How to Apply: Cybersecurity Accelerated Programs

For students who are eager to gain skills that will make them competitive candidates in the Cybersecurity job market, our accelerated programs are the ideal solution.

Application Deadlines

  • Fall: August 1
  • Spring: December 1

As a qualified UMBC undergraduate student, you may apply to the Accelerated Program in your junior or senior year, earning up to six credits toward a future graduate certificate or nine credits toward a future master’s degree. You will benefit by shortening the time to degree completion, experiencing the cost savings of taking graduate courses at undergraduate tuition rates, having flexible learning options (many courses taught in evening or in hybrid format), and gaining practical knowledge and skills.

Key Benefits:

  • Earn your bachelor’s and master’s or certificate in as little as five years.
  • Enhance your career potential.
  • Apply in the future to a UMBC graduate program with a $50 graduate fee waiver.
  • Pay toward your first graduate semester with UMBC’s $1,000 Alumni Scholarship.

Accelerated Program Admissions Requirements:

To be eligible for the accelerated graduate certificate or master’s degree option, you must meet the following requirements:

  • Have a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0. If less than 3.0, admission consideration based on Graduate Program Director’s discretion.
  • Be a junior or senior at UMBC, and be admitted at least one semester prior to completion of a bachelor’s degree.
  • Students from the Department of Information Systems (IS) must contact their Undergraduate Program Director to confirm their eligibility and discuss their progression through their undergraduate degree before applying to the Accelerated Program.

Accelerated Program Application Process

All accelerated program application materials will be submitted through UMBC’s Docusign platform. Complete the following steps to submit your application through Docusign:  

  • Complete the Graduate School Accelerated Program Application Form.
    • Catonsville campus interest: list Renee Eisenhuth, reisen@umbc.edu, as the Graduate Program Coordinator and Rick Forno, rforno@umbc.edu, as the Graduate Program Director. 
    • Shady Grove campus interest: list Kris Kaarid, kkaarid1@umbc.edu, as the Graduate Program Coordinator and Behnam Shariati, shariati@umbc.edu, as the Graduate Program Director.
  • Attach your unofficial undergraduate transcripts to the Docusign form.
    • If you were a transfer student, include transcripts from the previous institutions you attended. 
  • Optional: Obtain and attach recommendation letters. Recommendation letters are not required but may be included to support your application.

After Accelerated Program Admission

Once admitted to the Accelerated Program, review the course schedule and complete the Approval for Undergraduates to Take Courses for Graduate Credit form to request permission to enroll in the graduate-level courses you plan to take in your first semester as an Accelerated Program student. This form must be resubmitted each semester you plan to take graduate-level courses as an undergraduate.

One semester prior to the completion of your bachelor’s degree, submit an application to the Graduate School. The Graduate School application fee is waived for Accelerated Program students (contact the Graduate School if you do not have the fee waiver code).

Once admitted to the Graduate School, complete the Graduate School’s Credit Transfer form to transfer the graduate-level courses you took as an undergraduate to the graduate program. You may transfer up to six credits toward a graduate certificate or up to nine credits toward a master’s degree. Only graduate courses completed with a B or higher are eligible to be transferred.

Course Selection

  • As an undergraduate student in the Accelerated Program, you may take six to nine graduate-level credits that may be double-counted toward your undergraduate degree.
  • Review your course selections with your undergraduate advisor to ensure the graduate-level courses will count toward your undergraduate degree
  • CMSC Undergraduate Students (only) should refer to the B.S. CMSC to M.S. CYBR document for eligible courses. 
  • The following are some of the courses eligible for non-CMSC undergraduates in the Accelerated Program:

This course introduces students to the interdisciplinary field of cybersecurity by discussing the evolution of information security into cybersecurity, cybersecurity theory, and the relationship of cybersecurity to nations, businesses, society, and people. Students will be exposed to multiple cybersecurity technologies, processes, and procedures, learn how to analyze the threats, vulnerabilities and risks present in these environments, and develop appropriate strategies to mitigate potential cybersecurity problems.

Prospective students who have earned the CISSP designation within the past 5 years may, if admitted, substitute another course for CYBR 620 “Introduction to Cybersecurity” in their first semester of the CYBR MS program. Students should provide evidence of successful completion of the CISSP exam within that timeframe (such as a transcript or official documentation from the certifying authority) to UMBC as part of their application.

Prerequisite: Enrollment in the CYBR program or in at least the second semester of graduate study. Other students may be admitted with instructor permission.

This course addresses some of the unique and emerging policy, doctrine, strategy, and operational requirements of conducting cyber warfare at the nation-state level. It provides students with a unified battlespace perspective and enhances their ability to manage and develop operational systems and concepts in a manner that results in the integrated, controlled, and effective use of cyber assets in warfare.

Prerequisite: Enrollment in the CYBR program or in at least the second semester of graduate study. Other students may be admitted with instructor permission.

This course focuses on four general areas of cyber capabilities and trends in the global community: the theory and practice of cybersecurity and cyberwar; cyber capabilities of nation-states as well as non-state actors; trends in cyber-related strategies and policies; and cyber-related challenges facing the U.S. government. The course concludes with a national cybersecurity policy exercise that helps demonstrate the challenges and complexities of the dynamic and global cybersecurity environment.

Prerequisite: Enrollment in the CYBR program or in at least the second semester of graduate study. Other students may be admitted with instructor permission.

Students will be exposed to the national and international policy and legal considerations related to cybersecurity and cyberspace such as privacy, intellectual property, cybercrime, homeland security (i.e., critical infrastructure protection) and cyberwarfare, and the organizations involved in the formulation of such laws and policies. Broader technology issues also are discussed to demonstrate the interdisciplinary influences and concerns that must be addressed in developing or implementing effective national cybersecurity laws and policies.

Prerequisite: Enrollment in the CYBR program or in at least the second semester of graduate study. Other students may be admitted with instructor permission.

Accelerated Program Academic Standards

Once admitted to the Accelerated Program, you must maintain a 3.0 GPA or higher. If you earn a C or lower in a graduate-level course while in the Accelerated Program, that course cannot be transferred to a master’s degree or graduate certificate. You may be removed from the Accelerated Program if your GPA falls below 3.0, if you receive more than two C grades, or if you receive any D or F grade. Consult your undergraduate advisor to determine if any grades received in graduate-level courses will affect your ability to complete your undergraduate degree.

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