WEST HAVEN UNIVERSITY

Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity (BS-Cybersecurity)

Bachelor's degrees 4 years

Ready to apply?

Don't wait any longer, seize your chance to become one of tomorrow's leaders.

Apply now

Program overview

This undergraduate degree provides the foundational knowledge and practical skills to protect computer systems, networks, and data from digital attacks. The curriculum covers key areas such as network security, digital forensics, ethical hacking, risk management, and cryptography. Students learn to identify vulnerabilities, defend against threats, and develop strategies for securing infrastructure in a constantly evolving threat landscape.

The program integrates liberal arts foundations with advanced technical training in cybersecurity. It develops graduates who can protect digital assets, analyze threats, and lead security initiatives across industries.

Program highlights

4 years
Duration
128
Credits
5
Certifications
3
Career paths

What makes our program unique

Balanced training

Liberal arts + technical security expertise

Mission fit

Supports WHU’s goal of producing ethical, skilled, and innovative cyber defenders

Industry alignment

Courses aligned with NIST, CompTIA Security+, CISSP, CEH frameworks

Flexibility

Electives allow specialization in forensics, cloud, or AI security

Experiential learning

Capstone integrates real-world cyber defense scenarios

Learning outcomes

  • Explain the core principles of confidentiality, integrity, and availability (CIA triad) and how they apply to securing systems and data
  • Identify and categorize various types of cyber threats, threat actors, attack vectors, and malware
  • Analyze the architecture of networks and systems to identify potential vulnerabilities and points of exploitation
  • Implement and configure security hardware and software, including firewalls, intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS), and antivirus solutions
  • Apply cryptographic principles (e.g., encryption, hashing, digital signatures) to secure data in transit and at rest
  • Design and deploy secure network architectures and implement secure configuration guidelines for operating systems and applications

Program curriculum

Our comprehensive curriculum is structured into different blocks. Each block combines theoretical foundations and practical applications:

Foundation & General education

Essential liberal arts competencies to support critical thinking, communication, ethics, and quantitative reasoning

Code Course title Credits Type
ENG 101 Writing and Composition 4 Core
ENG 102 Professional Writing 4 Core
MATH 110 / MATH 115 Precalculus / Calculus for Business 4 Core
STAT 120 Introductory Statistics 4 Core
HUM 210 Critical Thinking 4 Core
PHIL 225 Cybersecurity Ethics & Digital Rights 4 Core
POLS 201 Cyber Policy & International Security 4 Core
ECON 102 Microeconomics 4 Core
--- Natural Sciences or Arts 4 Core
Credits required: 32 - 36

Core Cybersecurity courses

Foundational cybersecurity knowledge central to the major

Code Course title Credits Type
CYB 201 Fundamentals of Computing & Networking 4 Core
CYB 210 Cybersecurity Principles & Practices 4 Core
CYB 220 Secure Programming & Software Vulnerabilities 4 Core
CYB 230 Database Security & Administration 4 Core
CYB 240 Operating Systems & System Hardening 4 Core
CYB 250 Incident Response & Digital Forensics 4 Core
Credits required: 24

Advanced Cybersecurity electives

Students select 5 courses based on interest and career path

Code Course title Credits Type
CYB 301 Ethical Hacking & Penetration Testing --- Elective
CYB 302 Cloud & Virtualization Security --- Elective
CYB 303 Malware Analysis & Reverse Engineering --- Elective
CYB 304 Risk Management & Compliance (ISO, NIST, GDPR) --- Elective
CYB 305 Cryptography & Secure Communications --- Elective
CYB 306 Security Operations Center (SOC) Management --- Elective
CYB 307 Artificial Intelligence in Cybersecurity --- Elective
Credits required: 20

Capstone experience

Senior Capstone Project — choose one

Code Course title Credits Type
CYB 400 Applied Cybersecurity Internship (with industry partner) 4 Core
CYB 400 Directed Research in Cyber Threat Analysis 4 Core
Credits required: 4

Program summary

Component Credits
Foundation & General education 32 - 36
Core Cybersecurity courses 24
Advanced Cybersecurity electives 20
Capstone experience 4
Total credits: 128

Included certifications

As part of the program, students have the opportunity to earn industry-recognized certifications:

CompTIA Security+ (CYB 210, CYB 240)

Foundational certification validating core cybersecurity skills in risk management, mitigation, and threat detection

CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker) (CYB 301)

Focuses on offensive security techniques, teaching how to think like a hacker to find and fix vulnerabilities

CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) (CYB 304, CYB 306)

An advanced, industry-leading certification covering security architecture, engineering, and management

CompTIA CySA+ (CYB 250)

Focuses on behavioral analytics and security analytics to identify and combat malware and advanced threats

CompTIA Cloud+/AWS Security (CYB 302)

Validates skills in securing cloud environments and implementing cloud-specific security best practices

Career opportunities

Graduates of this program have pursued various rewarding career paths:

Security Analyst

Avg. Salary: $70,000 - $100,000

Monitors networks for security breaches and investigates cyber incidents

Penetration Tester

Avg. Salary: $90,000 - $130,000

Legally hacks systems to find vulnerabilities before malicious actors do

SOC Analyst

Avg. Salary: $65,000 - $95,000

Works in a Security Operations Center to detect and respond to threats in real-time

Admission requirements

To be considered for admission, applicants must meet the following requirements:

  • High school diploma or equivalent
  • English Proficiency: TOEFL (80-100+) or IELTS (6.0-7.0+) for non-native speakers