The School of Computer and Cyber Sciences has countless chances for growth and advancement in becoming a national leader in cybersecurity at this exciting time in Augusta University’s history.
The School will be a leader in community outreach and engagement with solid contributions to its constituencies, including their university, state and military, and private and public sector organizations.
In 2016, Augusta University achieved designation as a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD) from the National Security Agency and the US Department of Homeland Security. Less than 250 universities nationwide currently hold the CAE-CD distinction.
If you are looking for a cutting-edge career in academia. In that case, the School of Computer and Cyber Sciences also offers vital research and education opportunities where you can contribute substantially to the school’s mission.
Table of Contents
Augusta University Cybersecurity Programs
Augusta University provides various Undergraduate/Postgraduate/certification courses; let’s explore them.
Undergraduate Degrees
- The Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity program
- The Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity Engineering program
- The Bachelor of Science in Cyber Operations program
Doctoral Degrees
The Doctor of Philosophy in Computer and Cyber Sciences
Certifications courses
Cyber Defender Certificates.
The Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity program
Augusta University’s Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity program gives students a solid foundation of technical skills and abilities. You will learn computer networking, programming, scripting, cloud computing, and more in the hands-on, cutting-edge labs.
You will study the most current methods for protecting data and systems from hackers and other dangers in addition to these technical skills.
Course overview:
- Analyze a problem and identify and outline the computational requirements needed to solve it.
- Design, implement, and evaluate a computer-based solution to meet a given set of computing requirements in the discipline context.
- Communicate technical knowledge successfully with a broad range of people.
- Based on moral and legal grounds, make educated decisions when using computers.
- Function effectively on teams to establish goals, plan tasks, meet deadlines, manage risk, and produce deliverables.
- Identify and analyze user needs and consider them in computer-based system selection, integration, evaluation, and administration.
- Apply security principles and practices to a system’s environmental, hardware, software, and human components.
- Apply protective technology and forensic techniques.
- Analyze and evaluate components and systems concerning security and maintaining operations in the presence of risks and threats.
Career Possibilities:
The field of cybersecurity is of increasing importance to governments and enterprises around the world.
The need for specialists in this field will grow as society’s reliance on information systems increases and society’s adversaries become more skilled at getting around information security measures. Graduates of this program may want to think about the following positions:
- Cybersecurity Analyst
- Cybersecurity Architect
- Cryptographer
- Malware Analyst
- Penetration Tester
The Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity Engineering program
The program aligns with the ABET Engineering Accreditation Commission Program criteria for cybersecurity engineering and the Joint Task Force on Cybersecurity Education curriculum guidelines.
With the development of this degree program, Augusta University will be eligible to earn designation as a National Security Agency (NSA) Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations (CAE-Cyber Operations).
Course overview:
Augusta University’s program will train professional engineers who are capable of applying mathematics, science, and engineering knowledge to analyze and design complex systems that address:
- The design, implementation, and operation of the system’s physical, software, and human components are being examined concerning the application of security concepts and practices.
- The application of protective technologies and forensic techniques.
- The analysis and evaluation of components and systems concerning security and maintaining operations in the presence of risks and threats, and the consideration of legal, regulatory, privacy, ethics, and human behavior topics related to cybersecurity.
Career Possibilities:
Among the career options open to graduates of the school in cybersecurity engineering are a few of the following:
- Security Engineer
- Cyber Security Analyst
The Bachelor of Science in Cyber Operations program
This degree prepares students to apply Computer Science theory to the problem of analyzing, designing, implementing and operating secure computing environments. Students will be exposed to topics such as malware analysis, reverse engineering, penetration testing and hardware analysis.
Career Possibilities:
These are a few of the job opportunities available for students who graduate from the Cyber Operations degree program:
- Security Engineer
- Cyber Security Analyst
- Network Security Analyst
- Penetration Tester
The Doctor of Philosophy in Computer and Cyber Sciences
Students who complete the doctor of philosophy program in computer and cyber sciences are prepared for research and advanced development careers.
Students will acquire the abilities they need to advance knowledge in their chosen computer and cyber sciences field.
As a doctoral student studying computer and cyber sciences, you will get the chance to take part in a specific training and research ecosystem that combines core areas of computer and cyber sciences.
The doctoral program emphasizes small class sizes and pairs students with outstanding faculty to increase knowledge and skills through mentorships and participation in ongoing research programs.
