Strategic Cybersecurity and Information Management, M.S.

The University of West Georgia’s STEM-approved Master of Science in Strategic Cybersecurity and Information Management (SCIM) degree combines technical knowledge and vital cybersecurity skills with business management and enterprise leadership principles that drive organizations. Our program focuses on strategically applying cybersecurity best practices by weaving together technical topics such as vulnerability testing, threat detection, and digital forensics with strategic managerial topics such as data protection, privacy, policy, and risk assessment. The SCIM program’s mission is to prepare professionals to be workplace and community leaders in cybersecurity who can do the following: 1) understand how cyber threats can affect their organization’s mission 2) able to identify and assess cybersecurity vulnerabilities 3) communicate cyber threats to stakeholders in terms of risk 4) develop feasible, actionable plans to address cyber vulnerabilities 5) be able to implement those plans successfully Employment opportunities may include positions such as Security Engineer, Security Analysts, Project Manager, Forensics Team Lead or Incident Response, Director of Software Security Engineering, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), Chief Information Officer (CIO), or Chief Technology Officer (CTO). The SCIM program is tied to Cisco’s CCNA and CyberOps certifications, aligned with the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) Certification knowledge units, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework, the National Institute for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) Framework, and the National Security Agency’s (NSA) CyberDefense knowledge units. Students have the opportunity to earn three Cisco Digital Badges and two Cisco certification vouchers.

Learning Outcomes:

Demonstrate the ability to identify and evaluate enterprise information and networking assets and their security risks, develop and communicate policies and procedures to protect and manage enterprise information and networking security. (CISM5500, CISM 6410)

Understand, evaluate, utilize, and communicate security systems and techniques with an emphasis on security vulnerabilities and threats, physical security, and human role, including identity and access management, cryptography, and Internet of Things security. (CISM 5355, CISM 6420, CISM 6430)

Demonstrate the ability to detect, analyze and resolve security threats and incidents in enterprise networks and systems using variety of technologies such as emerging technologies, big data, cloud computing, mobile computing, social networks, and the Internet of Things to secure an IT infrastructure. (CISM 5600, CISM 6440, CISM 6450)

Design, develop, test, and evaluate enterprise security contingency plans and enterprise secure systems. (CISM 6460)

Understand cybersecurity and privacy through careful consideration of technology and policy, including economic, human, legal, organizational, and socio-political factors. (CISM 6470)