Nov 11, 2024  
2024-2025 Graduate Studies Bulletin 
    
2024-2025 Graduate Studies Bulletin

Cybersecurity, MS


Hofstra University’s graduate program in Cybersecurity, offered jointly by the Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science  and the Frank G. Zarb School of Business , prepares students with the knowledge, skills and tools needed in technology, management, and policy. The program provides the theoretical foundation and practical experiences that address cybersecurity from many perspectives such as data, software, systems, organizational and societal security, and privacy.

Admission Requirements


  1. Completion of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
  2. GRE or GMAT must be provided from an examination within the previous five years of the date of application. For non-native speakers of English, a TOEFL may be required unless waived by the program director or the Office of Graduate Admission, after having received evidence of English-language proficiency.

All applications for admission are considered on the basis of their own merits, with weight given to the strength of a student’s previous academic performance, scores obtained on the GMAT, professional experiences indicating increasing levels of responsibility, and any other pertinent information which the candidate for admission may provide to the Committee on Admissions.

Prerequisite Requirements


Students should satisfy programming and calculus requirements through previous equivalent undergraduate or graduate course work taken within a specific time frame with a B or better grade at an accredited college or university or through satisfactory performance on a proficiency examination administered by the appropriate departments. Applicants may be admitted as provisionally matriculated students if they meet all admission criteria except for the required prerequisites. They may enroll in graduate courses if they meet individual course prerequisites and satisfy the general admission requirements before completing 12 semester hours of graduate study.

Program Requirements - Semester Hours: 30


Common Requirements: 12 Semester Hours


Concentration Required Courses: 6 Semester Hours


Management/Policy Concentration


The Master of Science in Cybersecurity (Management and Policy Concentration) prepares students to manage and work with risk management and security policy development in order to protect networks and computer assets within an organization. This program will give students a deeper understanding of the technical aspects of cybersecurity; provide practical applications of risk management procedures in organizations; develop incident response plans for business continuity; design security structures for an organization and provide a legal framework for security policy. Potential career fields include: cybersecurity governance and policy; data protection and information security.

Management/Policy Concentration: IT 215  and IT 228 .

Technology Concentration


The MS in Cybersecurity (Technology Concentration) is intended for students who wish to obtain both technical and managerial skills in the area of security and privacy for enterprise data, systems and networks. Graduates of the concentration will be able to be:

  • Design and implement software and protocols for building secure computational systems.
  • Evaluate security architectures to reduce the risk of cyber-attacks, limit damage from intrusion, and recover rapidly from them.
  • Create and use effective tools for security operations, security engineering, and vulnerability management.

Technology Concentration: CSC 215 CSC 288 .

Elective Courses: 9 Semester Hours


Choose three courses under a chairperson’s advisement from the following with at least two from IT for Management/Policy concentration or at least two from CSC for Technology concentration:

Capstone Course: 3 Semester Hours


A capstone course is required for completion of this program: