Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity
Prepare to confront today’s digital threats with a Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity from Concordia University Irvine.
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Defend What Matters. Restore What Has Been Broken.
Prepare to confront today’s digital threats with a Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity from Concordia University Irvine.
As a cybersecurity major, you’ll uncover vulnerabilities, evaluate risks, strengthen defenses, and respond to security incidents. You’ll learn to think like an attacker, act like a defender, and make wise decisions when security, cost, and practical realities collide. In doing so, you’ll discover that cybersecurity is about more than protecting computers — it’s about protecting the people and communities who depend upon them.
Grounded in a Lutheran, Christian liberal arts education, Concordia’s cybersecurity program prepares you to be more than a skilled technical professional. Inspired by Christ’s words, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10), you’ll learn to approach complex problems with wisdom and exercise honorable judgment in protecting others. You’ll also cultivate a deeper understanding of how your work can serve your neighbors and help them go about their lives with greater security and peace of mind.
Getting Started
Cybersecurity majors at Concordia develop investigative thinking, technical precision, sound judgment, and practical problem-solving skills through hands-on experience in physical and virtual laboratories. Working with real equipment and simulated environments, students learn to connect theoretical concepts with the complexities of real-world systems.
Building on a foundation of computing and networking, our cybersecurity curriculum is organized around four pillars, each representing a different approach to protecting people and the systems they depend upon:
- Defensive Thinking: Identifying vulnerabilities, proposing mitigations, and hardening systems against attack.
- Investigative Thinking: Investigating suspicious activity and analyzing evidence to uncover security weaknesses and determine what happened.
- Restorative Thinking: Responding to security incidents, containing damage, and restoring compromised systems.
- Strategic Thinking: Evaluating risks and developing practical security policies that balance protection, cost, and operational needs.
Through collaborative projects and realistic challenges in our cyber range, you’ll put these four approaches to cybersecurity into practice. Along the way, you’ll develop the technical expertise, adaptability, and professional judgment needed for careers in cybersecurity or advanced study in the field.
Curriculum
Core Curriculum (Sample Courses):
- CSC104 – Fundamentals of Programming
- CSC105 – Web Design
- CSC128 – Introduction to Cybersecurity
- CSC210 – Introduction to Operating Systems
- CSC212 – Data Structures
- CSC316 – Introduction to Networking
- CSC318 – Object-Oriented Programming
- CSC320 – Databases and Server-Side Development
- CSC322 – Software Engineering
- CSC338 – Secure Systems Administration
- CSC348 – Rootkits and Malware Analysis
- CSC358 – Security and Penetration Testing
- CSC428 – Information Security
- CSC468 – Ethics, Threats, and Risks
- CSC478 – Advanced Security Defense
- MTH265 – Introduction to Statistics
- MTH271 – Calculus I
- MTH376 – Discrete Mathematics
Program Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the cybersecurity program, you will be equipped to:
- Investigate, design, implement, and evaluate secure systems and defensive measures that protect computing resources, mitigate vulnerabilities, restore compromised systems, and meet specified security requirements.
- Apply algorithmic, mathematical, and scientific reasoning to a variety of complex computing problems.
- Analyze, articulate, and apply scholarly resources to integrate technical theory, operational data, and best practices in support of justified decisions and anticipation of emerging threats.
- Cultivate the Christian teaching of vocations to make wise, informed judgments and practice ethical, honorable decision-making in cybersecurity.
- Demonstrate effective written and oral communication skills in cybersecurity.
- Function effectively as a gracious and helpful member or leader of a team.
Program Educational Objectives
Program Educational Objectives (PEOs) describe the professional accomplishments that graduates are expected to achieve within five years of completing the program. Accomplishments for cybersecurity graduates include:
- Build a professional foundation in industry, government, nonprofit organizations, or academia that leads to a stable career with strong potential for growth.
- Strengthen the security and resilience of organizations by anticipating threats, improving defenses, investigating incidents, restoring compromised systems, and making wise decisions about cybersecurity risks.
- Serve others through honorable stewardship of technology by exercising sound judgment to manage risks and safeguard the interests of individuals, organizations, and society as a whole.
