Undergraduate Program - Concentration in Cybersecurity

Effective Spring 2021

The Department of Computer Science offers a concentration in cybersecurity to undergraduate students majoring in Computer Science at NC State. The Cybersecurity concentration provides the student with the opportunity to analyze security risks, define a threat landscape, and defend against threats from adversaries in software, networks, and systems.Students who are accepted into the Cybersecurity concentration are not eligible to receive the Security Track.

Program Objectives - Concentration in Cybersecurity

The CSC undergraduate Cybersecurity concentration program at NC State prepares its B.S. graduates to achieve the career and professional goals for the CSC degree and the following cybersecurity specific career and professional goals:

  1. To apply deep expertise in theoretical and conceptual cybersecurity knowledge, practice, and ethics in service of protecting data and infrastructure from attackers.
  2. To use security thinking to define and defend against risks and ensure secure and privacy-preserving software, networks, and systems.
  3. To apply professional skills and business acumen in the service of defending critical infrastructure.
Student Outcomes

Upon graduation CSC students with the Cybersecurity Concentration will meet the CSC student outcomes and will:

  1. Demonstrate theoretical, conceptual, and professional cybersecurity skills to defend against attackers of software, networks, and systems.
  2. Identify the risks to security and privacy of data for software, networks, and systems and protect systems from internal and external threats.
  3. Defend the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of software systems.
Program of Study

Students take all courses required for the CSC major. Concentration course selection for Restricted and Other Electives is constrained to focus on specific courses related to cybersecurity. Students take the following concentration-specific courses:

  • CSC 297 Cybersecurity Topics (three distinct topics)
  • CSC 405 Computer Security
  • CSC 471 Modern Topics in Cybersecurity
  • CSC 472 Cybersecurity Projects
  • CSC 474 Network Security
  • At least one of the following:
    • CSC 414 Cryptography
    • CSC 415 Software Security
    • CSC 433 Privacy

Click Here For Semester-by-Semester Curriculum

Curriculum Requirements for B.S. in Computer Science: Cybersecurity Concentration

For more information, interested students should contact the appropriate advisor as listed on the topic chart here: go.ncsu.edu/cscadvising

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