M.S. in Cyber Security
The Master of Science in Cyber Security program is an interdisciplinary professional/practice graduate program intended to develop skills—familiarity with industry practices, innovative methods, critical thinking, and problem-solving—crucial for competitiveness and success in the areas of computer forensics, information security management, and forensic accounting. The program has been nationally recognized for its excellence, including being ranked No. 1 in 2023 by Fortune and remaining a Top 10 program in 2025.
The National Science Foundation has recently (2023) provided UAB with a grant totaling US $4.6 million to train the next generation of cyber-security professionals with the state of the art knowledge and skills in applying machine learning and artificial intelligence to solve real world cyber-security problems. Interested students should visit UAB CyberCorps for more information regarding eligibility, support level, and curricular.
This program is intended to increase the pipeline of prospective, high-quality, entry- and advanced level employees involved with protecting physical and virtual systems—systems that are vital to the U.S. and whose incapacitation or destruction would have a debilitating effect on national security and the nation’s economic system. The program also provides current employees in the public and private sectors an opportunity to obtain advanced-level, high-quality training in the core areas of computer forensics, information security management, and forensic accounting, to facilitate career advancement.
The M.S. in Cyber Security program involves faculty from the departments of Computer Science and the J. Frank Barefield, Jr. Department of Criminal Justice (College of Arts and Sciences.)
Admission Requirements
Students seeking admission to the program, regardless of their specific undergraduate preparation, should have some formal exposure to the core areas of the program. If you lack requisite backgrounds but meet minimum admission requirements, you may be admitted to the program on a contingency basis and required to take a series of prerequisite courses. See the M.S. Cyber Security Admissions page for more information.
Degree Requirements
You will complete a set of core courses (including computer forensics/cybercrime investigation, information security management, and ethics) and then choose an area of specialization in either computer forensics/cybercrime investigation or IT audit/fraud examination. Both specializations include a required field practicum (internship) that is completed with an appropriate public or private sector agency or organization.
Please consult the UAB Graduate Catalog for the list of required core and specialization courses.
Send your inquiries to
Dr. Ragib Hasan, Main CyberCorps Scholarship Contact
Department of Computer Science
(205) 934-8643