Apr 11, 2025

2025-2026 Undergraduate Catalog

Cybersecurity B.S.C.Y.S.

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TOTAL DEGREE HOURS: 120
Plans of Study

The Cybersecurity major focuses on technology, people, information, and processes to enable assured cyber operations in the context of adversaries. The program is built on a technical foundation of computing and information technology. Students in this program acquire a background in cybersecurity related to information, software, systems, users, and organizations including aspects of policy, human factors, risk management, ethics, and impact on society.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing is to transform the role of computing technologies in society by focusing on three key areas:

Delivering High-Demand Academic Programs: Deliver a comprehensive range of undergraduate, graduate, and professional majors, both disciplinary and interdisciplinary, in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and computing. The majors are pedagogically effective and designed with high standards to be rigorous, relevant and meet the current and future needs of industry, government and society.

Advancing Research Excellence: Focus on innovative investigations and technological advances to elevate the state of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and computing research. Push the boundaries of knowledge in our fields, facilitating collaboration and innovation across all academic disciplines and fostering an environment that encourages curiosity, creativity and critical thinking.

Promoting Ethics and Trust: Instill a deep sense of responsibility in our students and faculty, emphasizing the importance of secure and trustworthy technology. Through research, curricula, industry partnerships and community engagement, promote ethically driven policies and practices that protect privacy, ensure security and foster social good.

Program Educational Objectives and Student Outcomes

The Bellini College has established the following program educational objectives for our Cybersecurity graduates.

Objective 1: Our graduates will apply their knowledge and skills to succeed in their careers and/ or obtain an advanced degree.

Objective 2: Our graduates will function ethically and responsibly, and will remain informed and involved as full participants in their profession and society.

Objective 3: Our graduates will creatively solve problems, communicate effectively, and successfully function in multi-disciplinary teams.

Objective 4: Our graduates will apply principles, best practices, and current techniques of cybersecurity to protect computing infrastructure, data, process, and people from adversaries and exposure.

The following are the Student Outcomes. Graduates of the program will have an ability to:

Analyze a complex computing problem and to apply principles of computing and other relevant disciplines to identify solutions.
Design, implement, and evaluate a computing-based solution to meet a given set of computing requirements in the context of the program’s discipline.
Communicate effectively in a variety of professional contexts.
Recognize professional responsibilities and make informed judgments in computing practice based on legal and ethical principles.
Function effectively as a member or leader of a team engaged in activities appropriate to the program’s discipline.
Apply security principles and practices to maintain operations in the presence of risks and threats.

University Admissions - Bellini College of AI, Cybersecurity and Computing

Admission to the University and College is based on the University’s Undergraduate Admission Requirements that may be found by clicking on the following URLs:

Freshman: https://www.usf.edu/admissions/freshmen/admission-information/requirements-deadlines.aspx
Transfer: https://www.usf.edu/admissions/transfer/admission-information/index.aspx
International: https://www.usf.edu/admissions/international/admission-information/index.aspx

For Admission information specific to the Bellini College, see the information at Bellini College of AI, Cybersecurity and Computing .

Progression Requirements

Cybersecurity students who have fully met the below requirements and are in good standing may progress into the upper division for the major. Prior to progression into the upper division, a student may be permitted to take no more than two upper-level Bellini College courses. The college may have continuation requirements, which specify minimum performance standards in core major courses which must be met before further registration is granted.

Ability to register for COP 3515 - Advanced Program Design
A minimum overall GPA of 2.0.
A minimum USF GPA of 2.0.

College Policies

In addition to the already stated Bellini College graduation requirements, the college has the following additional policy:

Exit interview and/or survey as a graduation requirement.

Required Courses: (86 credit hours)

State Mandated Common Course Prerequisites - Cybersecurity B.S.C.Y.S. (28 Credit Hours)*

Following Florida BOG Regulation 8.010, state mandated common course prerequisites are lower-division courses that are required for progression into the upper division of a particular baccalaureate degree program.

Transfer students should complete the State Mandated Common Course Prerequisites at the lower level prior to entering the university. If these courses are not taken at a Florida College System institution, they must be completed before the degree is granted. Successful completion of the common prerequisites alone does not guarantee a student admission into the degree program.

Unless stated otherwise, a grade of C- is the minimum acceptable grade in prerequisite courses.

PSY X012 Intro to Psychology - 3 credit hours
ECO X013 Macroeconomics - 3 credit hours
STA X023 Introductory Statistics I OR STA X122 - 3 credit hours
MAC X147 OR (MAC X140 and MAC X114) - 4 credit hours
PHY 1000 - PHY 2999 Any Physics course - 3 credit hours
MAD X104 Discrete Math - 3 credit hours
CGS X540 OR CGS X540C OR CGS X545 OR COP X710 Intro to Databases for Information Technology - 3-4 credit hours
COP X512 OR COP X210 OR COP X270 OR COP X006 OR COP X272C OR COP X500 OR COP X220 OR COP X360 OR COP X800 Programming Fundamentals for Information Technology - 3-4 credit hours
COP X513 OR COP X551C OR COP X000 OR COP X224 OR COP X250 Object-Oriented Programming for Information Technology - 3 credit hours

* All state common prerequisite courses count towards major requirements and are not additional credit hours

State Mathematics Pathway - Cybersecurity B.S.C.Y.S. (6 Credit Hours)*

The Cybersecurity B.S.C.Y.S. uses the Statistical Reasoning Mathematics Pathway with the following requirements:

STA 2023 - Introductory Statistics I Credit(s): 3 **
MAC 1147 - Precalculus Algebra and Trigonometry Credit(s): 4
OR MAD 2104 - Discrete Mathematics Credit(s): 3
* Mathematics Pathway courses count towards the State Common Prerequisite math courses and are not additional credits.
** STA X122 taken as state common prerequisites can meet this statistics requirement.

