Cyber-security is the art of protecting networks, devices, and data from unauthorized access or criminal use and the practice of ensuring confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information. The MSOE Cybersecurity Minor program is designed to provide students with exposure to the technical skills required to design and engineer modern, resilient, cyber-secure products that can be confidently used by others.
There currently is a tremendous shortage in technology workers with an adequate background in Cyber-security. In the United States alone, between 2020 and 2021, there was a 30% increase in cybersecurity jobs (A Resilient Cybersecurity Profession Charts the Path Forward: (ISC)2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study 2021.). But, with this growth, a staggering number of positions, potentially as high as one half million (Business Facilities, 2021), remain unfilled; 60% of organizations face direct risks due to skills shortages (Schwartz, 2021).
In Wisconsin alone in 2021, it was estimated that there are over 4500 cyber-security job unfilled openings, and the supply of workers to fill those positions is “Very Low” (Cybersecurity Supply / Demand Heatmap, 2021). This concern has received significant amounts of attention in the media and public policy forums. (Cybersecurity Jobs in Demand, 2021) (Cybersecurity’s Catch-22: As hacking attacks increase, a staffing shortage leaves networks exposed, 2021)(Cybersecurity industry facing hurdles in hiring, 2022) (Wisconsin Governor’s Cybersecurity Summit focuses on the importance of collaboration, 2021) . In the Chicago metro area, the number of job openings has grown by 74% in the past decade while the total number employed has grown by 45%.
Starting with the 2024-2025 catalog, the CSSE Department is offering a Cyber-security Minor. This minor is intended increase the technical competence of students in the computing fields towards cyber-security. This minor will hopefully begin to address the concerns from corporate partners that skills of current graduates are inadequate in the area of cyber-security.
The official program requirements can be found in the MSOE Academic
Catalog here.Required Courses
| Required Courses |
Credits |
Prerequisite Courses |
| CYB-2001 Introduction to
Cybersecurity Principles |
3 |
CSC1120 CSC 1120 - Data
Structures and Graphical Interfaces |
| CYB-2311 Introduction to Applied
Cryptography |
3 |
MTH2310 Discrete Mathematics CSC1120 CSC 1120 - Data Structures and Graphical Interfaces |
| SOC3001 Cybercrime: Human
Perspectives |
3 |
COM2001 Writing for the STEM
Disciplines |
| SWE4540 Network Security Tools
and Practices |
3 |
CSC 3210 Operating Systems |
| CYB4911 Cybersecurity Micro
Practicum |
1 |
Enrollment in any CSSE or ECBE capstone course (SWE4901, CSC4901, ELE4901, BME4901, CPE4901, SWE4901, CSC4902, ELE4902, BME4902 or CPE4902) |
Elective Courses
| Required Courses |
Credits |
Prerequisite Courses |
| SWE4511 DevSecOps | 4 |
SWE3411 Software Requirements and
Architecture CSC3210 Operating Systems |
| CYB3551 Software Forensics | 3 |
CSC3210 |
| CYB4010 Software Reverse Engineering | 3 |
CSC2210 and CSC3210 |
| CSC4201 Microservices and Cloud Computing | 3 |
CSC3210 |
Sample Course Flow
Note: The following flowcharts represent sample flows through the program. As a new program, this schedule is subject to change as courses are developed and faculty are assigned to courses.
Sample Software Engineering Flow
Sample Computer Science Flowchart
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can program electives be used in the minor?
- Yes, students who are enrolled in the cyber-security minor can use these courses as technical electives within their programs and as courses in the general education program as is applicable. For the software engineering and computer science course, any of the CYB prefix courses can be used as either a Program-Lower technical elective of Program-Upper Technical elective, depending upon level. SOC3001 Cybercrime: Human Perspectives meets the Raider Core CLO Requirement for Embrace Diversity.