Programs of Study and Related Classes

Cybersecurity is a cross-disciplinary field drawing on computer science, computer engineering, and management information systems as well as criminal justice, communication, law, political science, and mathematics. At UD, students of all majors benefit from academic programming that supports cyber-related degree and certificate programs.

Emerging areas of academic interest for cybersecurity initiatives are political science (policy and national security focus) and communication (social engineering and incident response areas). New certificates at both graduate and undergraduate levels in these areas are expected.

In addition, student research opportunities will expand with help from faculty and some sponsored funding from the NSF, NSA, and DOD. 

Cybersecurity-Related Majors, Minors and Corresponding Degrees 

• Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice with a Concentration in Cyber-Security Management
• Bachelor of Science in Computer Science with a Concentration in Cyber Defense
• Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering
• Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems
• Bachelor of Science in Computer Science 
• Master of Computer Science
• Bachelor Plus Master in Computer Science
• Minor in Cyber-Security (CSM)
• Graduate Certificate in Cyber-Security Management 
• Graduate Certificate in Autonomous Systems 

Cybersecurity individual Course Offerings

The University of Dayton also includes cybersecurity coursework in the University’s core curriculum to better prepare all graduates for managing cyber risks in their future employment. Current offerings include:

MIS 365. Protecting Personal Information Resources in an Interconnected World. 3 Hours 

An elective in the university core curriculum - crossing boundaries (Salisbury)
In an increasingly interconnected world, threats to the confidentiality, integrity and availability of valuable information resources are increasingly salient. This creates particular challenges for the individual who wishes to put online resources to their fullest use. This course will identify threats to confidentiality, integrity and availability of information resources, and how individuals can put in place appropriate controls to protect their personal information. Some discussion of how these basic concepts apply in organizational membership will also be discussed. Not available as elective for MIS majors.

CMM 453. Communication and Cybersecurity. 3 Hours

Elective course in the Communications department and for the university core curriculum - crossing boundaries (Robinson). Study of the role persuasion plays in computer hacking and what individuals and organizations can do to defend against social engineering exploits.

SSC 200. Social Science Interdisciplinary. 3 Hours

Perhaps because of the way cybercriminals are portrayed in the mass media, we think hackers wear hoodies and write computer programs that allow them to circumvent network security. It turns out that in more than 90% of all breaches, hackers simply trick end users into providing them their username, password and other account information. In the realm of cybersecurity, tricking people into providing information is called social engineering. The purpose of this course is to examine how social engineering works, the principles of human behavior that make us susceptible to social engineering, and a discussion of how you can avoid becoming a victim of a social engineering exploit.