Program Overview

Department of Computer Science

The Department of Computer Science offers a range of programs, including the Certificate in Foundations of Cybersecurity.

Certificate in Foundations of Cybersecurity

The Certificate in Foundations of Cybersecurity is a graduate certificate program designed for professionals with a computing-related bachelor's degree. The program provides key skills for protecting data integrity and securing software systems.

Program Summary

The program's four-course curriculum, usually completed over two semesters, builds around core courses in cryptography and system security, with electives in areas such as network protocols, cloud security, or data management. Through coursework and hands-on projects, students learn both theoretical foundations and practical techniques for identifying vulnerabilities and implementing security measures across local and networked systems.

Essential Information

Detailed curriculum and course requirements for the Certificate in Foundations of Cybersecurity are available in the program catalog.

Admission Prerequisites

The graduate certificate program in Foundations of Cybersecurity requires an undergraduate degree in a computing discipline. At a minimum, such a degree must have exposed the prospective student to materials from at least two of the following courses:

• Introduction to Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science
• Data Structures and Algorithms
• Introduction to Operating Systems
• Introduction to TCP/IP

Core Courses and Competencies

The required courses for the program are:

• CS608 Cryptography and Security
  • Skills: Symmetric Key Cryptography, Public Key Cryptography, Number Theory, Modular Arithmetic, Elliptic Curve Cryptography, Zero-Knowledge Proofs, Perfect Security Analysis, Discrete Logarithm Problems, RSA Implementation, Access Control Protocols
• CS645 Security and Privacy in Computer Systems
  • Skills: Computer System Security, Cryptography, Access Control, Software Security, Network Security, Privacy
  • Environments and Tools: Python, FastAPI, PyTest, Git

Sample Elective Courses and Competencies

Sample elective courses include:

• CS631 Data Management System Design
  • Skills: Relational database management systems, Transaction management, ARIES, OLTP, OLAP, and HTAP
  • Environments and Tools: MySQL, PostgreSQL
• CS643 Cloud Computing
  • Skills: Cloud Platform Development, Parallel Computing Techniques, Containerization and Virtualization, Distributed Storage Systems, Cloud Security and Privacy, Data Analytics Architecture, Machine Learning Deployment, DevOps Practices, Cloud Performance Analysis, Serverless Computing
  • Environments and Tools: AWS EC2, AWS S3, AWS SQS, AWS Rekognition, Apache Spark/MLlib, Docker, Kubernetes, Java/Python/Scala, Linux (Amazon/Ubuntu), MapReduce/Hadoop
• CS646 Network Protocols Security
  • Skills: Network Security, Protocol Analysis, Security Assessment
  • Environments and Tools: Wireshark, Snort, OpenSSL
• CS656 Internet and Higher-Layer Protocols
  • Skills: TCP/IP model, Packet Switching, Circuit Switching, Routing, Subnetting, NAT, DNS, Wireless Networks, Network Security
  • Environments and Tools: Java, Wireshark, Netcat

Program Outcomes

After completing the program, graduates will be able to:

• Design and build secure infrastructure for managing data and communication both in the cloud and on local servers.
• Provide expert insight on security standards and protocols in large-scale software development or data analytics projects.
• Play a key role in performing ad-hoc analyses of data stored in corporate or government databases and propose solutions to potential vulnerabilities.

Campus Options and Cost

The program is available in Newark, Jersey City, and Online. Tuition and fees vary by campus:

• Online: $13,716
• Jersey City: $13,132-$14,880
• Newark, NJ residents: $17,192-$18,540
• Newark, non-NJ residents: $23,900-$25,248