Cybersecurity Graduate Certificate

Ellie Lovellette, Program Director
843.953.2754
gradcs@cofc.edu

https://compsci.cofc.edu/graduate-programs/index.php

Mission Statement

The primary mission of the Cybersecurity Certificate program is to address the immediate need for cybersecurity workforce development in the Lowcountry. Major employers of computing professionals and the defense and business industry in the Charleston region are increasingly interested in employees specializing in cybersecurity, but without the investment cost of a traditional 33 hour Masters Degree with a specialization in Cybersecurity. The Department actively supports faculty development in teaching and scholarship in the field of Cybersecurity. This allows Computer Science faculty to stay current in and contribute to the cybersecurity field and to incorporate state-of-the-art advances into the classroom and curricula. The secondary mission of the Cybersecurity Certificate program is service to campus, community, international activities, and faculty.

Program Description

The graduate certificate in cybersecurity is designed to provide its students with the knowledge, skills and abilities associated with cybersecurity. The Certificate is composed of four courses and completion of any prerequisites required of those courses. The Certificate in Cybersecurity is a joint certificate program with the Citadel.

Admission Requirements and Application Deadlines

Institutional Admissions Requirements

A completed application form with a nonrefundable application fee of $60.
Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate coursework. An earned bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university is required.
International applicants should refer to the International Students area within the “Admissions Information” section of the catalog for information on providing appropriate documentation with the application.

Program Admissions Requirements

Satisfy one of the following options. All students must satisfy prerequisite areas indicated below before enrolling in any graduate CSIS course.

Complete a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with a cumulative GPA of 3.000 or higher.
Complete a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with a cumulative GPA of 2.500 or higher. Complete six credit hours of graduate computer science as a non-degree-seeking student with a cumulative GPA of 3.000 or higher.

Prerequisite Area Requirements

Prospective students must be able to demonstrate competency in the areas of basic computer architecture, object-oriented programming, discrete mathematics, and data structures, before enrolling in any graduate CSIS course. These prerequisite areas may be covered by undergraduate coursework from any regionally accredited college or university. Coverage of areas by courses is at the discretion of the graduate program director. Grades of B or higher are required for courses taken outside of a baccalaureate program. Some courses may have additional prerequisites depending on where they are offered.

Relevant work experience may be acceptable in demonstrating competency if mapped to typical learning outcomes for courses normally accepted. With prior approval from the graduate program directors, certain certified, online, university-style, MOOC courses (e.g. Coursera, edX, etc.) may be acceptable for demonstrating competency in some prerequisite areas.

* A separate degree-seeking application is required for admittance to a master’s degree program at the College of Charleston. Admission to the certificate program does not imply acceptance to a master’s program.

Application Deadlines

Fall: January 15, priority; July 1, final
Spring: November 1, priority; December 1, final
Summer: January 15, priority; April 1, final

Transfer Credit Policy

No program specific guidelines. Please refer to the Graduate School’s transfer credit policy .

Program Requirements

Cybersecurity Graduate Certificate

Program Learning Outcomes

Cybersecurity Graduate Certificate (PDF)