CSU College of Law's innovative Cybersecurity and Data Privacy Certificate and online Master of Legal Studies in Cybersecurity & Data Privacy take an integrative approach to education, preparing students to understand the technical and business dimensions of cybersecurity and privacy as well as the legal and regulatory frameworks.
We teach law students to understand technology and technical students to understand legal issues in our interdisciplinary cybersecurity and data privacy programs and to work together in real-world situations that require translating between the two.
Students in all of our programs are required to take Cybersecurity I, where they learn the basics of technical security and complete labs using open-source tools to understand common cybersecurity threats. In Cybersecurity II, students apply those concepts by developing technical controls that comply with the data security and privacy laws and regulations that apply to a large public research university. In the required Privacy Law & Management course, students survey the major data privacy and security laws that apply to a large multi-national organization and learn how to develop a comprehensive privacy program to address those overlapping and sometimes conflicting obligations.
The Cybersecurity and Data Privacy certificate is a key component of the Center for Cybersecurity and Privacy Protection housed at CSU College of Law. The Center brings leading industry, legal and government experts to campus throughout the year, including at its annual Cybersecurity and Privacy Protection Conference held each Spring. Students are invited and encouraged to participate in these events and network with the professional community in the Northeast Ohio region.
The Center also provides a broad range of hands-on learning opportunities for students and opportunities to participate in cutting-edge research. Over the past five years, faculty have secured over $1.5 million in research funding, including a $400,000 National Science Foundation grant to develop an interdisciplinary course for engineering and law students to work together to respond to ransomware and other attacks and a$90,000 Public-Interest Technology University Network grant to create an online training course and student clinic to perform data privacy and equity risk assessments of surveillance technologies.
The certificate requires 6 courses total. The three foundational courses and three electives, one of which must be an experiential learning course or externship.
CERTIFICATE REQUIRED COURSES
The certificate requires 12 credits total. The two foundational courses and two or three electives.
- L741 Cybersecurity I (3 credits)
- L747 Privacy Law & Management (3 credits)
*asynchronous, online sections offered for each of the required courses for non-JD students enrolled in the online MLS or Graduate Certificate
ELECTIVES (select 6 or more credits)
Online Law Electives**
- L746 Cybersecurity II (3 credits)
- L690 HIPAA and Privacy (3 credits)
- L701 Corporate Compliance I (3 credits)
- L702 Corporate Compliance II (3 credits)
- L735 Cyberlaw (3 credits)
- L770 Cybersecurity Technical Capstone
- L892 Introduction to American Law***
**only for non-JD students enrolled in the online MLS or Graduate Certificate
***only for non-JD students enrolled in section 81; requires Program Director permission)
Law Electives
- L746 Cybersecurity II (3 credits)
- L701 Corporate Compliance I (3 credits)
- L665 Cybercrime (2 or 3 credits)
- L764 Cybersecurity Practicum (3 credits)
- L844 Cybersecurity Risk Assessment and Compliance (3 credits)
- L860 Upper Level Writing (2 or 3 credits) (*topic and advisor must be approved by the Center Director)
- Externship (*placement must be approved by the Center Director)
Business College Electives
IST 636 Managing Network and Security Risk (3 credits)
IST 656 Advanced Information Security (3 credits)
IST 693 Information Security Risk Assessment (3 credits)
Alternative Elective
A student may seek permission from the Program Director to substitute an alternative technology-related course to satisfy the 3-credit elective requirement.
For more information, Contact Professor Brian Ray, Director, Center for Cybersecurity and Privacy Protection.
The certificate requires 12 credits total. The two foundational courses and three or four electives.
- L741 Cybersecurity I (3 credits)
- L747 Privacy Law & Management (3 credits)
*asynchronous, online sections offered for each of the required courses for non-JD students enrolled in the online MLS or Graduate Certificate
ELECTIVES (SELECT 6 OR MORE CREDITS)
Online Law Electives**
- L746 Cybersecurity II (3 credits)
- L690 HIPAA and Privacy (3 credits)
- L701 Corporate Compliance I (3 credits)
- L702 Corporate Compliance II (3 credits)
- L735 Cyberlaw (3 credits)
- L770 Cybersecurity Technical Capstone
- L892 Introduction to American Law***
**only for non-JD students enrolled in the online MLS or Graduate Certificate
***only for non-JD students enrolled in section 81; requires Program Director permission)
LAW ELECTIVES
- L746 Cybersecurity II (3 credits)
- L701 Corporate Compliance I (3 credits)
- L665 Cybercrime (2 or 3 credits)
- L764 Cybersecurity Practicum (3 credits)
- L844 Cybersecurity Risk Assessment and Compliance (3 credits)
- L860 Upper Level Writing (2 or 3 credits) (*topic and advisor must be approved by the Center Director)
- Externship (*placement must be approved by the Center Director)
BUSINESS COLLEGE ELECTIVES
IST 636 Managing Network and Security Risk (3 credits)
IST 656 Advanced Information Security (3 credits)
IST 693 Information Security Risk Assessment (3 credits)
ALTERNATIVE ELECTIVE
A student may seek permission from the Program Director to substitute an alternative technology-related course to satisfy the 3-credit elective requirement.