Cyber Defense
Bachelor of Applied Science
Quick Facts
One of only 24 NSA-designated programs nationwide
#1
Online Bachelor's
in Cybersecurity
- Academic Influence
Rising cyber crime has created a global shortage of information security professionals, transforming this field into one of immense growth and opportunities. The Cyber Defense degree equips you to enter those roles and meet that demand.
The curriculum delivers offensive and defensive cyber security content within our state-of-the-art Cyber Virtual Learning Environment, which allows you to gain extensive hands-on experience and develop the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to succeed after graduating. In addition, the Cyber Defense degrees offers three degree emphases: Engineering, Defense & Forensics, and Cyber Law & Policy.
The National Security Agency has designated the University of Arizona’s Cyber Defense program as a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations (CAE-CO). With this designation, the University of Arizona joins an extremely exclusive group of only 24 programs in the nation. The NSA’s CAE-CO designation demonstrates that the Cyber Defense program meets the most demanding academic and technical requirements.
Qualified students in the Cyber Law & Policy emphasis may also be eligible for the College of Applied Science and Technology's Accelerated Master's Program (AMP), which allows exceptional students to complete both a BAS in Cyber Defense and a Master of Legal Studies in as little as three years.
*Residents of some U.S. Territories may not be eligible. Please see our Eligibility & State Authorization page for more information.
The curriculum for this program includes:
This course provides an overview of problem solving with information technology. Topics cover information representation, relational databases, system design, propositional logic, and cutting-edge technologies for CPU, operating systems, and networks.
This course will introduce students to logic and problem-solving within scripting language environments. The course will build on the foundations of programming and scripting logic while solving real-world problems and creating practical applications. The course will provide a solid foundation of scripting data types, structures, and object-orientated programming. The course will incorporate multiple scripting languages to compare languages and their attributes related to specific programming applications.
This course provides students with a methodology for analyzing networks by examining the network at its infrastructure, network, and applications layers; exploring how they transfer data; investigating how network protocols work to enable communication; and probing and analyzing how the lower-level network layers support the upper layers. Students will use hands-on labs and exercises to investigate and explore network fundamentals.
A sustained study of ethical issues that arise in relation to employment in the public and private sectors, including allocation of resources, corporate and social responsibility, relationships, and discrimination. This course is a designated writing emphasis course. A main focus of this course will be on the ethical and legal standards governing information technology. New technology creates ethical challenges for individuals around the globe, and applies to most persons regardless of whether they are employed in the information technology field or a more traditional occupation.
Artificial Intelligence in cyber security refers to the use of advanced technologies, such as machine learning and deep learning, to enhance the detection, analysis, prevention, and mitigation of cyber threats and respond accordingly. The integration of AI in cybersecurity brings forth a multitude of advantages, enhancing the overall resilience and effectiveness of defense mechanisms against evolving cyber threats. This course will detail these artificial intelligence capabilities and their application in the cyber security domain.
This course provides students with an introduction to the policies, techniques, and operational capabilities and limitations of implementing an Active Cyber Defense program. A broad survey of development of defensible network architectures; integration of passive defensive technologies; consumption and production of Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) products; implementation of Network Security Monitoring (NSM) and Hunt Teaming (HT) operations; employment of Incident Response (IR) plans; and Threat and Environment Manipulation techniques (TEM) will be presented, and students will use hands-on activities to practice and implement active defense methodologies.
Outcomes
Skills
Earning your Bachelor of Applied Science in Cyber Defense will build core skills, including:
- Offensive and defensive cyber operations
- Malware analysis
- Cyber forensics
- Network security
- Operating system security
- Cyber threat intelligence
- Proficiency in law, ethics, and policy related to cybersecurity
- Problem solving with code
Potential Career Paths
Graduates of the Cyber Defense program will be prepared to pursue the following careers:
Arizona Online Cyber Defense Program
The University of Arizona’s ground-breaking Bachelor of Applied Science in Cyber Defense just became even more exciting.
Focused on the Future with Cyber Defense
Sadrud-Din is applying the structure and discipline he has learned in the military to his Arizona Online Cyber Defense program. Learn how Sadrud-Din is utilizing what he learns in his program to work towards his future.
Hands-on Learning
Cyber Defense courses maximize your ability to learn by doing. Cyber is a highly technical field, and our courses provide the hands-on experience needed to become a successful cyber professional. You’ll not only learn the concepts and technologies, but also demonstrate mastery of the course content through hands-on exercises and interactive assessments.
Cloud Computing
You won’t need expensive, high-performance computer equipment – only a broadband Internet connection and a computer running Windows, Linux or Mac. We provide everything else through a cloud-based Virtual Learning Environment. Advanced cyber tools and the world-class CyberApolis virtual city are preconfigured and provided so you can focus on learning.
