Nova Southeastern University’s College of Computing, AI, and Cybersecurity offers the 3+1 Pathway Program that streamlines the path from undergraduate study into graduate-level education. Available to students majoring in Computer Science, Cybersecurity Management, and Information Technology, these programs allow qualified students to complete up to 12 credits of master’s-level coursework during their senior year, shortening the time and cost needed to earn an M.S. degree.
How the 3+1 Pathway Program Works
Start in Computer Science, Cybersecurity Management, or Information Technology and complete foundational coursework during your first two years.
During your junior year, meet with your advisor and request approval to begin taking graduate-level courses as a senior.
During your first semester of senior year, submit your graduate application. This program is not Dual Admission and requires separate admission.
Upon completing your B.S., move directly into your M.S. program with graduate credits already applied—reducing your time to completion.
3+1 Pathway Program Details
Program Introduction
The combined 3+1 Pathway Program offers students an accelerated pathway to earn both a bachelor’s and master’s degree. Through this program, students may complete up to 12 graduate credit hours that apply toward their B.S. requirements. Participants can take up to four graduate-level courses that count simultaneously toward their undergraduate major and their future master’s degree, helping them save time and reduce overall program costs.
Admission
To be eligible for the 3+1 Pathway Program, an undergraduate student must satisfy the following minimum criteria:
- Complete the required B.S. program-specific courses to pursue the M.S. courses.
- Maintain a minimum overall 3.4 undergraduate GPA.
- Maintain a minimum overall 3.4 undergraduate GPA in program-specific and Math courses.
- Undergraduate students will be invited to the 3+1 program during their junior year. If accepted, they must apply to the graduate school during the first semester of their senior year. Students are subjects to graduate catalog for all graduate level courses.
M.S. Eligibility
A student must maintain an overall M.S. GPA of 3.0.
Graduation
Once students complete all B.S. degree requirements, they become eligible to apply
for the conferral of the bachelor’s degree. After fulfilling the requirements for
the M.S. program, students may then apply for the conferral of the master’s degree.
M.S. Courses
Students in this program may substitute up to 12 credits of M.S. Computer Science courses for B.S. Major Elective and Open Elective courses. See options below.
B.S. Computer Science Courses Required Before M.S. Course Enrollment
Students must complete the following courses before taking the 12 credits of M.S. in Computer Science courses:
- MATH 2100 Calculus I (4 credits) OR MATH 2100H Calculus I Honors (4 credits)
- MATH 2200 Calculus II (4 credits) OR MATH 2200H Calculus II Honors (4 credits)
- CSIS 1800 Introduction to Computer and Information Sciences (3 credits)
- CSIS 2050 Discrete Mathematics (4 credits)
- CSIS 2101 Fundamentals of Computer Programming (4 credits)
- CSIS 3101 Advanced Computer Programming (4 credits)
- CSIS 3400 Data Structures (4 credits)
- CSIS 3051 Computer Organization and Architecture (4 credits)
- CSIS 3200 Organization of Programming Language (3 credits)
- CSIS 3460 Object Oriented Design (3 credits)
- CSIS 3500 Networks and Data Communication (3 credits)
- CSIS 3530 Artificial Intelligence (3 Credits)
- CSIS 3610 Numerical Analysis (4 credits)
- CSIS 3750 Software Engineering (4 credits)
- CSIS 3810 Operating Systems Concepts (3 credits)
- CSIS 4530 Database Management (3 Credits)
- CSIS 4610 Design and Analysis Algorithms (3 credits)
Students will then be eligible to complete the following M.S. courses (12 credits) towards the B.S. in Computer Science Degree:
M.S. Core Courses
- CISC 610 Programming Languages (3 credits)
- CISC 640 Operating Systems (3 credits)
- CISC 660 Database Management Systems (3 credits)
- CISC 680 Software Engineering (3 credits)
- CISC 615 Design and Analysis of Algorithms (3 credits)
M.S. Elective Courses
- CISC 650 Computer Networks (3 credits)
- CISC 670 Artificial Intelligence (3 credits)
- CCIS 672 Data Visualization (3 credits)
- CISC 681 Computer Graphics (3 credits)
- CISC 682 Software Requirements Engineering (3 credits)
- CISC 683 Object-Oriented Design (3 credits)
- CISC 684 Software Testing and Verification (3 credits)
- CISC 685 Interaction Design (3 credits)
- CISC 690 Special Topics in Computer Science (3 credits)
- ISEC 615 Fundamentals of Cybersecurity (3 credits)
- ISEC 620 Applied Cryptography (3 credits)
- ISEC 640 Database Security (3 credits)
- ISEC 650 Computer Networks Forensics (3 credits)
- ISEC 660 Advanced Network Security (3 credits)
- MMIS 671 Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence (3 credits)
- MSIT 675 Deep Learning (3 credits)
B.S. Computer Science Undergraduate Curriculum
First Year Seminar (3 credits)
General Education Requirements (30 credits)
Students are required to complete 30 credit hours as part of the General Education Program.
