Program Overview

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Cyber Operations: Defense and Forensics Emphasis

Overview

Become part of a critical layer of defense for the nation and its citizens in what's known as the next frontier: cyber security. The Bachelor of Applied Science in Cyber Operations with an emphasis in Defense and Forensics is one of three tracks. The Defense and Forensics track is a cyber-education program. Students learn how to defend systems and networks as well as how to identify and apply techniques used in the collection and analysis of cyber-based evidence. Through an exclusive state-of-the-art virtual learning environment (VLE) called Cyberapolis, Cyber Operations majors attack and counterattack systems to learn about cyber vulnerabilities and how they can be exploited and defended. The Defense and Forensics Track conforms to academic requirements from the National Security Agency's Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations (CAE-CO) and Cyber Defense (CAE-CD).

Learning Outcomes

• Critical Thinking & Problem Solving; Demonstrate understanding of how variability affects outcomes; how to identify anomalous events; how to integrate and differentiate continuous functions of multiple variables; and how to solve complex problems using computation and scripting languages.
• Cyber Threat Intelligence; Describe and demonstrate how knowledge about an adversary's motivation, intentions, and methods are collected, analyzed, and disseminated to help security personnel and business staff to align resources and protect critical assets within an enterprise architecture.
• Defensive Cyber Operations; Describe, evaluate, and operate a defensive network architecture employing multiple layers of protection using technologies appropriate to meet mission security goals.
• Forensics; Demonstrate and explain how to acquire a forensically sound image; understand user activity; determine the manner in which an operating system or application has been subverted; identify forensic artifacts left by attacks; and recover deleted and/or intentionally hidden information.
• Law, Ethics, & Policy; Describe and explain the relationship between cyber ethics and law; criminal penalties related to unethical hacking; and apply the notion of Gray Areas to articulate where the law has not yet caught up to technology innovation.
• Malware Reverse Engineering; Safely perform static and dynamic analysis of unknown software, including obfuscated malware, to fully understand the software's functionality.
• Networking; Demonstrate a thorough understanding of how networks work at the infrastructure, network and applications layers; how they transfer data; how network protocols work to enable communication; and Networkinghow the lower-level network layers support the upper ones.
• Offensive Cyber Operations; Explain and demonstrate the phases of offensive cyber operations; what each phase entails; who has the authorities to conduct each phase; and how operations are assessed after completion.
• Operating Systems & Low Level Programming; Demonstrate a thorough understanding of various operating systems and be able to develop low level applications with the required complexity and sophistication to implement exploits for discovered vulnerabilities.
• Security Principles & Vulnerabilities; Demonstrate and explain the various types of vulnerabilities and their underlying causes; how security principles interrelate and are typically employee to achieve assured solutions; and explain how failures in fundamental security design principles can lead to system vulnerabilities that can be exploited as part of an offensive cyber operation.

Program Details

Sample Courses

• CYBV 388: Cyber Investigations and Forensics
• CYBV 477: Advanced Computer Forensics
• CYBV 481: Social Engineering Attacks & Defenses

Career Fields

• Government agencies
• Military
• Defense
• Law enforcement
• Information technology management

Level of Math

• General Knowledge

This strand involves the general understanding and appreciation of how mathematics is used to solve problems in everyday life. The G-strand does not prepare a student for any further work grounded in mathematics and assumes the student will not proceed beyond the basic Foundations level noted above. Thus only those students whose major requires the most general knowledge of mathematics should take this strand.

Level of Second Language

• 2nd Semester Proficiency

Second-semester skill level in a second language is required. Non-B.A. degree students may fulfill this requirement with one of the following options: 1. Scoring the equivalent of second-semester skill level on an entrance or placement examination administered by The University of Arizona. 2. Completion with a C or better of a second semester course at the post-secondary level. 3. An AP (Advanced Placement), IB (International Baccalaureate) or CLEP (College Level Entrance Program) language score determined by the individual language department. 4. In the College of Engineering by a method determined within the College; however, all students in the college must also take a language placement examination on entrance to the University.

Pre-major Required?

• No

Additional Admissions Requirements

• This program qualifies for AAS to BAS 75/45 Block Transfer or can be completed as a 2+2 in partnership with community colleges. Please see the CAST website for more information.

This Major's College

• College of Applied Science and Technology

Degree

• Bachelor of Applied Science

Sample Plans

2025, Cyber Operations: Defense and Forensics Emphasis

• 4-Year Sample Plan
• Map Transfer Coursework
• Plan Ahead with a Transfer PathwayTransfer Pathway

First Year

• 1st Semester
  • AAS to BAS or Transfer Pathway or Below 4 Year Sequence
  • ENGL 101
  • Introduction to the General Education Experience (Entry Course)
  • Gen Ed: Exploring Perspectives
  • General Elective
  • General Elective
• 2nd Semester
  • ENGL 102
  • Gen Ed: Exploring Perspectives
  • Gen Ed: Exploring Perspectives
  • General Elective
  • General Elective

Second Year

• 3rd Semester
  • 1st Semester Second Language
  • Gen Ed: Exploring Perspectives
  • Gen Ed: Building Connections
  • Gen Ed: Building Connections
  • General Elective
• 4th Semester
  • 2nd Semester Second Language
  • Gen Ed: Building Connections
  • CYBV 301: Fundamentals of Cybersecurity
  • Foundation Math
  • General Elective

Third Year

• 5th Semester
  • CYBV 312 Intro to Security Scripting (Python)
  • CYBV 385: Intro to Cyber Operations
  • CYBV 326: Intro Methods of Network Analysis
  • ENGV 306: Advanced Composition
  • General Elective
  • General Education Portfolio (Exit Course)
• 6th Semester
  • CYBV 329: Cyber Ethics
  • CYBV 388: Cyber Investigations & Forensics
  • CYBV 435: Cyber Threat Intelligence
  • APCV 320: Computational Thinking & Doing
  • General Elective

Fourth Year

• 7th Semester
  • CYBV 473: Violent Python
  • CYBV 400: Active Cyber Defense
  • CYBV 480: Cyber Warfare
  • General Elective
  • BASV 314: Mathematics for Applied Sciences
• 8th Semester
  • General Elective
  • General Elective
  • Cyber Defense & Forensics Major Elective
  • CYBV 498: Senior Capstone
  • General Elective