The University of Tulsa is building on its long history of excellence in computer science and cyber security by establishing a School of Cyber Studies to house undergraduate and graduate programs in this rapidly evolving field.
The School of Cyber Studies is unique in that it is primarily comprised of faculty from multiple disciplines jointly appointed. The founding chair is Tyler Moore, Tandy Professor of Cyber Security.
Degree Offerings
The School of Cyber Studies administers the undergraduate minor in cyber security, as well as the master’s degree in cyber security. The school also offers two new degrees: a bachelor of science in cyber security and a doctorate in cyber studies.
Courses in the new B.S. degree are designed to be hands-on and project-based, emphasizing experiential learning and partnerships with employers. In addition to computer science, the program draws on faculty expertise from engineering, business and the social sciences to cultivate broader perspectives that match how cyber pervades modern life. As such, the curriculum emphasizes both technical and nontechnical skills required for today’s cyber workforce.
The M.S. in cyber security curriculum takes a similar approach while letting students pursue a more focused and advanced course of study. Students can pursue the master’s degree in person or online. The online M.S. in cyber security has been designed for working professionals to gain the skills and expertise necessary to advance and thrive in this growing field.
TU’s cyber program is certified by the NSA and U.S. Department of Homeland Security as a Center of Excellence in Information Assurance Education, Research and Cyber Operations. We will seek accreditation for the B.S. in Cyber Security from ABET, the accreditor who certifies TU’s bachelor’s degrees in engineering and computer science. The B.S. and M.S. degrees in cyber security also align with NIST’s National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE), which articulates cyber workforce competencies.
The interdisciplinary Ph.D. in cyber studies draws on faculty expertise across TU to conduct cutting-edge research at the interface between cyber and many disciplines.
A wide range of disciplinary perspectives is valuable when researching cyber topics. The doctorate in cyber studies is designed to accommodate many such perspectives while ensuring that students acquire core knowledge from relevant disciplines to become effective, independent researchers in cyber-related domains.
What does cyber studies mean?
The word cyber has its origins in the word cybernetics, a term used to describe the study of control systems and communications between humans and machines. We now use the word cyber as an adjective associated with activities that involve computers and computer networks. In that sense, cyber studies refers to the broader study of the Internet and its impact on society in many different fields: health, science, engineering, business, law, public policy, technology, privacy, computer security, cyber-physical systems and many others.