You can fight in the war that’s waged online.
With cybercrime on the rise, cybersecurity grows more vital with each passing day.
Our nation’s leaders recognize cybersecurity as a national imperative, and there is an immediate need for cybersecurity workforce development in the Lowcountry. Major employers of computing professionals and the defense and business industry in the Charleston region are increasingly interested in employees specializing in cybersecurity. The Graduate Certificate in Cybersecurity is a joint program with the College of Charleston with classes being held at The Citadel campus and College of Charleston Harbor walk campus.
Learning Outcomes
The Graduate Certificate in Cybersecurity prepares you to play a critical role in the world of Internet security. By the end of this program, students will be able to:
- Describe basic components of cybersecurity
- Characterize the security profile of different types of networks
- Analyze and use classical and public key cryptography algorithms
- Secure a system from different kinds of attacks
- Analyze security of a cyber system and perform risk assessment
- Discuss legal and ethical issues relating to cybersecurity
The Citadel has been named a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education by the National Security Agency and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). [ Learn More ]
The certificate is composed of four courses:
CSCI 614 Advanced Operating Systems
CSCI 631 Principles of Computer Security
CSCI 632 Data Communications and Networking
CSCI 641 Advanced Cybersecurity
Admission Requirements
Complete of the online graduate application along with the non-refundable application fee. All admission materials should be submitted to The Citadel Graduate College.
To be admitted, applicants must satisfy one of the following options. All students must satisfy prerequisite areas indicated below before enrolling in any graduate CSCI/CSIS course.
- Complete a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher.
- Complete a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with a cumulative GPA of 2.50 or higher. Complete six credit hours of graduate CSCI/CSIS coursework as a non-degree-seeking student with a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher.
- For students in a combined/accelerated bachelor’s-to-master’s program, maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.000 or higher for all CSIS/CSCI graduate courses to continue as a full-time graduate student.
Statement of Purpose
Submit a statement of purpose with admission materials (700-1000 words).
Prerequisite Knowledge Area Requirements
Prospective students must be able to demonstrate competency in the areas of basic computer architecture, object-oriented programming, discrete mathematics, and data structures, before enrolling in any graduate CSCI/CSIS course. These prerequisite areas may be covered by undergraduate coursework from any regionally accredited college or university. Coverage of areas by courses is at the discretion of the graduate program director. Grades of B or higher are required for courses taken outside of a baccalaureate program. Some courses may have additional prerequisites depending on where they are offered.
Click here to read more details on the four prerequisite knowledge areas.
Relevant work experience may be acceptable in demonstrating competency if mapped to typical learning outcomes for courses normally accepted. With prior approval from the graduate program directors, certain certified, online, university-style, MOOC courses (e.g. Coursera, edX, etc.) may be acceptable for demonstrating competency in some prerequisite areas.
TOEFL Requirement: Prospective students whose native language of citizenship is not English will be required to additionally submit TOEFL scores. The minimum acceptable scores are 550 paper-based, 79-80 internet based, or 213 computer-based.
Registration Requirement: All admitted students must have approval from the Program Director or Department Head before registering for any courses in the Computer Science curriculum.
For more information about the program or admission requirements, contact Dr. Michael P. Verdicchio, Graduate Program Director (phone: 843-953-5039, e-mail: mv@citadel.edu)