Open Elective Requirements (7 credits)
Major Core Requirements (80 credits)
- MATH 2100 Calculus I (4 credits) OR MATH 2100H Calculus I Honors (4 credits)
- MATH 2200 Calculus II (4 credits) OR MATH 2200H Calculus II Honors (4 credits)
- MATH 3300 Introductory Linear Algebra (3 credits)
- MATH 4500 Probability and Statistics (3 credits)
- PHYS 2400 Physics I/Lab (4 credits)
- Any Science Course (4 credits)
Note: These above courses may fulfill the General Education 12 credits of math/science requirements.
- CSIS 1800 Introduction to Computer and Information Sciences (3 credits)
- CSIS 2050 Discrete Mathematics (4 credits)
- CSIS 2101 Fundamentals of Computer Programming (4 credits)
- CSIS 3023 Legal and Ethical Aspects of Computers (3 credits)
- CSIS 3051 Computer Organization and Architecture (4 credits)
- CSIS 3101 Advanced Computer Programming (4 credits)
- CSIS 3200 Organization of Programming Language (3 credits)
- CSIS 3400 Data Structures (4 credits)
- CSIS 3460 Object Oriented Design (3 credits)
- CSIS 3500 Networks and Data Communication (3 credits)
- CSIS 3530 Artificial Intelligence (3 Credits)
- CSIS 3610 Numerical Analysis (4 credits)
- CSIS 3750 Software Engineering (4 credits)
- CSIS 3810 Operating Systems Concepts (3 credits)
- CSIS 4530 Database Management (3 Credits)
- CSIS 4610 Design and Analysis Algorithms (3 credits)
- CSIS 4903 Capstone Project for Computer Science (3 credits) OR CSIS 4953 Capstone Internship in Computer Science (3 credits)
Major Electives (9 credits) and Open Electives (3 credits)
Select up to 12 credits from the following M.S. in Computer Science courses
(Any 600-level courses totaling 12 credits):
Core M.S. Computer Science Courses
- CISC 610 Programming Languages (3 credits)
- CISC 640 Operating Systems (3 credits)
- CISC 660 Database Management Systems (3 credits)
- CISC 680 Software Engineering (3 credits)
- CISC 615 Design and Analysis of Algorithms (3 credits)
M.S. Elective Courses
- CISC 650 Computer Networks (3 credits)
- CISC 670 Artificial Intelligence (3 credits)
- CCIS 672 Data Visualization (3 credits)
- CISC 681 Computer Graphics (3 credits)
- CISC 682 Software Requirements Engineering (3 credits)
- CISC 683 Object-Oriented Design (3 credits)
- CISC 684 Software Testing and Verification (3 credits)
- CISC 685 Interaction Design (3 credits)
- CISC 690 Special Topics in Computer Science (3 credits)
- ISEC 615 Fundamentals of Cybersecurity (3 credits)
- ISEC 620 Applied Cryptography (3 credits)
- ISEC 640 Database Security (3 credits)
- ISEC 650 Computer Networks Forensics (3 credits)
- ISEC 660 Advanced Network Security (3 credits)
- MMIS 671 Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence (3 credits)
- MSIT 675 Deep Learning (3 credits)
M.S. Computer Science Curriculum
Graduate Courses (18 Credits of any of the below courses not counted towards the 12 credits for the B.S. Computer Science Degree)
Core M.S. Computer Science Courses (must complete all 15 credits of M.S. Computer Science Core courses as either part of the B.S. Computer Science 12 credits of M.S. Computer Science Courses or the additional 18 credits for M.S. in Computer Science Program)
- CISC 610 Programming Languages (3 credits)
