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Cyber Security Concentration

Core Class Course Descriptions

The Master of Security Management degree requires satisfactory completion of 36 credit hours offered by the Marilyn Davies College of Business. The required core courses for completion of the Master of Security Management are listed. Click on the course names below to expand and view detailed descriptions for each course.

SM 6360 Enterprise Security Management
The management of the security function is examined through the study of management strategies and case studies. Discussions and research will include policies and procedures, fiscal management, audits and surveys and organizational structures and operations and crisis management.

SM 6362 Risk Analysis and Abatement
This course surveys a variety of procedures, programs and policies used to form a strategic business security plan to neutralize an organization’s vulnerabilities and measure the effectiveness of its security. Strategies to prevent and reduce risks inherent in the private business sector will be discussed and analyzed.

SM 6364 Legal Environment of the Security Executive
Criminal law, administrative law and extralegal contractual agreements that impact security management including legal liabilities attached to arrest, search and seizure, evidence, tort liability and personnel issues in industrial, corporate, retail and private security.

SM 6365 Cyber Crime and Computer Forensics
This course will assess the current and changing landscape of cybercrime and expose students to advanced concepts in computer forensic analysis, as part of a response to the investigation of an incident. The methods of collection, preservation, analysis and presentation of digital evidence will be presented to properly conduct a computer forensics investigation.

MGT 6301 Leadership, Motivation and Communications for Security Executives
Leadership, motivation, and communication for executives in security organizations. Topics include one’s own managerial and leadership skills, interpersonal skills, and leading organizational change.

MGT 6302 Human Resource Management for Security Executives
Survey of the field of human resources management with emphasis on security management. Topics include human resources planning, recruiting and selection, performance appraisal, compensation and reward systems, training and development, and employee relations. Regulatory and legal aspects of human resources management will be integrated throughout the course.

MGT 6332 Management Decision Making for Security Executives
This course is an introduction to managerial decision making from the perspective of the security professional. Students will learn how to apply qualitative and quantitative decision models and techniques to solve managerial decision problems. Topics will include behavioral and organizational aspects of decision making, qualitative decision models, spreadsheet decision modeling, descriptive statistical analysis, forecasting models, and decision making under risk and uncertainty.

Total: 21 hours


Cybersecurity Concentration Descriptions

SM 6366 Cyber Security Program Development and Operation

This course focuses on the foundations of a risk based cyber security program. Students will focus on applying threat, vulnerability and risk analysis in order to manage an organization’s IT security program.

SM 6368 Information Security-Focused on Data Security

This course focuses on treating an organization’s data as an asset that must be protected, ways to protect that data as an asset and the impact of data breach and/or theft of that data.

SM 6369 Cyber Networked Security

This course focuses on the security risks related to an organization’s enterprise network connections to the external web and implementing technology to mitigate the identified security risks.

SM 6374 Organizational Resilience

This course examines the role of business continuity as part of a comprehensive, threat based, risk management strategy by looking at standards, strategies, crisis management, employee orientation, plan development and testing.

SM 6375 Cyber Operations Capstone
Prerequisite: Completion of 12 credit hours or approval from the Program Director. 

This course is the capstone for the Cyber Security concentration. It focuses on identifying and using up-to-date intelligence in order to perform risk analysis, continuous monitoring and threat assessments to maintain security and reduce system vulnerabilities on a day to day basis.



Total: 15 hours


Cyber Security Electives

Prerequisite: Approval from the Program Director.

Governance, Compliance, and Ethics: Students will learn how sound governance, ethical principles, and compliance with regulatory standards guide the development and implementation of policies, procedures, and programs to address threats to an organization's security.

Prerequisite: Approval from the Program Director.

This course presents students the opportunity to explore the intricacies of Information Security Audit processes and practices. Beginning with the fundamentals and progressing through advanced techniques, students will learn to differentiate between acceptable and non-acceptable artifacts when used as evidence. Students will also be presented with the audit ecosystem from both the internal and external perspectives. In addition, students will explore privacy laws in the United States and their impact on the protection of individual and organizational privacy, and the requirements of compliance with these laws.

Prerequisite: Acceptance into the MSM and/or approval from the Program Director.

The focus of this course is a topic in security management that is not covered in the same scope or detail as one of the existing courses in the security management curriculum. This course may be repeated for credit as the topics vary and may be applied to the degree with the approval of the Program Director.

Prerequisite: Approval from the Program Director.

This course introduces students to the differences between Operational Technology (OT) Cybersecurity and traditional Information Technology (IT) Cybersecurity. Students will also explore the regulatory frameworks and standards used in securing Industrial Control Systems from cyber threats. 

Prerequisite: Approval from the Program Director.

This course provides students the opportunity to experience and practice Security Management concepts learned in class in real world business operations. Students will acquire or improve their competency in several aspects of Security Management. Students actively engage in security projects within an organization, and feedback received from the employer will form part of the overall learning experience.

Prerequisite: Acceptance into the MSM and/or approval from the Program Director.

Intensive individual study, under the guidance of a Security Management faculty member, of a body of knowledge or research topic, with an applied focus. This course may be repeated for credit as the topics vary and may be applied to the degree with the approval of the Program Director.

Up to 6 hours

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