Logo of City University of Seattle STC and Cybersecutity centers

Master of Science in Cybersecurity

Protect Technical Infrastructures

City University of Seattle’s Master of Science in Cybersecurity program is a technical management degree providing a balanced socio-technical approach to address the complex interdisciplinary challenges addressing private and public industry sectors across the globe. The MSCY requires students with non-technical backgrounds or degrees to complete several courses in technological fundamentals. MSCY courses integrate experiential, hands-on technical skills and labs required to understand how to perform in workplace teams and manage cybersecurity-oriented projects in the technology–dependent 21st–century society. The MSCY degree is designated as an approved Path of Study by the National Center of Academic Excellence designated by the NSA. All courses are designed by industry subject matter experts, taught by practitioner faculty, and updated annually to reflect the changing socio-technological landscape.

Program Information Summary

Enrollment: All Quarters

Course Format: Online

Total Credits: 39-59

Program Manager

Image-Contact-1.jpg

TBD

linkedin-logo-icon-image

City University of Seattle’s Master of Science in Cybersecurity program is a technical management degree providing a balanced socio-technical approach to address the complex interdisciplinary challenges addressing private and public industry sectors across the globe. The MSCY requires students with non-technical backgrounds or degrees to complete several courses in technological fundamentals. MSCY courses integrate experiential, hands-on technical skills and labs required to understand how to perform in workplace teams and manage cybersecurity-oriented projects in the technology-dependent 21st-century society. The MSCY degree is designated as an approved Path of Study by the National Center of Academic Excellence designated by the NSA. All courses are designed by industry subject matter experts, taught by practitioner faculty, and updated annually to reflect the changing socio-technological landscape.

TECHNICAL LEADERSHIP: SECURING A COMPLEX TECHNOLOGICAL LANDSCAPE

This holistic approach, based on the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and the DoD CIO Workforce Framework, combines academic rigor and practical relevance to shape the next generation of cybersecurity leaders capable of advancing the industry. This program develops leaders who can articulate complex cybersecurity issues succinctly and engage constructively with stakeholders at all levels.

Integrated Technical leadership content prepares students to effectively plan and execute technological changes within organizations to secure complex cyber landscapes. Students are equipped to plan, execute, and manage cybersecurity projects. Communication and Influencing skills inform technical and non-technical stakeholders to respond to risk management and resource allocation and achieve project objectives within constraints.

Click HERE for admissions and tuition information.

Click HERE for the complete program catalog.

The Master of Science in Cybersecurity will prepare students to:

Analyze interdisciplinary approaches to secure all levels of organizations’ information systems (Cybersecurity Knowledge)

Apply  advanced cybersecurity risk concepts for real-world situations. (Cybersecurity Principles and Practices)  

Design integrated ethical, policy, and technical strategies for cybersecurity systems (Critical and Ethical Thinking)

Synthesize data to inform actions and support security and risk management decisions (Quantitative Literacy)

Create influential communications to guide and inform stakeholder decision-making processes and operational responses (Communication)

Collaborate effectively, leveraging diverse teams to support resilient, responsive socio-technological security systems (Collaboration)

Note: For full course descriptions please refer to the current catalog.

Admission Requirements

In addition to City University of Seattle’s graduate admission requirements, found under Admissions in the catalog menu, applicants to this program must also meet the following requirements: 

  • An earned bachelor’s degree and evidence of completion of undergraduate courses or their equivalent in: 
    • Equivalency of 5-quarter hour credits at the intermediate level in at least one computer programming language; and 
    • Equivalency of 5-quarter hour credits in networking (TCP/IP from physical through application layers); and 
    • Equivalency of 5-quarter hour credits of data management, including basic database design and SQL/NoSQL Queries; and 
    • Equivalency of 5-quarter hour credits of operating systems, including OS theory, process management, and memory management; OR 
  • An earned bachelor’s degree and successful completion of CityU’s Undergraduate Certificate in Foundations of Systems Development. 
 

Total Required Credits (39-59 Credits)

Preparatory Courses (6 or 20 Credits)

These preparatory course may be required for students entering the MSCY degree program without sufficient related experience. Please see the program admissions criteria in the City University of Seattle catalog for specific information.

Breadth-First Preparatory Courses (6 Credits)

CS 11A   Technology & Computing Components I

   3

CS 11B   Technology & Computing Components II

   3

Depth-First Preparatory Courses (20 Credits)

IS 201   Fundamentals of Computing

   5

IS 360   Database Technologies *

   5

CS 340   Operating Systems *

   5

CS 330   Network Communications *

   5

Major in Cybersecurity (21 Credits)

CY 500   Cybersecurity Overview

   3

CY 505   Securing Computer Systems

   3

CY 510   Human and Organizational Security

   3

CY 520   Ethical, Legal, and Societal Security

   3

CY 545   Data Privacy and Security

   3

CY 525   Network and Wireless Security

   3

CY 609   Software Security

   3

Emphasis in Cyber Defense (12 Credits)

CY 605   Cybersecurity Auditing

   3

CY 615   Cryptography

   3

CY 628   Cloud Security Integration

   3

CY 640   Software Reverse Engineering

   3

Electives (3 Credits)

Students may select one elective course from any other disciplines within the School of Technology & Computing or complete the internship.

Capstone (3 Credits)

CY 665   Cybersecurity Capstone *

   3

As cyber threats grow in both complexity and frequency, cybersecurity professionals are among the most in-demand roles across all sectors. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for information security analysts is projected to grow 32 % from 2022 to 2032—much faster than the average for all occupations. Meanwhile, with 78 % of companies now integrating AI into their operations, professionals who understand the intersection of cybersecurity and intelligent systems are increasingly valued.

Graduates of CityU’s Master of Science in Cybersecurity (MSCY) program are prepared for mid to senior-level positions such as:

  • Cybersecurity Manager / Lead: Oversee security operations, incident response teams, and policy enforcement while aligning security practices with business goals..
  • Information Security Analyst: Analyze emerging threats, respond to complex incidents, and deploy AI-enhanced security tools such as behavior-based detection systems.
  • Cloud Security Engineer:  Design and implement secure architectures in AWS, Azure, or GCP, managing IAM, encryption, and cloud-native defense mechanisms.
  • Security Architect: Develop enterprise-level security frameworks, zero-trust models, and secure-by-design system architectures.
  • Governance, Risk, & Compliance (GRC) Specialist: Lead audits, ensure compliance with global standards, and advise on data privacy regulations like GDPR and CCPA.
  • Cyber Threat Intelligence Analyst: Use threat modeling, OSINT, and AI-driven tools to proactively detect vulnerabilities and identify advanced persistent threats (APTs).
 
CityU’s MSCY graduates work with teams at Adobe, AWS, Google, Meta, and Microsoft, among others, helping to power intelligent systems and insights in areas such as:
  • Retail & e-Commerce – recommendation systems, demand forecasting
  • Healthcare – predictive diagnostics, AI-supported triage
  • Finance & Insurance – fraud detection, credit scoring, robo-advisors
  • Manufacturing & IoT – sensor analytics, predictive maintenance
  • Energy & Environment – smart-grid analytics, sustainability modeling
  • Civic Tech & Public Sector – AI for policy modeling, service optimization


MSCY prepares graduates to fill cybersecurity positions in multiple settings. Cybersecurity is a growing profession. Globally, the demand for cyber talent will exceed 3.5M by 2022. Visit www.cyberseek.org for updated data and cybersecurity job openings.