Specializations

Master’s in Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence

1. Program Overview

The Master’s in Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence is a two-year graduate program designed to provide students with advanced theoretical knowledge and professional skills in both Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence. The program follows the American credit system and requires a minimum of 120 credits for graduation.

The structure includes:

• Eight graduate-level courses (58 credits)

• Graduate Research Seminar (12 credits)

• Master’s Thesis (50 credits)

• Mandatory publication requirement (No credit)(described below)

• Total: 120 credits

Students complete two semesters of coursework, followed by two semesters dedicated to thesis preparation, research, and defense.

2. Semester-by-Semester Academic Plan

Semester 1 – Coursework Phase I

Objective: Build foundational and advanced knowledge essential for graduate-level study in Cybersecurity and AI.

Required Courses (4 courses × 7 credits = 28 credits)

A. Introduction to Computer Networks – 7 Credits

Topics include Python for AI applications, secure coding principles, data structures, algorithmic efficiency, parallel programming, and GPU-based computation.

B. Foundations of Cybersecurity – 7 Credits

Covers core concepts of digital security: threat modeling, cryptographic fundamentals, security protocols, network defense mechanisms, and risk assessment.

C. Computer Architecture – 7 Credits

Introduces supervised and unsupervised learning, optimization techniques, model evaluation, feature engineering, and ML system pipelines.

D. Data Science and Big Data Analytics – 7 Credits

Topics include data preprocessing, distributed systems (Hadoop/Spark), data analytics, and scientific visualization.

Semester 2 – Coursework Phase II

Objective: Begin specialization; select thesis supervisor; define thesis topic; deliver research seminar.

Required Courses (3 courses × 7 credits + 1 course × 9 credits = 30 credits)

A. AI Security and Adversarial Machine Learning – 7 Credits

Examines adversarial attacks, model poisoning, data integrity challenges, federated learning security, and robust AI model design.

B. Advanced Cryptography and Blockchain Security – 7 Credits

Explores cryptographic protocols (ECC, lattice cryptography), blockchain infrastructure, and smart contract vulnerabilities.

C. Operating Systems – 7 Credits

Includes penetration testing methodologies, Red Team/Blue Team strategies, vulnerability assessment, and incident response frameworks.

D. Engineering Research Methods and Thesis Writing – 9 Credits

Provides training in research design, academic literature analysis, scientific writing, and thesis proposal preparation.

Additional Requirements in Semester 2

Selection of Thesis Supervisor

Students must formally choose a supervisor by Week 6–8 of the semester.

Definition of Thesis Title

The thesis topic must be approved before the end of Semester 2.

Graduate Research Seminar – 12 Credits

Students must present a seminar on their proposed thesis. The seminar must be completed by the end of Semester 2, or at the latest by the end of Semester 3.

Semester 3 – Thesis Preparation Phase

Objective: Conduct in-depth research and initiate thesis development.

Thesis Work (Part I) – 25 Credits

Activities include:

• Comprehensive literature review

• Dataset acquisition

• Methodological framework design

• Preliminary modeling and simulation

Students meet regularly with their supervisor to monitor progress.

Mandatory Publication Requirement

Starting from Semester 3, each student is required to prepare a manuscript for publication based on their thesis research.

The manuscript must be submitted to at least one of the following:

• A local peer-reviewed journal,

• A national or international conference, or

• A high-quality indexed journal, depending on the supervisor’s recommendation.

Publication acceptance is not required at this stage, but submission must be documented.

Semester 4 – Thesis Completion Phase

Thesis Work (Part II) – 30 Credits

Activities include:

• Final experiments and evaluation

• Mandatory Publication Requirement (Final accepted for publication paper)

• Thesis writing (whole chapters)

• Preparation of defense presentation

• Submission and formal defense

• Upon successful defense, the student fulfills all graduation requirements.

2. Credit Distribution Summary

Requirement Category	Credits
Graduate Courses (7 courses)	49
Engineering Research Methods and Thesis Writing	9
Research Seminar	12
Master’s Thesis	50
Total Required Credits	120