Cybersecurity, M.S. Online

You need a superior undergraduate record from an accredited institution in order to be considered for entrance into the program. Preferably, you should have an undergraduate degree in computer science, mathematics, science, or engineering. However, applicants with degrees in other fields are considered individually for admission.

You must also satisfy the following criteria. Click on the applicable link below to jump to the section requirements that pertain to your situation:

• Have an undergraduate degree in computer science, mathematics, science, engineering or similar
• All other degrees

Admission with advanced standing is accepted in accordance with the School of Engineering regulations published in the bulletin. A maximum of 9 credits may be applied to the master's degree from previous graduate work at an acceptable institution.

Applicants who satisfy one of the following conditions are not required but encouraged to submit a GRE score:

1. Applicant has successfully completed the Bridge to Tandon program with a B+ or better.
2. Applicant completes 9 credits under Visiting Student Registration from an approved list of CSE courses and maintains an average grade of B+ or better.
3. Applicant has a BA or BS degree in computer science or computer engineering from NYU, with a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

The following option for a GRE waiver is only available to NYU Cyber Fellows and otherwise qualified applicants:

A qualifying applicant can be granted a conditional admit, in which a grade of B or better must be obtained in the first two courses of the lock-step program. Students who do not satisfy the conditions of their admission will be academically disqualified.

If you come from a non-engineering background you can prepare to apply for the Cybersecurity Master’s Degree in one of the following two ways:

Option One: Bridge to NYU Tandon

The Bridge to NYU Tandon Program is a prerequisite course recommended to those interested in applying for the Cybersecurity Master's Degree who are lacking a background in science or engineering.

If you have a degree in liberal arts or similar, our one-course online program will provide you the tools needed to upgrade your math, science or engineering knowledge for consideration to a qualifying master’s degree at the School of Engineering. Should you complete this intensive bridge course with a grade of B+ or better,  you are eligible to be admitted without any course deficiencies, should you meet all other School of Engineering admission requirements.

A Bridge to NYU Tandon

Option Two: Take Three Individual Courses

We also offer three individual preparatory courses for students who do not have a working knowledge of a high level, general-purpose programming language or a background in sets, functions, relations, asymptotic notation, proof techniques, induction, combinatorics, discrete probability, recurrences, graphs, trees, mathematical models of computation and undecidability.

3 Credits Introduction to Programming and Problem Solving CS-GY5303

This course introduces discrete mathematics, computers and programming; Running C/C++ programs under Unix; algorithmic language; pseudo code; problem solving and program structure. Topics include constants, variable, data types, assignments, arithmetic expressions, input and output; object-oriented and top-down design and procedures, selection and loops; functions; enumerated; arrays, structs and searching and sorting.
Prerequisite: Graduate status: *Online version available.

3 Credits Data Structures and Algorithms CS-GY5403

This course introduces data structures. Topics include program specifications and design; abstract data types; stacks, queues; dynamic storage allocation; sequential and linked implementation of stacks and queues; searching methods, sequential and binary; binary trees and general trees; hashing; computational complexity; sorting algorithms: selection sort, heap sort, mergesort and quicksort; comparison of sorting techniques and analysis.
Prerequisite: Graduate Standing, CS-GY 5303 *Online version available.

3 Credits Foundations of Computer Science CS-GY6003

This course covers logic, sets, functions, relations, asymptotic notation, proof techniques, induction, combinatorics, discrete probability, recurrences, graphs, trees, mathematical models of computation and undecidability.
Corequisite: Graduate Standing.

Applications for transfer credits must be submitted for consideration before the end of the first semester of matriculation. Courses with grades below B are not eligible for transfer. Transfer credits for courses taken after matriculation at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering are rarely accepted and must be approved by the student’s academic department and by the Office of Graduate Academics before the course is taken. Grades for transferred credits or courses are not recorded and are not included in GPA calculations.

3 Credits Introduction to Operating Systems CS-GY6233

This course introduces basic issues in operating systems. Topics: Threads, processes, concurrency, memory management, I/O Control and case studies.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

3 Credits Computer Networking CS-GY6843

This course takes a top-down approach to computer networking. After an overview of computer networks and the Internet, the course covers the application layer, transport layer, network layer and link layers. Topics at the application layer include client-server architectures, P2P architectures, DNS and HTTP and Web applications. Topics at the transport layer include multiplexing, connectionless transport and UDP, principles or reliable data transfer, connection-oriented transport and TCP and TCP congestion control. Topics at the network layer include forwarding, router architecture, the IP protocol and routing protocols including OSPF and BGP. Topics at the link layer include multiple-access protocols, ALOHA, CSMA/CD, Ethernet, CSMA/CA, wireless 802.11 networks and linklayer switches. The course includes simple quantitative delay and throughput modeling, socket programming and network application development and Ethereal labs.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing and CS-UY 2134.

