Cyber Ops Certificate

Cyber operations (Cyber Ops) is a specialization of information security that is in high demand within areas of the government and military, including the National Security Agency (NSA).

If you have an interest in working for the NSA, or a similar organization, certification in Cyber Ops may be the right fit for you. To participate, students must be enrolled in the Master of Science in Information Security (MSIS) program.

Cyber Ops Curriculum Meets MSIS Degree Requirements

MSIS students are able to earn Cyber Ops certification without taking additional coursework, however they must fulfill both sets of requirements. All courses used to satisfy the Cyber Ops certificate requirements must be taken for a letter grade. If completed, the Cyber Ops certificate will be issued at graduation. 

Note: International students can pursue the Cyber Ops Certificate.

The Cyber Ops certificate requirements focus on both mandatory and optional Knowledge Units (KUs) representing important areas of study in the field of cyber operations. Some KUs are covered by multiple courses, and other KUs require multiple courses.

To earn the Cyber Ops certificate, students must successfully complete courses that cover all of the mandatory KUs and at least four (4) of the optional KUs. 

Based on the INI’s mapping of courses to KUs, students can accomplish the minimum requirements for the certificate by completing the following courses:

Note: All INI programs require background in discrete mathematics and algorithms as an admissions requirement, so the M6 KU is not covered by any course that PoS students would take. Rather, the skills in this KU are practiced and reinforced by the majority of courses that INI students take.

Additionally, students can further supplement their Cyber Ops coursework with the following courses that cover additional Optional KUs (possibly in concert with required courses above).