With a strong foundation in information/cyber security, focusing on the management and protection of information, students who complete this track will be able to effectively promote the quality, security and appropriate use of information assets. While receiving a CompTIA certification is not part of the curriculum, many of our students can acquire this certification with minimal additional work after completing our specialization. Students often pair this specialization with Program/Product Management & Consulting and Data Science.

Availability: Residential, daytime and evening classes

Skills you will develop

• Proficient in Security Fundamentals: Graduates will demonstrate an understanding of cybersecurity fundamentals, including principles of information security, application security, and network security, equipping them to analyze and address security challenges in a variety of contexts effectively.
• Cybersecurity Leadership and Initiative Planning: Graduates will be capable of identifying, analyzing, modeling, and prioritizing threats to an enterprise or organization. Students will learn to categorize and prioritize risks associated with said threats to create a plan of action for decreasing risk to an organization.
• Incident Response and Management: Graduates will learn from effective and ineffective incident response plans. They will learn how enterprises investigate security incidents, assess impact, and implement strategies to mitigate damage and prevent future occurrences.
• Cybersecurity Frameworks: Students will gain an understanding of the standard Cybersecurity Frameworks such as the NIST Cybersecurity Framework. They will learn to navigate various regulatory environments, ensure compliance with data protection laws, and make ethical decisions when handling sensitive information and security incidents.

“Safeguarding information is essential for enabling its translation into business value and social good, and this is where cybersecurity plays a vital role. I am excited about the endless growth and problem-solving opportunities in this field, which enable me to make a positive impact on society.”

— Parth Oza, ’22

Elective courses in the Information & Cybersecurity specialization

This specialization consists of three courses that will help you master the theoretical and practical foundations of data science and hone your technical skills. Courses in this specialization can be taken in any order.

Learn more about the core, elective and Capstone/practicum courses in the UW MSIM curriculum. 

• IMT 555 Foundations of Cybersecurity (4 credits) Examines information security challenges and solutions, which information management professionals contend with when providing technology services and applications based on premises and cloud platforms. Students solidify the terminology and security architecture via hands-on labs using open source and cloud-based tools.
• IMT 558 Leading & Managing Enterprise Information Security (4 credits) Examines the elements of managing and leading enterprise information security programs from a leadership perspective. Students review real world scenarios and explore challenges facing information security leaders.
• IMT 559 Cybersecurity Functions & Trends (4 credits) Presents and analyzes cybersecurity technologies from a technical leadership stance to prepare information professionals who will lead cybersecurity teams.

Career outcomes

Students who complete a specialization in Information and Cybersecurity often find positions as senior security consultants, security GRC senior analyst, risk manager, technical program manager, information security analyst, and director of security operations.