Abstract:

With a goal of addressing a widening global cybersecurity workforce gap and the increasing complexities in the domain, this paper presents the considerations, process, and results involved in developing a fully online Master of Science (MS) in Cyber and Information Operations program at a leading R1 (very high research activity) institution in the United States. The program's coursework, curricular structure, and course delivery methods are presented. Technical and conceptual differences between Cyber Operations education and Cybersecurity education are addressed, along with the standards and frameworks used in program development. Institutional and peer contexts are discussed, as are the inspiration and motivation for developing the program in part as the evolution of a successful undergraduate program with National Security Agency (NSA) Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations (CAE-CO) designation. Finally, we elaborate on the curricular and pedagogical opportunities and challenges stemming from the fully online nature of the program, specifically as it pertains to the innovative use of a proprietary AI-driven, realistic virtual learning environment. The main contributions of this paper are:
(1) Sharing a model that highlights methodologies for developing or enhancing a MS program in Cyber and Information Operations.
(2) Contributing to the existing body of literature in the Cyber Education domain. These contributions aim to support educators and researchers who aim to replicate and/or expand upon these endeavors.

Keywords:

Cybersecurity, cyber operations, program development, artificial intelligence, AI, information operations, cyber education, graduate programs.