- CISC 640 Operating Systems (3 credits)
- CISC 660 Database Management Systems (3 credits)
- CISC 680 Software Engineering (3 credits)
- CISC 615 Design and Analysis of Algorithms (3 credits)
Elective Courses (Any course not counted towards the B.S. in Computer Science program)
- CISC 650 Computer Networks (3 credits)
- CISC 670 Artificial Intelligence (3 credits)
- CCIS 672 Data Visualization (3 credits)
- CISC 681 Computer Graphics (3 credits)
- CISC 682 Software Requirements Engineering (3 credits)
- CISC 683 Object-Oriented Design (3 credits)
- CISC 684 Software Testing and Verification (3 credits)
- CISC 685 Interaction Design (3 credits)
- CISC 690 Special Topics in Computer Science (3 credits)
- ISEC 615 Fundamentals of Cybersecurity (3 credits)
- ISEC 620 Applied Cryptography (3 credits)
- ISEC 640 Database Security (3 credits)
- ISEC 650 Computer Networks Forensics (3 credits)
- ISEC 660 Advanced Network Security (3 credits)
- MMIS 671 Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence (3 credits)
- MSIT 675 Deep Learning (3 credits)
B.S. to M.S. Program Pathway Potential Plan of Study
Freshman Year
Fall (14 credits)
- UNIV 1000 (3 credits)
- CSIS 1800 Introduction to Computer and Information Sciences (3 credits)
- MATH 2100 Calculus I (4 credits)
- CSIS 2101 Fundamentals of Computer Programming (4 credits)
Winter (15 credits)
- Open Written Communication (3 credits)
- CSIS 3101 Advanced Computer Programming (4 credits)
- CSIS 2050 Discrete Mathematics (4 credits)
- Open Elective (4 credits)
Sophomore Year
Fall (14 credits)
- CSIS Organization of Programming Languages (3 credits)
- CSIS 3400 Data Structures (4 credits)
- CSIS 3500 Networks and Data Communication (3 credits)
- MATH 2200 Calculus II (4 credits)
Winter (14 credits)
Open Written Communication (3 credits)
- MATH 3300 Introductory Linear Algebra (3 credits)
- CSIS 3051 Computer Organization and Architecture (4 credits)
- CSIS 3750 Software Engineering (4 credits)
Junior Year
Fall (16 credits)
- Open Social & Behavioral Sciences (3 credits)
- CSIS 3023 Legal and Ethical Aspects of Computers (3 credits)
- CSIS 3810 Operating System Concepts (3 credits)
- PHYS 2400 Physics I/Lab (4 credits)
- CSIS 3530 Artificial Intelligence (3 credits)
Winter (16 credits)
- CSIS 3460 Object Oriented Design (3 credits)
- CSIS 4530 Database Management (3 credits)
- CSIS 4610 Design and Analysis of Algorithms (3 credits)
- Open Arts & Humanities (3 credits)
- Science Course (BIOL, CHEM, ENV, MBIO, or PHYS) (4 credits)
Senior Year
Fall (16 credits)
- Open Social & Behavioral Sciences (3 credits)
- MATH 4500 Probability and Statistics (3 credits)
- CSIS 3610 Numerical Analysis (4 credits)
- M.S. Course (3 credits)
- M.S. Course (3 credits)
Winter (15 credits)
- CSIS 4903 Capstone Course or CSIS 4953 Capstone Internship (3 credits)
- Open Arts & Humanities (3 credits)
- Open Elective (3 credits)
- M.S. Course (3 credits)
- M.S. Course (3 credits)
Graduate
Summer (8-week term), Fall (Session 1 eight-weeks; Session 2 eight-weeks), Winter (Session 1 eight-weeks; Session 2 eight-weeks) 18 credits; six M.S. courses not counted towards the B.S. in Computer Science program.