Interested graduate students can work with our professors on a variety of research projects, including those involving distributed, parallel, and quantum computing, security and privacy, formal techniques, software engineering, programming languages, cyber-physical systems, IoT and edge systems, algorithms, artificial intelligence/machine learning, virtual reality, information systems and more.
Why Pursue a Computer and Cyber Sciences Ph.D.?
Doctoral graduates in computer and cyber sciences will benefit from specific benefits. The minimum recruiting requirements for technical leadership and research jobs at high-tech corporations and technology-focused government organizations are increasing, including doctoral degrees.
In our information age, the strategic importance of computer science and cybersecurity is only growing.
Each segment of society, from education to industry and the military, is becoming a sophisticated component of the digital enterprise. A doctorate in a computing-related field provides a wide range of new career opportunities in society.
Admissions Criteria
Prospective Computer and Cyber Sciences Ph.D. students will be admitted based on the following criteria:
- Competency: For ongoing education, a basic understanding of computer science is required.
- English proficiency: Sufficient proficiency in English is an essential prerequisite to being admitted into the program. Non-native English speakers must further demonstrate English competency in one of the following three ways:
- -Graduation with a baccalaureate degree (or higher) earned in residence from an accredited English-medium university in a country where English is a native language.
- – Official TOEFL scores.
- – Official IELTS scores
Cyber Defender Certificates
Graduates of the Cyber Defender certificate program will be prepared for entry-level IT jobs, including system administration, entry-level Security Operation Center (SOC) security analyst, etc.
Certificates can be obtained as a separate program of study for students who already have a degree or in addition to one. Certificates are meant to promote and document specialized study in a field of interest.
Cyber certifications that have been completed are included in a student’s transcript as proof of their completion of this course.
Although certificates can be an excellent starting point for gaining professional certifications, they should not be mistaken for professional certifications granted by organizations outside the university.
One academic year is required to earn the Cyber Defender Certificate. The following courses, with grades of “C” or higher, must be finished by students to receive the Cyber Defender Certificate:
Required Courses:
– Principles of Computer Programming I
– Principles of Scripting and Automation
– Introduction to Networking and Cyber Security
– Ethics in Computer Science
Electives
Choose two of the following courses:
– Operating System Concepts and Administration
– TCP/IP Protocol Analysis
– Introduction to Defensive Cyber Operations
– Cyber Network Defense and Counter Measures
– Digital Forensics
Total hours for Cyber Defender Certificate: 19 hours
Earners of the Cyber Defender Certificate are not regarded as information security specialists. Still, eager professionals who show promise, interest, follow-on education, training and experience will be precious information security employees.
Any major at Augusta University is eligible to receive this credential.
All Augusta University undergraduate IT (AIST) degree earners and twenty-five percent of all computer science degree earners achieve this basic cyber defender certificate.
Advanced Cyber Defender Certificate
The National Cybersecurity Workforce Development Program is a continuing education initiative to help military veterans, transitioning service members, and first responders prepare for the cyber workforce. Augusta University is happy to be a part of it.
We have developed the Cyber Sector Transition Initiative pathway as a partner of the academic coalition in this program. It offers our cyber defender credentials to transfer military personnel or veterans wishing to enter the exciting cybersecurity workforce.
The program adheres to the Joint Task Force on Cybersecurity Education curriculum recommendations, and the cybersecurity engineering program criteria set out by the ABET Engineering Accreditation Commission.
Augusta University will be qualified to receive certification as a National Security Agency (NSA) Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations thanks to the creation of this degree program (CAE-Cyber Operations).
The goal of the Advanced Cyber Defender Certificate arms graduates with the specific core skills needed to be successful in entry-level cybersecurity positions, such as network defense monitoring and penetration testing.
After earning the Cyber Defender certificate, you can earn the Advanced Cyber Defender certificate in a year. To earn this certificate, students must meet the following courses with grades of “C” or better:
Let us get into the courses to know what to expect from them.
Required Courses
The Cyber Defender Certificate’s remaining electives, in addition to:
– Enterprise System Architectures
– Database Management Systems or CSCI 3410 – Database Systems
– Elementary Statistics
– Principles of Data Management or CSCI 3400 – Data Structures
Total hours for the Advanced Cyber Defender Certificate: 21 hours
