The Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in cybersecurity at Kansas State University is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org under the General Criteria and the Computer Science and similarly named Computing Programs Criteria.

The B.S. degree in cybersecurity provides a foundation in computer science with in-depth study of principles and practices for secure computing. The curriculum includes pre-professional and professional programs. All new students will be initially admitted to the pre-professional program.

Pre-professional program 

The pre-professional program consists of the following courses, which can normally be completed during the first three semesters: 

• MATH 220 Analytic Geometry and Calculus I  
• MATH 221 Analytic Geometry and Calculus II  
• CIS 115 Introduction to Computing Science  
• CIS 116 Introduction to Programming 
• CIS 200 Programming Fundamentals  
• CIS 300 Data and Program Structures  
• CIS 301 Logical Foundations of Programming 
• ECE 241 Introduction to Electrical and Computer Engineering   

Admission to the professional program 

Students must complete the pre-professional program and be accepted to the professional program prior to taking any of the following courses, which we will refer to as professional program courses: 

• CIS 400 Object-Oriented Design, Implementation, and Testing 
• CIS 415 Ethics and Conduct for Computing Professionals 
• CIS 450 Computer Architecture and Operations 
• CIS 501 Software Architecture and Design 
• CIS 505 Introduction to Programming Languages 
• CIS 525 Introduction to Network Programming 
• CIS 551 Fundamentals of Computer and Information Security 
• CIS 553 Fundamentals of Cryptography 
• CIS 560 Database System Concepts 
• CIS 575 Introduction to Algorithm Analysis 
• CIS 599 Cybersecurity Project 
• CIS 655 Security and Reliability of Computing Systems 
• CIS 755 Systems Security  

The only other students who will be allowed to enroll in any of the above courses are non-cybersecurity majors who need these specific courses to satisfy the degree requirements of their majors. Non-cybersecurity majors wishing to use any of these courses to satisfy elective requirements for their majors will also be considered on a case-by-case basis. 

In order to be considered for admission to the professional program, a student must have: 

1. Passed all pre-professional program courses with a C or better. 

2. Achieved at least a 2.3 GPA on all pre-professional courses (including transfer courses). 

Additionally, an application to the professional program must be submitted to the Department of Computer Science March 31 for subsequent Fall semester admission or October 31 for subsequent Spring semester admission. This submission will be immediately prior to the student’s pre-enrollment into any of the professional program courses. 

All courses in the pre-professional program must be completed and all grade criteria must be met by the end of the semester that the application is submitted. An exception to this rule is the student who expects to complete these criteria during the summer term. Those students should also make application in the Spring semester prior to pre-enrollment. All eligible applicants will be allowed to pre-enroll into professional program courses with the understanding that they will be dropped if they are not accepted for admission to the professional program prior to the beginning of the subsequent semester. 

Applications will be reviewed by the Academic Standards Committee of the Department and accepted or rejected as soon as possible after semester grades are issued. The number of students admitted in any given semester will be limited by the number of seats available. If the number of applicants who meet the grade requirements listed above exceeds the number of seats available, then in addition to the minimum grade requirements listed above, the admission will be determined a holistic evaluation of the following factors: 

• Grades in college-level courses, particularly computing courses; 

• Communication skills; 

• Activities and service; 

• Socioeconomic disadvantage; 

• Status as first-generation college student; and 

• History of overcoming personal hardship. 

Students who have completed the pre-professional program with the required grades, but are denied admission, may re-apply in a later semester. Students who have been dismissed from the Computer Science professional program must be readmitted to that program prior to being admitted to the Cybersecurity professional program. 

Academic Standards 

After admission to the professional program, students are expected to attain “C” or better grades in each of the professional program courses taken. Specifically, students will be subject to the following academic standards that are more stringent than those for the University.

1. Warning of unsatisfactory progress.  Regardless of the overall GPA, a student with any “D” or “F” grade in any professional program course will receive a “Warning of Unsatisfactory Progress.“ This warning will remain in effect for the remainder of their stay in the professional program. 

2. Dismissal from the program. If a student has received a warning of unsatisfactory progress, then subsequently receives a “D” or “F” grade in any professional program course, that student may be dismissed from the professional program, and will be ineligible to enroll in any professional program courses (though students who transfer to either Computer Engineering or Biomedical Engineering will be allowed to enroll in certain courses, as outlined above).  

3. Readmission. A student who has been dismissed from the professional program may petition to be readmitted to the program, provided at least one year has elapsed from the conclusion of the last semester that the student was in the program to the beginning of the semester for which the student is seeking admission. The petition must include a justification of the student’s preparedness to complete the program. This petition must be submitted to the Computer Science Department by the eighth week of the Fall or Spring semester preceding the semester for which the student seeks readmission. The student will be interviewed by the Academic Standards Committee, who will then make a decision in time for the student to pre-enroll. All readmitted students will remain on warning of unsatisfactory progress for the remainder of their stay in the professional program. 

The warning and dismissal actions referenced above are departmental actions that are separate and distinct from Academic Warning and Academic Dismissal as defined by the University Catalog. Grades earned during an intersession will not be considered by the Department in the determination of unsatisfactory academic progress by the department. 

Bachelor’s degree requirements