3 Credits Design and Analysis of Algorithms I CS-GY6033

This course reviews basic data structures and mathematical tools. Topics: Data structures, priority queues, binary search trees, balanced search trees. Btrees. Algorithm design and analysis techniques illustrated in searching and sorting: heapsort, quicksort, sorting in linear time, medians and order statistics. Design and analysis techniques: dynamic programming, greedy algorithms. Graph algorithms: elementary graph algorithms (breadth first search, depth first search, topological sort, connected components, strongly connected components), minimum spanning tree, shortest path. String algorithms. Geometric algorithms. Linear programming. Brief introduction to NP completeness.
Prerequisites: Graduate Standing, CS-GY 5403 and CS-GY 6003.

Any of the courses above may be replaced if you have taken a similar class.

3 Credits Information, Security and Privacy CS-GY6813

This course introduces Information Systems Security and covers cryptography, capability and access control mechanisms, authentication models, security models, operating systems security, malicious code, security-policy formation and enforcement, vulnerability analysis, evaluating secure systems.
Prerequisite: Competency in Application Development in UNIX and Windows Environments, Graduate status. *Online version available.

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3 Credits Network Security CS-GY6823

This course begins by covering attacks and threats in computer networks, including network mapping, port scanning, sniffing, DoS, DDoS, reflection attacks, attacks on DNS and leveraging P2P deployments for attacks. The course continues with cryptography topics most relevant to secure networking protocols. Topics covered are block ciphers, stream ciphers, public key cryptography, RSA, Diffie Hellman, certification authorities, digital signatures and message integrity. After surveying basic cryptographic techniques, the course examines several secure networking protocols, including PGP, SSL, IPsec and wireless security protocols. The course examines operational security, including firewalls and intrusion-detection systems. Students read recent research papers on network security and participate in an important lab component that includes packet sniffing, network mapping, firewalls, SSL and IPsec.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing and EL-GY 5363:* Online version available.

3 Credits Applied Cryptography CS-GY6903

This course examines Modern Cryptography from a both theoretical and applied perspective, with emphasis on “provable security” and “application case studies”. The course looks particularly at cryptographic primitives that are building blocks of various cryptographic applications. The course studies notions of security for a given cryptographic primitive, its various constructions and respective security analysis based on the security notion. The cryptographic primitives covered include pseudorandom functions, symmetric encryption (block ciphers), hash functions and random oracles, message authentication codes, asymmetric encryption, digital signatures and authenticated key exchange. The course covers how to build provably secure cryptographic protocols (e.g., secure message transmission, identification schemes, secure function evaluation, etc.), and various number-theoretic assumptions upon which cryptography is based. Also covered: implementation issues (e.g., key lengths, key management, standards, etc.) and, as application case studies, a number of real-life scenarios currently using solutions from modern cryptography.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

3 Credits Application Security CS-GY9163

This course addresses the design and implementation of secure applications. Concentration is on writing software programs that make it difficult for intruders to exploit security holes. The course emphasizes writing secure distributed programs in Java. The security ramifications of class, field and method visibility are emphasized.
Prerequisite: Gradute standing

Most of the required security core courses above have a project component.

You may choose security-related courses from the School of Engineering or from New York University, including courses in psychology, law, and sociology departments. Selected courses must be approved by the Program Committee. All the following courses have been preapproved; others must be approved by the Program Committee.

3 Credits Design and Analysis of Algorithms II CS-GY6043

This course covers techniques in advanced design and analysis. Topics: Amortized analysis of algorithms. Advanced data structures: binomial heaps, Fibonacci heaps, data structures for disjoint sets, analysis of union by rank with path compression. Graph algorithms: elementary graph algorithms, maximum flow, matching algorithms. Randomized algorithms. Theory of NPcompleteness and approach to finding (approximate) solutions to NPcomplete problems. Selected additional topics that may vary.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing and CS-GY 6033.

3 Credits Computer Architecture I CS-GY6133

Computer architecture design: Instruction set design techniques, performance and cost; Extensions to traditional instruction sets. An instruction set studied in detail. Processor implementations: Unpipelined execution and its improvement by means of pipelining. Advanced pipelining, including branch prediction, out-of-order execution and superscalar execution, is introduced. Alternatives to traditional computing, such as VLIW and vector computation are described. Improving computer capacity, by improving the memory hierarchy is studied, including advanced cache memory, main memory and virtual memory implementations. An introduction to high-performance computing, including multi-core processors.
Prerequisite: CS-UY 2214 and Graduate standing.

