The Graduate Certificate of Cyber Defense will educate students in the areas most important to securing any organization. It will include an overview of computer security infrastructure, delineating both the existing threats, and those emerging from social media, the Internet of Things, and threats to basic infrastructure. Network security will be covered including firewalls, Virtual Private Networks, and securing wireless networks. Multiple layers of the network will be covered, including deep-packet inspection. Intrusion prevention, detection, analysis, and recovery will also be addressed from both a host and network point of view. MSU Denver’s Graduate Certificate of Cyber Defense is an interdisciplinary certificate that combines the Departments of Criminal Justice and Criminology; Computer Information Systems and Business Analytics; and Computer Sciences.
The Graduate Certificate of Cyber Defense is a stackable program. Graduate credits earned in this certificate program may count toward the Master of Science in Cybersecurity degree (CYBM) at MSU Denver.
Admission to the Graduate Certificate of Cyber Defense:
To be admitted to the Graduate Certificate of Cyber Defense, candidates must:
- Submit a graduate application and application fee
- Submit a curriculum vitae or resume
- Submit a 1-2-page personal statement
- Hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university
- Submit official transcripts from all institutions of higher education previously attended. A minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 on a scale of 4.0 is required.
All submitted documentation will be reviewed by the CYBM Admissions Committee for a final decision.
Application Deadline
The Graduate Certificate of Cyber Defense program is Fall-start only. Please refer to the application section of the graduate certificates website for application deadlines.
Transfer Students
The Graduate Certificate of Cyber Defense does not accept any transfer of credits.
Credit for Prior Learning or Life Experience
The Graduate Certificate of Cyber Defense does not offer any prior learning credits from life and/or work experience.
Testing Out Policy
The Graduate Certificate of Cyber Defense does not provide an option to test out of any coursework.
Readmission Policy
Students not enrolled for three (3) consecutive semesters, including summer, must reapply to the University. Students requesting readmission must be in good academic standing and must submit their application for readmission to the certificate program in which they have been enrolled.
Students who are readmitted into the Graduate Certificate of Cyber Defense program will be held to the policies and curriculum of the later term in which they officially restart the Graduate Certificate of Cyber Defense program.
Certificate Completion
Graduate Certificate Course Registration Eligibility
Only students who are formally accepted into the Graduate Certificate of Cyber Defense program may register for any CYBM graduate certificate courses.
GPA Requirements
Students in the Graduate Certificate of Cyber Defense program must complete the certificate with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
No grade lower than a “C” will count toward the certificate. Students receiving a “D” or below will be required to repeat the course.
Duplicative Coursework
All MSU Denver courses in the Graduate Certificate of Cyber Defense courses may count toward the Master of Science in Cybersecurity degree at MSU Denver.
Time Limit on Completion of Certificate
Students must complete the Graduate Certificate of Cyber Defense program within six (6) calendar years from the semester of initial enrollment.