Major Core Courses: 21 courses; 59 credit hours

Math and Science Courses: 5 courses; 16 credit hours

MAC 1147 - Precalculus Algebra and Trigonometry Credit(s): 4
MAD 2104 - Discrete Mathematics Credit(s): 3
PHY 2020 - Conceptual Physics Credit(s): 3
STA 2023 - Introductory Statistics I Credit(s): 3
General Education Natural Science Elective

Specialization Courses: 16 courses; 43 credit hours

CGS 1540 - Introduction to Databases Credit(s): 3
CIS 1930 - Freshman Seminar for Computing Credit(s): 0
CIS 3213 - Foundations of Cybersecurity Credit(s): 3
CIS 4200 - Penetration Testing Credit(s): 3
CIS 4219 - Human Aspects of Cybersecurity Credit(s): 3
CIS 4622 - Hands-on Cybersecurity Credit(s): 3
CNT 4104 - Computer Information Networks Credit(s): 3
CNT 4104L - Computer Information Networks Laboratory Credit(s): 1
CNT 4403 - Network Security and Firewalls Credit(s): 3
COP 2510 - Programming Concepts Credit(s): 3
COP 2513 - Object Oriented Programming Credit(s): 3
COP 3515 - Advanced Program Design Credit(s): 3
COP 4538 - Data Structures and Algorithms Credit(s): 3
COP 4703 - Advanced Database Systems Credit(s): 3
LIS 4414 - Information Policy and Ethics Credit(s): 3 (College of Arts & Sciences course)
ISM 4323 - Information Security and IT Risk Management Credit(s): 3 (Muma College of Business course)

Major Electives: 7 courses; 21 credit hours

The undergraduate section of the Bellini College website contains the most up-to-date list of approved cybersecurity electives. The posted list also describes the required pre-requisites for the electives. Additional electives may be available with a Special Topics course number (COP 4931 ). A maximum of nine (9) hours combined of COP 4900 - Independent Study and CIS 4947 - Industry Internship are allowed as cybersecurity electives, with no more than 3 hours in any one given company for CIS 4947 credit. Consult with the undergraduate Bellini College advising team to learn more about available electives.

Industry Internship

The college recommends that BSCYS students complete an industry internship. Students may earn up to nine credit hours, as elective, for CIS 4947 - Industry Internship . No more than three credit hours in any one given company. Internships for CIS 4947 must be in the area of cybersecurity.

Additional Information - Cybersecurity B.S.C.Y.S.

Other Requirements

A student pursuing the Cybersecurity major may not pursue a second major while simultaneously enrolled in the Cybersecurity undergraduate major.

GPA Requirements

Students must have and maintain a minimum 2.0 semester GPA, 2.0 Math and Science GPA, 2.0 Specialization GPA, 2.0 USF GPA, and 2.0 overall GPA.

Grading Requirements

Unless otherwise stated in the course prerequisites on USF Course Inventory, the minimum acceptable grade in all BSCYS required courses is a C or higher (C- in insufficient).

Residency Requirements

Transfer students must complete a minimum number of approved major core courses in the major at USF. The minimum number of USF major core credit hours required is established by the respective academic department or college. In no case will this be less than 18 hours. Basic engineering courses are not considered specialization courses. The University residency requirement must also be met.

A concurrent degree (dual degree) student must meet the requirements of each major and have a minimum of 18 approved specialization hours taken in the degree granting department or college beyond those specialization hours required for the first degree.

Internship Opportunities

The Bellini College and the USF Center for Career and Professional Development Cooperative Education (Co-Op) program provides services for students interested in experiential educational experiences. A wide variety of industries and government agencies offer internships and cooperative education employment opportunities for students. Participants gain valuable expertise in practical applications and other aspects of operations and development in a professional environment. Students normally apply for participation in this program during their first year and pursue actual internships during their sophomore, junior and senior years. See the Bellini College advising team for more information on earning academic credit for internships.

Bachelor’s/Master’s Pathway

Students majoring in Cybersecurity have the option to pursue one of the following Bachelor’s/Master’s Pathways:

BS in Cybersecurity and MS in Computer Science

For more information, see the Graduate Catalog.

Accreditation Information

The Cybersecurity (B.S.) program is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and Program Criteria for Cybersecurity and Similarly Named Computing Programs.

Research Opportunities - Bellini College of AI, Cybersecurity and Computing

Undergraduate students in any degree program are able to participate in undergraduate research. Several options exist to show mentored undergraduate research activity on a student’s official transcript. Those who wish to enroll in an undergraduate research course should consult with their academic advisor to understand how the credit will apply towards the degree requirements. If no credit is needed, students may be eligible to enroll in the 0-credit IDS 4914 - Advanced Undergraduate Research Experience course. This course will not impact degree credits or GPA but will show on an official transcript and document the experience. The Office of Student Engagement in Research and Innovation (SERI) is able to assist with further inquiries.

Advising Information - Cybersecurity B.S.C.Y.S.

Bellini College Undergraduate Advisors: https://www.usf.edu/ai-cybersecurity-computing/academics/undergraduate/advising.

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