3 Credits Penetration Testing and Vulnerability Analysis CS-GY6573

This advanced course in computer and network security focuses on penetration testing and vulnerability analysis. It introduces methodologies, techniques and tools to analyze and identify vulnerabilities in stand-alone and networked applications.
Prerequisites: Graduate standing and CS-GY 6823

3 Credits Information Systems Security Engineering and Management CS-GY6803

This course presents a system and management view of information security: what it is, what drives the requirements for information security, how to integrate it into the systems-design process and life-cycle security management of information systems. A second goal is to cover basic federal policies on government information security and methodologies. Topics include information-security risk management, security policies, security in the systems-engineering process, laws related to information security and management of operational systems.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing and CS-UY 392 or equivalent: *Online version available.

3 Credits Digital Forensics CS-GY6963

This course introduces information-technology professionals to the application of forensic science principles and practices for collecting, preserving, examining, analyzing and presenting digital evidence. The course includes selected topics from the legal, forensic and information-technology domains and uses lecture, laboratory and written projects to illustrate these topics.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing. *Online version available.

3 Credits Biometrics CS-GY9093

The course concentrates on the unique advantages that biometrics brings to computer security. The course also addresses such challenging issues as security strength, recognition rates and privacy, as well as alternatives of passwords and smart cards. Students gain knowledge in the building blocks of this field: image and signal processing, pattern recognition, security and privacy and secure system design. By the end of the course students are able to evaluate and design security systems that include biometrics.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing. *Online version available.

3 Credits Advanced Project in Computer Science CS-GY9963

This course permits the student to perform research in computer science with a narrower scope than a master’s thesis. Acceptance of a student by a faculty adviser is required before registration. A project report and an oral examination on it are required.
Prerequisite: Graduate status.

MS Thesis in Computer Science CS-GY997X

Exceptional students may elect to write a master’s thesis for which no more than 6 credits may be earned toward the degree. Such research should demonstrate adequately the student’s proficiency in the subject material. Also required: oral thesis defense before at least three professors, plus a formal, bound thesis volume. Thesis registration must be continuous.
Prerequisites: Graduate status and satisfactory grades in prescribed courses.

One goal of the MS program in Cybersecurity is to introduce students to the exciting research in the area of cybersecurity, in which you can use as a stepping stone to pursue a PhD degree. To this end, we offer a semester-long advanced project (CS 9963) in the area of cybersecurity as an elective. If you choose this option you will work under the guidance of a research professor and gain invaluable research experience.

In addition to the above semester-long research experience, the program also offers research-oriented MS students to take up the master's thesis option. If you select this option, you will need to take 6 credits of CS 9973 working with a faculty advisor on some research problem in cybersecurity in lieu of 2 out of the 3 required electives.

The research need not be original, but should adequately demonstrate your proficiency in the subject material. An oral defense of the master's thesis with at least 3 professors in attendance is required. The 6 credits of master's thesis must span over a period of exactly 2 consecutive semesters. Whenever relevant, 3.00 credits of CS 9963 may be used as 3.00 credits of CS 9973, subject to the approval of your faculty adviser(s).

Cyber Ops Specialization

NOTE: Please refer to the Course Catalog to view course descriptions by course number if information is not listed above.

NYU Tandon School of Engineering is one of about 20 graduate schools in the country to have the designation of National Centers of Academic Excellence (CAE) in Cyber Operations. The CAE-Cyber Operations program is intended to be a deeply technical, interdisciplinary, higher education program firmly grounded in the computer science (CS), computer engineering (CE), and/or electrical engineering (EE) disciplines, with extensive opportunities for hands-on applications via labs/exercises.

National Centers of Academic Excellence - Cyber Operations

Students who wish to receive an acknowledgment that they have completed the NSA Cyber Operation Program must successfully complete the following courses:

3 Credits Design and Analysis of Algorithms I CS-GY6033

This course reviews basic data structures and mathematical tools. Topics: Data structures, priority queues, binary search trees, balanced search trees. Btrees. Algorithm design and analysis techniques illustrated in searching and sorting: heapsort, quicksort, sorting in linear time, medians and order statistics. Design and analysis techniques: dynamic programming, greedy algorithms. Graph algorithms: elementary graph algorithms (breadth first search, depth first search, topological sort, connected components, strongly connected components), minimum spanning tree, shortest path. String algorithms. Geometric algorithms. Linear programming. Brief introduction to NP completeness.
Prerequisites: Graduate Standing, CS-GY 5403 and CS-GY 6003.

