Program Overview
The Master of Science in Computing Security at Rochester Institute of Technology, Dubai gives students an understanding of the technological and ethical roles of computing security in today's society and its importance across the breadth of computing disciplines. The degree enables students to develop a strong theoretical and practical foundation in secure computing, preparing them for leadership positions in the computing security industry, academia, or research careers, or to pursue a more advanced degree in a computing discipline.

The courses offered by this degree are suited to the opportunities available in both private and public sectors. In the private sectors, a considerable number of opportunities exist with banking institutions, cyber-social applications and private investigation professional service vendors. The courses we offer around web and application security, audits and forensics will be significant for these areas. In the public sector, the law enforcement and healthcare verticals will benefit significantly from the network security, forensics and cryptography modules we have on offer. To highlight this point further, our experience from engaging with government entities shows that there is a strong demand for home grown cryptography solutions, especially in the hardware encryption and decryption space. Similarly, with the rapid adoption of smart city technologies, offering a course related to big data and sensor security will be significant. The use of AI tools and techniques which are covered in the courses will empower individuals with the skills and approach needed to successfully contribute to the transformation of their organizations.

Offering the degree program in concert with local private and public institutions and fulfilling their research appetite, developing their workforces and enhancing the competence in selecting and deploying security solutions is an important consideration for Rochester Institute of Technology Dubai.

Mission Statement
The mission of the computing security graduate program is to advance state of the art in cybersecurity and provide a world-class education by cultivating the knowledge, skills, mindset, and ethics needed for a successful career as a cybersecurity professional.

Program Educational Objectives 
PEO 1: MS CSEC graduates will have specialized education in a concentrated field of study in computing security and develop professional attributes. These include communication, legal, and ethical skills and knowledge to deal with the impact of technology in a global and societal context.

PEO 2: The MS CSEC program will foster an environment that encourages independent thinking and creativity that prepares its graduates to innovate original methods, ideas, and research in the field of computing security or related disciplines sufficient to pursue a doctoral degree.

Program Learning Outcomes

• Evaluate the current and emerging technologies in the field of computing and computing security and their impact on large organizations.

• Demonstrate a mastery of knowledge and skill to work independently, manage complex activity streams and synthesize both technical and non-technical information for people at all levels of an organization.

• Apply research, analytical, design, and problem-solving skills to develop effective computing security solutions and policies that meet the operational and business goals of multi-cultural and multi-national organizations

Associate Detection and Response Engineer, Backend Developer, Cyber Defense Solutions Engineer, Cyber Security Analyst, Cyber Security Consultant, GRC Consultant, Incident Response Analyst, Information Technology Analyst, Security Engineer, Systems Engineer

Notes:

• CSEC-792 and CSEC-793 must be completed in one semester and graded as F- A. The capstone or project will last over a single semester. Students should have a proposal for the project or a mature capstone idea with a supervisor before enrolling in the course. Students should utilize the whole semester to complete the work. Grading for the capstone will be a letter grade between A and F.

• Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above at all times. A student with a cumulative GPA of less than 3.0 will be placed on probation (which may lead to suspension). University rules on probation and suspension apply.

• The minimum passing grade for graduate-level courses is “C”.

• All the graduate work must be completed within seven years, starting from the time the first course is applied towards the degree.

• The thesis option can be done over two semesters and the student can enroll in the thesis option only after the minimum of two research electives are completed with the minimum passing grade. Enrollment into the thesis program requires a research proposal to be approved beforehand with a minimum of three committee members.

• Students are required to take a minimum of two research electives. However, if students are interested in taking a third or fourth research elective, they can do so and swap it with an advanced elective.

• Applicants wishing to enter this master’s program should have an undergraduate degree in computing-related areas with a solid education in mathematics, statistics and computer programming, and networking fundamentals. Programs that may provide the necessary background are degrees in Computing Security, Computer Science, Information Technology, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering – depending upon the student’s previous course work and/or work experience. The specific pre-requisites are:

  • Applicants that do not meet the pre-requisites can make bridge the gaps through one or more courses and are prescribed per applicant based on the evidence submitted. The courses that they are prescribed would need to be completed credit-bearing evidence of prerequisite completion (with a letter grade of “B” or above).

  • Students who have been admitted to the program before completing pre-requisite requirements must satisfactorily complete bridge coursework within the first two semesters of matriculation to continue in the program. Prior approval of the department Chair is required before any other courses in the program may be taken.

To graduate, students need to complete all the requirements as listed in the curriculum. Click here for the graduation policy.

Click here to download undergraduate catalogue for complete descriptions of each course within the program.

Computer Networking Lab

This lab is divided into four clusters. Each cluster has two sub-clusters with three adjacent PCs. A cabinet with at least one server, firewall, two routers, and four switches is dedicated for each of the four clusters. UTP and Console cables are available for students to connect these devices into a LAN, WAN and they can connect the event to the internet to install any additional required software or tool. This lab service mainly some courses such as CSEC 244 routing the switching, CSEC network security, and forensics as well as many other courses.

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Computing Security Lab

The computing security lab provides students with a PC and access to the DTLAB in order to support a wide range of courses. Examples of these courses are penetration testing, security auditing, cyber defense, network forensic, digital forensics, and many more. Through this lab, students can coordinate the work to conduct security experiments that can include building a vulnerable environment, conduct various attacks, acquire information related to these attacks, and then try to mitigate them. Access to the DTLAB provides students with private cloud support that allow them to spin various virtual machines, connect them via a network, and study the various security issues.

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Digital Transformation Lab

The digital transformation lab at RIT Dubai is funded by the TRA ICT fund and was established in 2018. The aim of this lab is in the research and development of secure and smart solutions across a number of verticals that support digitization for government, enterprise, and education.

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