Undergraduate Program · Department of Cyber Engineering

Bachelor of Science in Cyber Operations Engineering

The Bachelor of Science in Cyber Operations Engineering is a 120-credit, four-year undergraduate program organized around the Knowledge Unit framework of the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations (CAE-CO). The program comprises 44 program credits in cyber engineering, computer science, and mathematics; the remaining credits are completed through general education, free electives, and co-curricular requirements.

Required Cyber Engineering Courses
CodeTitleCredits
CYEN 101Cyber Operations Fundamentals3
CYEN 130Computer Networks and Protocols3
CYEN 201Operating Systems Security3
CYEN 215Applied Cryptography3
CYEN 240Cyber Law, Policy, and Ethics3
CYEN 310Defensive Cyber Operations 14
CYEN 325Offensive Cyber Operations3
CYEN 440Cyber Forensics and Threat Intelligence3
CYEN 490Capstone: Cyber Operations Engineering 23
Required Computer Science and Mathematics Courses
CodeTitleCredits
CSCI 220Computer Organization and Architecture 14
CSCI 235Systems Programming3
MATH 260Discrete Mathematics for Computing3
Cyber Engineering Elective — select one
CodeTitleCredits
CYEN 355Wireless and Mobile Security3
or
CYEN 415Software Reverse Engineering3
Program Total
Major program credits44
General education and free electives76
Total credits required for the degree120
  1. Lab-intensive course. CYEN 310 and CSCI 220 each combine three credit hours of lecture with two credit hours of laboratory.
  2. Senior standing required. Students must have completed all required Year 1–3 coursework before enrolling in CYEN 490.

The plan below shows the recommended sequence for the major program courses across eight semesters. Students also carry general-education, free-elective, and co-curricular credits each term to reach a typical full-time load of 15–16 credits per semester. Individual schedules may vary based on transfer credit, advanced standing, and elective selection.

Year Fall Term Spring Term Year Credits
Year 1
  • CYEN 101 Cyber Operations Fundamentals3
  • CYEN 130 Computer Networks and Protocols3
  • General education9–10
  • CSCI 220 Computer Organization & Architecture4
  • MATH 260 Discrete Mathematics for Computing3
  • General education8–9
 30
Year 2
  • CSCI 235 Systems Programming3
  • CYEN 201 Operating Systems Security3
  • General education9–10
  • CYEN 215 Applied Cryptography3
  • CYEN 240 Cyber Law, Policy, and Ethics3
  • General education9–10
 30
Year 3
  • CYEN 310 Defensive Cyber Operations4
  • General education / free elective11–12
 30
Year 4
  • CYEN 440 Cyber Forensics & Threat Intelligence3
  • Free electives12–13
  • CYEN 490 Capstone: Cyber Operations Engineering3
  • Free electives12–13
 30
Total credits required for the degree 120

Phase structure. Years 1–2 form the program's foundational phase, building three orthogonal foundations — networks and security, hardware and systems, and mathematics and policy. Years 3–4 form the operational phase, where students complete the defensive→offensive→forensic→synthesis arc anchored by the program's signature mid-program lab intensive in CYEN 310.

Upon completion of the Bachelor of Science in Cyber Operations Engineering, graduates will be prepared to:

  1. Design and operate defensive cyber architectures that detect, contain, and respond to adversary activity in virtualized enterprise environments.
  2. Plan and execute authorized offensive cyber operations using adversarial tools, techniques, and frameworks to achieve defined objectives in contested network environments.
  3. Apply systems programming techniques and cryptographic controls to build secure low-level software and protect the confidentiality and integrity of data.
  4. Recover and analyze digital evidence from compromised systems and translate forensic findings into actionable threat intelligence.
  5. Evaluate the legal authorities, policy constraints, and ethical obligations that govern offensive and defensive cyber operations in domestic and international contexts.
  6. Apply software reverse engineering techniques to analyze and document unknown software, recover protocol specifications, and identify exploitable vulnerabilities.