You are here

Cybersecurity and Public Policy

Integrate technology and policy at Tufts and focus on international issues and responses in a wide variety of in-depth cybersecurity policy focus areas, ranging from development to national security.

Cybersecurity and Public Policy
Man and woman sitting together in an audience, smiling and applauding, as a speaker finishes talking at the 2019 Tufts symposium on cybersecurity and public policy
  • Degree Offerings
  • Faculty
  • Application Requirements
  • Contact

Apply Now

Request Information

Questions about your application?

Contact us:

Office of Graduate Admissions
Bendetson Hall
Medford, MA 02155
(617) 627-3395
gradadmissions@tufts.edu

M.S. in Cybersecurity and Public Policy

The Tufts University M.S. in Cybersecurity and Public Policy is an innovative on-campus master’s degree offered jointly by The Fletcher School and the Department of Computer Science in the Tufts School of Engineering. Graduates will be able to help organizations analyze policies for reducing risk and improving security, identify and manage cyber risk, and recover from cyber-attacks.

Curriculum

Students will fulfill a minimum of 10 courses or 30 credits over the course of 12-16 months, divided between computer science and policy studies. The following courses are required (though the first two below may be waived if a student has a computer science background):

  • Computer Science for Future Presidents (4 credit hours)
  • How Systems Work (4 credit hours)
  • How Systems Fail (4 credit hours)
  • Cyber in the Civil Sector: Threats and Upheavals OR Cyberlaw and Cyberpolicy (3 credit hours)
  • International Cyber Conflict: An Introduction to Power and Conflict in Cyberspace OR Cyber Security and Cyber Warfare (3 credit hours)
  • Privacy in the Digital Age (3 credit hours)

Students will be required to also complete 9 semester hours of policy or technical electives.

Faculty

Susan Landau - Professor
Susan Landau
Professor
Ph.D , Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cyber security policy, Communications surveillance, Privacy
Headshot, Bhaskar Chakravorti
Bhaskar Chakravorti
Dean of Global Business, The Fletcher School
Ph.D. , University of Rochester
Economic development, international business, regional studies
Antonia Chayes, headshot
Antonia Chayes
Professor of the Practice, The Fletcher School
LL.B. , George Washington University
Humanitarian Affairs, International Law and Organizations, International Security, Negotiations and Conflict Resolution
Ming Chow
Senior Lecturer
M.S. , Tufts University
Game Development, Online Game Security, Web Application Security, Computer Science Education
Kathleen Fisher
Department Chair and Professor
Ph.D. , Stanford University
Programming Languages
Jeffrey Foster - Visiting Professor
Jeffrey Foster
Professor
Ph.D , University of California at Berkeley
Programming languages, Software engineering, Security, System design and development
Headshot, Carolyn Gideon
Carolyn Gideon
Assistant Professor, The Fletcher School
Ph.D. , Harvard University
International Business, International Communications and Public Diplomacy, Science and Technology Policy
Headshot, Michael Glennon
Michael Glennon
Professor, The Fletcher School
History and Diplomacy, Human Rights, Humanitarian Affairs, International Law and Organizations, International Security
Samuel Guyer
Associate Professor
Ph.D. , University of Texas, Austin
Compiler-Assisted Memory Management
Headshot, Eitan Hersh
Eitan Hersh
Associate Professor
Ph.D. , Harvard University
American politics
Headshot, Edward Schumacher-Matos
Edward Schumacher-Matos
Director, Edward R. Murrow Center for a Digital World
International Communications and Public Diplomacy
Headshot, Jeffrey Taliaferro
Jeffrey Taliaferro
Associate Professor
Ph.D. , Harvard University
International Relations, Security Studies
Josephine Wolff headshot
Josephine Wolff
Assistant Professor, The Fletcher School
Ph.D. , MIT
Science and Technology Policy, Cybersecurity Policy, Economics of Information Security, Cyber-Insurance, Data Breaches and Liability

Application Deadlines


Fall 2020: December 15, 2019
Spring 2021: September 15, 2020

Students with an interest in cybersecurity policy and a background in either policy or technology are encouraged to apply. Prospective students should have a solid background in computer science (major, strong minor, or the equivalent) or an undergraduate degree in political science, international relations, economics, or a related field.

Students must have taken an introductory course in computer programming before enrolling in the program. This is not an admissions requirement to be accepted into the program but is an entrance requirement – if a student is accepted into the program before they have taken an introductory course in computer programming, they must take the course before starting the program. The course can include programming in C++, Python, or Java, but should not be Javascript based. The course needs to teach not only programming, but also introduce algorithmic thinking and data structures.
 

Application Requirements:


> Application Fee
> Resume/CV
> Personal Statement
> Official TOEFL or IELTS, if applicable
> Transcripts
> Three letters of recommendation
> GRE scores not required

For questions with regards to admissions, please contact:

Office of Graduate Admissions
Bendetson Hall
Medford, MA 02155
Phone 617.627.3395