The collaboration of professors and technology results in a delivery system that upholds rigorous academic standards while remaining adaptable and attentive to the unique needs of each student.

Our Computer Science Master's program, with a concentration in Cybersecurity, embraces a time and space-independent approach.

No on-campus presence at JMU is necessary, as all courses are conducted asynchronously online. In addition to course materials, students can access interactive discussion forums, realistic online labs, and engaging virtual classrooms.

Our program requires 33 credit hours of graduate coursework. Students can expect to complete the program in five semesters, including one summer course, if the cohort-based schedule of two courses per semester is followed.

Course catalog

Students may be required to take one or more of the following preparatory courses, depending on their background:

  • Object Oriented Programming
  • Computer Organization
  • Data Structures
  • Discrete Mathematics

Courses may be taken, with prior approval, at a local college or university.

While not required, a thesis is encouraged. Students opting not to complete a thesis must take a comprehensive exam at the end of their fourth semester. In addition, all students must demonstrate course competency by completing a final exam for each course at the end of each semester.  

Thesis Option

Students interested in the thesis program can register in their graduation year's fall or spring semesters. However, they should do so no later than the spring semester of the year before to begin work on the thesis over the summer. The thesis will replace the two special topics courses and the final comprehensive exam.

Non-Thesis Option

Students who opt not to complete a thesis must take a Comprehensive Exam, including Operating Systems, Network Security, Cryptography, and Forensics. Students are encouraged to take the exam during the fall semester of their last year in the program. Students who fail the exam will have a second chance to take it during the following spring semester; a second failed score results in dismissal from the program.

Back to Top