MS Cybersecurity: Artificial Intelligence Engineering Concentration

Program Requirements

About the MS Cybersecurity Program

The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering concentration provides students with foundational knowledge and expertise in both Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Cybersecurity and trains students on cutting-edge AI developments in the domain of Cybersecurity. This program is uniquely crafted to cover foundational concepts in AI, as it applies to social engineering, secure software development, AI-assisted network hardening, and next-generation multi-agent cybersecurity challenges. The program will allow professionals to develop and employ modern AI tools to help solve cybersecurity challenges, protect infrastructure, detect malware and bad actors as well as assist cybersecurity responses and investigations. It will also equip future cybersecurity and AI engineers to develop robust adversarial tests of detection, protection, and predictive modeling of future cybersecurity threats. 

Curriculum Requirements

Introductory Courses

Introductory courses may be waived for any of the following conditions:

  • The student has the appropriate course work to satisfy an Introductory Course.
  • The student has appropriate and verified professional experience to satisfy an Introductory Course.
  • If an exam is available, the student passes a Graduate Assessment Examination (GAE) in the Introductory Course area.
  • CSC 400
  • CSC 401
  • CSC 402
  • CSC 403
  • CSC 412
  • IT 403

Foundation Courses

  • CSC 421
  • CSC 480
  • CSC 578
  • CSEC 440
  • CSEC 454
  • CSEC 477
  • CSEC 533
  • CSEC 428 
    OR CSEC 445
    OR CSEC 448
  • DSC 445
  • Select two (2) courses below:
    • CSEC 428
    • CSEC 445
    • CSEC 448
    • CSEC 456
    • CSEC 466
    • DSC 430
    • DSC 441
    • DSC 450
    • Any CSEC 500-level course

Capstone

  • CSEC 594

Degree Requirements

Students in this degree program must meet the following requirements:

  • Complete a minimum of 48 graduate credit hours in addition to any required introductory courses of the designated degree program.
  • Complete all graduate courses and requirements listed in the designated degree program.
  • Earn a grade of C- or better in all courses of the designated degree program.
  • Achieve a GPA of 3.0 or better among the five foundation courses.
  • Maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher.
  • Students pursuing a second (or more) graduate degree may not double count or retake any course that applied toward the completion of a prior graduate degree. If a required course in the second degree was already completed and applied toward a previous degree, the student must meet with a faculty advisor to discuss a new course to be completed and substituted in the new degree. This rule also applies to cross-listed courses, which are considered to be the same course but offered under different subjects.
  • Students pursuing a second master's degree must complete a minimum of 48 graduate credit hours beyond their first designated degree program in addition to any required introductory courses in their second designated degree program.

Students with a GPA of 3.9 or higher will graduate with distinction.

For DePaul's policy on repeat graduate courses and a complete list of academic policies see the DePaul Graduate Handbook in the Course Catalog.