the area.
    • c. Hypothesis, research goals/questions, research relevancy, proposed research methodology/procedures, and publication plan.
  2. The major professor schedules a research proposal session with the students Graduate Committee and gains Committee approval of the proposed research.
  3. The semester before their anticipated graduation, students should review their Program of Study via CAPP on Banner to ensure all coursework will be completed.
  4. Upon completion of the research, the student submits a draft copy of the thesis document to each member of his/her Graduate Committee. This draft copy is must be distributed to the committee members at least one week prior to the planned date of the presentation. All suggestions and concerns should be resolved under the direction of the major professor.
  5. When the student is ready to defend the thesis and be examined, the major professor schedules the presentation and examination. The thesis presentation is open to all students and faculty. The presentation is followed immediately by an oral examination of the student that is open only to the members of the student's Graduate Committee (and the research director).
  6. Once the student has made all changes to the thesis document requested by the committee members and the committee members and the Graduate Coordinator have signed the approval page, the student submits a signed copy of the approval page to the departmental office. Approval of the thesis proceeds from the committee, to the Graduate Coordinator of the Department, and thence to the Dean of Engineering. After all approvals are obtained, the student must submit an electronic copy of the thesis to the Library for final approval.

The Library provides guidelines for the format of theses. Dr. Ramkumar provides a LaTeX template for those wishing to use it, under the disclaimer that Library guidelines are the primary source of formatting and must be consulted at all times.

Regardless of the program of study chosen, certain policies apply to all coureswork chosen. Please refer to our Graduate Handbook for these additional policies.

Program Learning Objective (PLO) Outcomes:

If you want to learn about the PLO outcomes, please click the link here: CYSO PLO Outcomes