School of Technology and computing

Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity

Enrollment

All Quarters

Course Format

Online

Total Credits

180 

Protect Organizations’ Technical Infrastructures

The Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity (BSCY) at CityU – Seattle is specifically designed for students seeking to enter the highly in-demand field of cybersecurity. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the demand for employment in cybersecurity will grow 32 percent from 2018 to 2028. The BSCY provides you with the skills, knowledge, and abilities to assess and investigate the misuse of data and information systems and defend organizations’ intellectual property. 

The BSCY  offers flexible learning options, including on-site, mixed mode, and online courses. The curriculum follows the Body of Knowledge of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Cybersecurity and aligns with ABET standards. The BSCY designated as a Center of Academic Excellence (CAE) by the National Security Agency/Department of Homeland Security (NSA/DHS). 

Program Overview

The Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity program integrates an interdisciplinary study involving technology, people, information, and processes to enable assured operations in the context of adversaries. It involves the creation, operation, analysis, and testing of secure computer systems. It is an interdisciplinary course of study, including aspects of policy and law, human factors, ethics, and risk management. This degree prepares graduates for a myriad of opportunities to work in and advance their cybersecurity careers within the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) Workforce Framework. 

Learning Outcomes

The Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity  will prepare students to:   

1. Integrate a foundational knowledge of all areas of cybersecurity (General Cybersecurity Knowledge).

2. Apply the fundamental principles and practices of cybersecurity (Cybersecurity Principles and Practices).

3. Apply critical and ethical thinking to solve problems in cybersecurity (Critical and Ethical Thinking).

4. Evaluate data to inform decisions and solve problems in cybersecurity (Quantitative Literacy).

5. Create the ability to develop and express ideas while applying a variety of delivery models, genres, and styles (Communication).

6. Collaborate effectively on diverse teams to accomplish a common goal (Collaboration).

Lower Division Requirements

Total Required Credits: 90

Students must meet General Education requirements.  This is typically completed within the 90 required lower division credits. See the General Education Requirements section in the catalog for more detailed information. 

For this program, Quantitative/Symbolic Reasoning is met with  MATH 141 Precalculus or higher.  MATH 138 (NS) is a pre-requisite for MATH 141.

General Education Requirement (55 Credits)    

College Composition I** & II (CCII) (10 Credits)
Quantitative/Symbolic Reasoning (QSR) (5 Credits)
Humanities (HU) (10 Credits)
Social Sciences (SS) (15 Credits)
Natural Sciences (NS) (15 Credits)

**If College Composition I is waived through transfer or articulation, students must take an additional 5 quarter credits from a humanities discipline.

Preparatory Courses (15 Credits)  

CS 132 Computer Science I *
CS 251 Statistical Computing (NS) *  
IS 201 Fundamentals of Computing I

Requirements

Total Required Credits: 180

Core Requirements (45 Credits)

CS 320 Fundamentals of AI *
CS 330 Network Communications *
CS 340 Operating Systems and Administration *
CS 351 Discrete Mathematics in Computing (NS) *
IS 312 Web Design and Programming *
IS 345 Cybersecurity *
IS 360 Database Technologies *
IS 471 Cyber Ethics (SS)
IT 434 Cloud Computing *

Depth Study : Cybersecurity  (30 Credits)
Select 30 credits from the courses listed below.

CY 467 Systems Security *
CY 468 Ethical Hacking *
CY 481 Network Security *
CY 487 Data Security *
CY 488 Software Security *
CY 489 Cloud Security *
IT 472 IT Compliance *

Elective (10 Credits)

Students may select two electives from any other undergraduate upper-division courses within the School of Technology & Computing or complete the internship.

Internship
This course is repeatable for credit.  Each enrollment must be pre-approved by the Program Manager.

CS 493 Technology and Computing Internship *

Capstone (5 Credits)

CS 497 Technology and Computing Capstone 

Career Opportunities

Program Manager

morgan zantua

Morgan Zantua
zantuamorgan@cityu.edu

Undergraduate Program Director

ProfLahman

Michael Lahman

lahmanmichael@cityu.edu 

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 Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity (BSCY) are prepared for high-impact roles such as:

  • Cybersecurity Analyst: Monitor networks, investigate threats, and respond to incidents using tools like SIEMs, endpoint protection, and intrusion detection systems.
  • Security Operations Center (SOC) Analyst: Work on front-line defense teams to detect suspicious behavior, escalate threats, and analyze logs—often using AI-assisted monitoring tools.
  • Risk & Compliance Associate:  Help ensure organizations meet regulatory standards (e.g., NIST, HIPAA, GDPR), and assess risks tied to data protection and secure software practices.
  • Cloud Security Specialist: Secure cloud infrastructures (AWS, Azure, GCP), implement access controls, and manage cloud-native security features and configurations.
  • Network & Systems Security Technician: Harden operating systems, secure firewalls, maintain VPNs, and support access control mechanisms in hybrid environments.
  • Threat Intelligence / Vulnerability Analyst: Track exploits, gather OSINT, and use AI-enhanced tools to predict, detect, and prevent cyberattacks across infrastructure and applications.

CityU’s BSCY graduates work with teams at Adobe, AWS, Google, 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

BSCY 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.

Click HERE for admissions and tuition information.

Click HERE for the complete program catalog.

Updated: 7/30/2025