- Cultivate a life of learning through professional credentials, advanced degrees, formal training, independent study, and original research.
Tuition and Fees
At Concordia, we understand that investing in your education is a significant decision. That’s why we offer a variety of scholarships and financial aid options to help make your academic journey more affordable. In fact, 100% of our students receive some form of financial assistance! View tuition costs and fees for undergraduate programs.
Admission Requirements
View the Application page for full details on application and admission requirements.
Nationally Recognized Q&I Curriculum
Concordia University Irvine is among a distinctive group of universities that offer a comprehensive liberal arts curriculum for all of its students. Our nationally recognized Enduring Questions & Ideas curriculum (Q&I, for short) is carefully crafted so that you discover the purpose of a liberal arts education — to grow intellectually, ethically, and spiritually.
Internships
During your senior year, you’ll put your knowledge and skills into practice through one of two hands-on pathways:
- Cybersecurity Capstone Project: Work collaboratively to research and investigate a security challenge, develop and evaluate solutions, and present your findings and recommendations.
- Internship: Gain practical experience with a business, nonprofit organization, or government agency, applying your cybersecurity knowledge in a professional environment under the guidance of Concordia faculty.
Both pathways provide opportunities to tackle real-world challenges, strengthen your technical and professional judgment, and build a portfolio of experience that prepares you for the next step in your career.
Career Outcomes
Cybersecurity professionals protect the digital systems that businesses, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and communities depend upon. With a cybersecurity degree from Concordia University Irvine, you’ll be prepared to pursue a variety of career paths, from hands-on technical work to investigation, security engineering, and risk management.
Career opportunities in cybersecurity include:
- Security Analyst: Monitoring networks and systems, identifying suspicious activity, and responding to potential threats.
- Penetration Tester: Evaluating security defenses by identifying and safely exploiting vulnerabilities before malicious attackers do.
- Digital Forensics Investigator: Examining digital evidence to understand security incidents, investigate cybercrime, and support recovery efforts.
- Incident Response Specialist: Containing security breaches, investigating their causes, and helping organizations restore compromised systems.
- Security Engineer: Designing, implementing, and maintaining secure networks, applications, and computing infrastructure.
- Cybersecurity Risk and Compliance Analyst: Assessing organizational risks, evaluating security policies, and helping leaders make informed decisions about protection and regulatory requirements.
Demand for cybersecurity expertise remains strong. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of information security analysts to grow 21% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 6% across other computing occupations and 3% growth for all occupations. The median annual wage for information security analysts was $129,180 in May 2025.1
A cybersecurity education provides a foundation for professional growth in a field that continues to evolve as technology changes and new security challenges emerge.
Academic Opportunities
Concordia’s interdisciplinary environment allows you to apply cybersecurity principles to other fields of study. You can complement your major with minors such as:
Extracurricular Activities
Concordia students have opportunities to explore their interests, build friendships, develop leadership skills, and serve their communities through a wide variety of extracurricular activities, including:
- EPiCS Club (STEM club)
- Music Performance
- Theater Performance
- Forensics (Speech and Debate)
- Athletics and Outdoor Recreation
- Community Service
Cybersecurity majors can also extend their learning beyond the classroom through capture-the-flag (CTF) challenges, cybersecurity competitions, professional conferences, industry workshops, and independent projects. These opportunities encourage students to sharpen their skills, connect with cybersecurity professionals, and explore new developments in the field.
Life at Concordia
Join a community where you’re free to explore your interests and pursuits, make relationships that last a lifetime, and develop your own relationship with God. What will you explore?
Explore Financial Aid
Reduce your tuition costs with financial aid — with help from a team that wants to make your time at Concordia as affordable as possible.
Meet Our Faculty
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Julie A. Melberg
Assistant Dean, Assistant Professor of Mathematics, Department Chair
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Sources
1U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, on the internet, at:
- https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/information-security-analysts.htm (viewed Oct. 23, 2026),
- https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/information-security-analysts.htm#tab-6 (viewed Oct. 23, 2026).
Cited projections may not reflect local and/or short-term economic or job conditions and do not guarantee actual job growth.