Culminating Experience
The Culminating Experience requirement of the Master of Science in Cybersecurity degree allows students to use what they have learned in their core and elective coursework to demonstrate critical understanding and the ability to both expand upon and apply what they have learned in various ways.
Students choose one of four Culminating Experience pathways depending on which will best allow them to reach their academic and professional goals: project, thesis, coursework, or internship. Students must complete all 15 credits of core coursework and 15 credits of electives by the time they begin their 10 credit Culminating Experience.
Choose your pathway
Project
Students complete a 10-credit project (CSS 595) which involves working under the guidance of a faculty committee to apply knowledge obtained from the program’s curriculum to build connections between academic concepts and the application of those concepts into real-world context. Students present and defend their work at the end of the program and produce a comprehensive report of their findings.
Read more about the project processThesis
Students complete a 10-credit thesis (CSS 700) which involves working under the guidance of a faculty committee to apply knowledge obtained from the program’s curriculum to conduct research and produce a scholarly written document aimed at an academic audience as a contribution to an existing body of knowledge. Students present and defend their work at the end of the program.
Read more about the thesis processCourse
Students choose one of three 5-credit culminating cybersecurity courses (CSS 538 in autumn, CSS 518 in winter, or CSS 539 in spring) to apply and advance learnings from their core and elective coursework. A deliverable (such as a comprehensive report) will be produced by the student at the end of the quarter. To complete the coursework option, students take one additional 5-credit elective, bringing their elective total for the degree to 25. Read more about the Culminating course process (link coming soon).
Internship
Students who secure and finish a cybersecurity-related internship will complete 5 credits of CSS 601 Internship where they work with a faculty sponsor to set learning goals and demonstrate their ability to apply their learnings from the curriculum in a professional and practical setting. To complete the internship Culminating Experience option, students take one additional 5-credit elective, bringing their elective total for the degree to 25. Read more about the Culminating internship process (link coming soon).
Present and defend research
Students pursuing the project or thesis Culminating Experience will present their research to their faculty committee. Check out recent titles and abstracts in the final defense schedule to learn more about the latest master’s student research.