About this Program
Open to all majors.
Program Overview
Hood College students from all majors are eligible to participate in a five-year, dual-degree program that allows for an accelerated master’s in cybersecurity, within one year after the completion of their bachelor’s degree. The program is especially relevant to computer science majors, but it is also available to students from other disciplines.
How it Works
This 4PLUS program is designed for highly motivated students who have the desire to build career options into their undergraduate curriculum and earn a master’s degree in cybersecurity.
Eligibility. Hood College students from all majors are eligible to participate in this 4PLUS program, which allows for a combined, and in some cases accelerated, master’s in cybersecurity after the completion of an undergraduate program.
Prerequisites. All students must complete certain prerequisite courses designed to provide the appropriate background knowledge. Undergraduate courses that are used to meet the prerequisites must be completed with a grade of B- or higher. Students majoring in computer science are exempt from the M.S. in cybersecurity foundation courses if they have completed the following (or equivalent) courses from the undergraduate program: CS 202 Computer Science II and CS 226 Computer Organization and Design. Students not majoring in computer science must complete prerequisite foundation courses in addition to the 30 credits required for the M.S. in cybersecurity. These foundation courses are required, and they are designed to provide the appropriate background knowledge. The foundation courses are IT 510 Computing Hardware/Software Systems and CSIT 512 Elements of Computer Programming.
Program Requirements. This 4PLUS program requires the completion of 30 graduate credits beyond the undergraduate courses. The 30 graduate credits comprise 24 credits of core requirements, a three-credit capstone thesis and three elective credits.
Degrees Offered
- BA
- MS
Department Offering
Related Graduate Programs
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Table 1 provides several plans for students pursuing the 4PLUS degree B.A. or B.S. (any major) and the M.S. in cybersecurity.
The program plans in Table 1 are examples of some of the possible plan options students may follow to fulfill the 4PLUS program requirements. All options must ensure that the M.S. in cybersecurity foundation (or equivalent) requirements are completed by the beginning of the fifth year.
Undergraduate students who do not need/want to use graduate coursework to fulfill both undergraduate and graduate requirements (combined degree) can still do the accelerated M.S. degree in cybersecurity as planned above. The only difference is that the graduate courses taken as an undergraduate student will apply towards the master’s degree only, not both.
Program Contact
Associate Professor of Computer Science, Program Director, Master's in Cybersecurity