Cybersecurity · CYBR

About Cybersecurity

Defending systems, networks, and data — and understanding the attacks. Courses carry the CYBR subject code and are offered through the College of Computing & Information Sciences. Numbers below 300 are introductory, 300–499 advanced undergraduate, and 500 and above graduate. Prerequisites are enforced at registration.

How the sequence works

Of the 9 CYBR courses listed, 3 are introductory (numbers under 300), 1 is advanced undergraduate (300–499). 1 course has no prerequisite and is a reasonable first step. Later courses assume the earlier ones, so read prerequisites before you plan a term — they are enforced at registration and an override from the Cybersecurity department is the only way around them.

CYBR 1500 — Foundations of Cybersecurity 3 cr

The vocabulary and mindset of security: the CIA triad, threats and threat actors, controls, risk, and the legal and ethical boundaries of the field.

Prerequisite: none.

CYBR 2200 — Networking for Security 4 cr

How networks actually move data, so you can defend them: the protocol stack, routing and switching, common services, packet capture, and where each layer can be attacked or monitored.

Prerequisite: CYBR 1500.

CYBR 2600 — System Administration and Hardening 3 cr

Configuring and locking down Linux and Windows systems: accounts and permissions, patching, logging, baseline configuration, and verifying that a control does what you think.

Prerequisite: CYBR 1500.

CYBR 3100 — Offensive Security 3 cr

Reconnaissance, vulnerability assessment, exploitation, and post-exploitation in a contained lab, taught so defenders understand attacker workflows. Rules of engagement and authorization are central.

Prerequisite: CYBR 2200.

CYBR 3300 — Digital Forensics and Incident Response 3 cr

Acquiring and analyzing evidence from disks, memory, and network logs; maintaining chain of custody; reconstructing an incident timeline; and writing a report that holds up.

Prerequisite: CYBR 2600.

CYBR 3500 — Cryptography Applied 3 cr

Symmetric and public-key cryptography, hashing, key exchange, digital signatures, and certificates — how they work, how they fail, and how to use libraries correctly.

Prerequisite: MATH 2100.

CYBR 3700 — Security Operations 3 cr

Running a security operations center: log aggregation, detection engineering, alert triage, threat intelligence, and tabletop exercises.

Prerequisite: CYBR 2600.

CYBR 4100 — Governance, Risk, and Compliance 3 cr

Security frameworks and regulations, risk assessment methods, audit, policy writing, and translating between technical findings and organizational decisions.

Prerequisite: junior standing.

CYBR 4900 — Cybersecurity Capstone 3 cr

A team assesses, hardens, and defends a realistic environment across a term, culminating in a defended live exercise and a formal findings report.

Prerequisite: senior standing.

Planning and advising

Your degree audit shows exactly how CYBR courses apply to your requirements; this list only shows what is offered. If you are choosing between two courses, deciding when to take a heavy one, or wondering whether a course will run next term, your academic adviser or the Cybersecurity program office can tell you. Course availability by term is set close to registration and is not guaranteed by anything on this page.