Cybersecurity and Public Policy

The M.S. in Cybersecurity and Public Policy provides in-depth training for students who wish to shape strategy at the intersection of technology, law, and international affairs. The program integrates technical and policy perspectives, focuses on international issues and responses, and includes a wide range of cybersecurity policy areas; from intelligence and national security to digital development and business.

Students gain real-world experience both in the classroom and through opportunities with the Tufts Cybersecurity Center for the Public Good. Graduates are well-prepared to bridge conversations between technology and policy, helping organizations to protect their data, identify and manage cyber risk, and recover from cyberattacks.
 

Program Highlights

Many faculty across the Tufts campus have expertise in cybersecurity and public policy. They study how cyber changes the nature of intelligence and collection, work on understanding its impact on consumer privacy, and build more secure systems. As cybersecurity continues to increase its impact on our daily lives, the faculty’s focus on cybersecurity and policy continues to expand.

The program embraces an interdisciplinary approach, teaching and producing research through a variety of lenses. Students are not offered nor recommend a single track to graduation, instead, they are encouraged to pursue their own interests and professional goals. Students tailor the program to their interests through electives such as International Communication, Artificial Intelligence: Algorithms, Ethics and Policy, and Development in a Digital Age.

To name just a few potential focus areas, students can:

• Explore algorithms and technologies for securing systems.
• Study how users interact with computers in order to provide stronger methods of privacy protection.
• Examine digital approaches to development.
• Ask how to control—through laws and technology—the growing surveillance society.
• Analyze the impact that the “borderless” world of the Internet has on sovereignty.
• Research how changing communications technologies impact law, among many other potential focus areas.

The program is led by faculty with expertise in cybersecurity policy, programming infrastructure, and telecommunications policy, all of whom are actively engaged in projects related to communications surveillance and securing cyberspace. Students of the program benefit from the programming at the Tufts Cybersecurity Center for the Public Good, Edward R. Murrow Center for Global Diplomacy, and The Hitachi Center for Technology and International Affairs.

Student Outcomes

Skills that Employers Demand

Set yourself apart among cybersecurity professionals with the unique, interdisciplinary Master's of Science in Cybersecurity and Public Policy program. Program graduates enter the workforce with a valuable and sought-after combination of technical skills, global perspective, and policy understanding that employers demand. Potential positions for graduates of the program include policy advocate for a civil society organization; a staffer in agencies and legislative bodies concerned with privacy or cybersecurity policy; a threat detection analyst in the private sector; a policy analyst at a think tank; or a policy officer in global private industry.
 

Mentorship from Cybersecurity Experts

Working closely with faculty mentors, students explore numerous avenues to become cybersecurity policy experts and benefit from the technical expertise of the School of Engineering and the global context of The Fletcher School. Students are empowered to pursue their own interests and professional goals through the core curriculum and electives offered from The Fletcher School, the Department of Computer Science, the International Relations Program, and the Department of Political Science.
 

Networking in a Technology Hub

Located just a few transit stops from Boston and Cambridge, Tufts offers students direct access to one of the nation’s leading technology hubs, with abundant opportunities for internships, networking, and professional growth. Small class sizes ensure close faculty mentorship and a personalized educational experience that supports both career and academic success.