The Accelerated BS to MS program in Cyber Security and Privacy (Technical Track only) allows highly qualified UCF undergraduate majors in Computer Science (CS) or Information Technology (IT) to take graduate-level courses that will count toward their MS degree while completing their BS degree program. Students must apply to the MS program.
Up to 9 credit hours of 5000- and 6000-level courses with a grade of "B" (3.0) or better may be counted toward the accelerated BS to MS program. Two additional requirements for the students in this program are:
- Students must earn at least a "B" (3.0) in each undergraduate- or graduate-level course counted for the program.
- Students must opt for this program no later than the beginning of their junior year.
Total Credit Hours Required: 30 Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Bachelor's Degree
Track Prerequisites
This track is available to University of Central Florida undergraduate majors in Computer Science (CS) or Information Technology (IT) only.
Degree Requirements
Required Courses
9 Total Credits
- Complete the following:
- CAP5150 - Foundations of Computer Security and Privacy (3)
- CDA5220 - Foundations of Secure Execution Environment (3)
- CIS6614 - Advanced Software Systems Security (3)
Elective Courses
15 Total Credits
- Complete all of the following
- At least half of the credit hours used to meet program requirements must be at the 6000 level.
Cybersecurity/Privacy- Complete at least 1 of the following:
- CAP5151 - Internet of Things Security and Privacy (3)
- CIS5730 - Blockchains and Smart Distributed Contracts (3)
- CDA6221 - Advanced Topics in Secure Execution Environment (3)
- CNT5410L - Cyber Operations Lab (3)
- CAP6135 - Malware and Software Vulnerability Analysis (3)
- CIS6395 - Incident Response Technologies (3)
Networking- Complete at least 1 of the following:
- CNT5008 - Computer Communication Networks Architecture (3)
- CNT6707 - Advanced Computer Networks (3)
- CNT5805 - Network Science (3)
Data Analytics- Complete at least 1 of the following:
- COP5711 - Parallel and Distributed Database Systems (3)
- COP6731 - Advanced Database Systems (3)
- CAP5610 - Machine Learning (3)
- CAP5636 - Advanced Artificial Intelligence (3)
- CAP6640 - Computer Understanding of Natural Language (3)
Other Electives- Earn at least 6 credits from the following types of courses: Electives from the groups listed above, and/or the following electives: COP 5611 – Operating System Design Principles CDA 5106 – Advanced Computer Architecture COT 5405 – Design and Analysis of Algorithms COT 6410 – Computational Complexity CEN 5016 – Software Engineering
Thesis/Nonthesis
6 Total Credits
- Complete 1 of the following
Thesis Option- Earn at least 6 credits from the following types of courses: XXX 6971 Thesis (prefix determined by disciplinary area of your thesis adviser, e.g., CAP, CDA, CEN,COP or COT 6971) Six credits of thesis are required with the professor who directs the student's thesis. The thesis experience is expected to span two semesters. Thesis students who are full-time must continue to enroll in 3 credit hours of thesis course work until the thesis requirement is satisfied, even if it goes beyond the minimum of 6 credit hours of thesis. Students are required to prepare and defend a formal thesis in accordance with university requirements.
Nonthesis Option- Earn at least 6 credits from the following types of courses: The nonthesis option requires completing 6 credit hours of any electives in both Technical Track and Interdisciplinary Track beyond the 15 credit hours of electives described above.
Grand Total Credits: 30
Financial Information
Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see the College of Graduate Studies Funding website, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.
Fellowship Information
Fellowships are awarded based on academic merit to highly qualified students. They are paid to students through the Office of Student Financial Assistance, based on instructions provided by the College of Graduate Studies. Fellowships are given to support a student's graduate study and do not have a work obligation. For more information, see UCF Graduate Fellowships, which includes descriptions of university fellowships and what you should do to be considered for a fellowship.
In this accelerated BS to MS track, students are required to pursue the Technical Track of the Cyber Security and Privacy MS program.