3 Credits Introduction to Operating Systems CS-GY6233

This course introduces basic issues in operating systems. Topics: Threads, processes, concurrency, memory management, I/O Control and case studies.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

3 Credits Penetration Testing and Vulnerability Analysis CS-GY6573

This advanced course in computer and network security focuses on penetration testing and vulnerability analysis. It introduces methodologies, techniques and tools to analyze and identify vulnerabilities in stand-alone and networked applications.
Prerequisites: Graduate standing and CS-GY 6823

3 Credits Information Systems Security Engineering and Management CS-GY6803

This course presents a system and management view of information security: what it is, what drives the requirements for information security, how to integrate it into the systems-design process and life-cycle security management of information systems. A second goal is to cover basic federal policies on government information security and methodologies. Topics include information-security risk management, security policies, security in the systems-engineering process, laws related to information security and management of operational systems.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing and CS-UY 392 or equivalent: *Online version available.

3 Credits Information, Security and Privacy CS-GY6813

This course introduces Information Systems Security and covers cryptography, capability and access control mechanisms, authentication models, security models, operating systems security, malicious code, security-policy formation and enforcement, vulnerability analysis, evaluating secure systems.
Prerequisite: Competency in Application Development in UNIX and Windows Environments, Graduate status. *Online version available.

3 Credits Network Security CS-GY6823

This course begins by covering attacks and threats in computer networks, including network mapping, port scanning, sniffing, DoS, DDoS, reflection attacks, attacks on DNS and leveraging P2P deployments for attacks. The course continues with cryptography topics most relevant to secure networking protocols. Topics covered are block ciphers, stream ciphers, public key cryptography, RSA, Diffie Hellman, certification authorities, digital signatures and message integrity. After surveying basic cryptographic techniques, the course examines several secure networking protocols, including PGP, SSL, IPsec and wireless security protocols. The course examines operational security, including firewalls and intrusion-detection systems. Students read recent research papers on network security and participate in an important lab component that includes packet sniffing, network mapping, firewalls, SSL and IPsec.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing and EL-GY 5363:* Online version available.

3 Credits Computer Networking CS-GY6843

This course takes a top-down approach to computer networking. After an overview of computer networks and the Internet, the course covers the application layer, transport layer, network layer and link layers. Topics at the application layer include client-server architectures, P2P architectures, DNS and HTTP and Web applications. Topics at the transport layer include multiplexing, connectionless transport and UDP, principles or reliable data transfer, connection-oriented transport and TCP and TCP congestion control. Topics at the network layer include forwarding, router architecture, the IP protocol and routing protocols including OSPF and BGP. Topics at the link layer include multiple-access protocols, ALOHA, CSMA/CD, Ethernet, CSMA/CA, wireless 802.11 networks and linklayer switches. The course includes simple quantitative delay and throughput modeling, socket programming and network application development and Ethereal labs.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing and CS-UY 2134.

3 Credits Applied Cryptography CS-GY6903

This course examines Modern Cryptography from a both theoretical and applied perspective, with emphasis on “provable security” and “application case studies”. The course looks particularly at cryptographic primitives that are building blocks of various cryptographic applications. The course studies notions of security for a given cryptographic primitive, its various constructions and respective security analysis based on the security notion. The cryptographic primitives covered include pseudorandom functions, symmetric encryption (block ciphers), hash functions and random oracles, message authentication codes, asymmetric encryption, digital signatures and authenticated key exchange. The course covers how to build provably secure cryptographic protocols (e.g., secure message transmission, identification schemes, secure function evaluation, etc.), and various number-theoretic assumptions upon which cryptography is based. Also covered: implementation issues (e.g., key lengths, key management, standards, etc.) and, as application case studies, a number of real-life scenarios currently using solutions from modern cryptography.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

3 Credits Application Security CS-GY9163

This course addresses the design and implementation of secure applications. Concentration is on writing software programs that make it difficult for intruders to exploit security holes. The course emphasizes writing secure distributed programs in Java. The security ramifications of class, field and method visibility are emphasized.
Prerequisite: Gradute standing

Mobile Security CS-GY 9223

Download course overview

The CAE in Cyber Operations Summer Program (CAE-Cyber Ops SP) is the National Security Agency's (NSA) premier outreach program for students enrolled in the Cyber Operations specialization at NSA-designated universities. Selectees will be invited to participate in a 12-week summer program to gain knowledge of specific cyber-related topics and apply educational knowledge to address various real-world mission-related technical challenges. Participants in the program will work on a broad range of problems involving applications of computer science and engineering.

CAE in Cyber Operations Summer Intern Program and more