M.S. Courses
Students in this program may substitute up to 12 credits of M.S. level Cybersecurity Management courses for B.S. Cybersecurity Management major requirements or electives. See options below.
B.S. Cybersecurity Management Courses Required Before M.S. Enrollment
Students must complete the following courses before taking the 12 credits of M.S. in Cybersecurity Management courses:
- MATH 1200 Pre-calculus Algebra (or higher) (3 credits)
- MATH 2020 Applied Statistics (3 credits)
- CSIS 1800 Introduction to Computer and Information Sciences (3 credits)
- CSIS 2101 Fundamentals of Computer Programming (4 credits)
Students will then be eligible to complete the following M.S. courses (12 credits) towards the B.S. in Cybersecurity Management Degree:
- ISEC 615 Fundamentals of Cybersecurity (3 credits)
- ISEC 635 Information Security Operations Management (3 credits)
- ISEC 655 Information Security Governance (3 credits)
- ISEC 675 Information System Auditing (3 credits)
B.S. Cybersecurity Management Undergraduate Curriculum
First Year Seminar (3 credits)
General Education Requirements (30 credits)
Students are required to complete 30 credit hours as part of the General Education Program.
Open Electives (26 credits)
Major Requirements (52 credits)
- MATH 1200 Pre-calculus Algebra* (or higher) (3 credits)
- MATH 2020 Applied Statistics* (3 credits)
- Substitute ISEC 615 Fundamentals of Cybersecurity (3 credits) for CSIS 1800 Introduction to Computer and Information Sciences (3 credits)
- CSIS 2000 Introduction to Database Systems (3 credits)
- CSIS 2101 Fundamentals of Computer Programming (4 Credits)
- CSIS 3001 Introduction to Cybersecurity (3 Credits)
- CSIS 3020 Web Programming and Design (3 credits)
- CSIS 3023 Legal and Ethical Aspects of Computers (3 credits)
- CSIS 3500 Networks and Data Communication (3 credits)
- CSIS 4010 Computer Security (3 credits)
- CSIS 4351 Human-Computer Interaction (3 credits)
- TECH 3300 System Analysis and Design (3 Credits)
- TECH 3320 Technology Project Management (3 Credits)
- Substitute ISEC 635 Information Security Operations Management (3 credits) for TECH 4200 Cybersecurity Operation Management (3 Credits)
- Substitute ISEC 655 Information Security Governance (3 credits) for TECH 4220 Cybersecurity Governance (3 Credits)
- Substitute ISEC 675 Information System Auditing (3 credits) for TECH 4240 Cybersecurity Auditing (3 Credits)
- TECH 4900 Directed Project in Information Technology (3 credits)** OR TECH 4950 Internship in Information Technology (3 credits)**
* These courses count as six credits of the General Education Requirements.
** These courses can be counted only once, either as a core course or as a major elective;
only 3 credits of each of these courses may be applied to the major.
Major Electives (15 credits)
Select 15 credits from any TECH or CSIS courses not counted in the major.
Total 120 Credits
M.S. Cybersecurity Curriculum
Graduate Courses (18 Credits)
- MMIS 621 Information Systems Project Management (credits 3)
- MMIS 623 Ethics in Computing (credits 3)
- MSIT 630 Database Management and Applications (credits 3)
- MMIS 653 Telecommunications and Computer Networking (credits 3)
- MMIS 680 Human-Computer Interaction (credits 3)
- ISEC 695 Information Security Management Project (credits 3)
M.S. Courses
Students in this program may substitute up to 12 credits of M.S. Information Technology courses for B.S. Information Technology major requirements or major electives. See eligible courses below.
B.S. Information Technology Courses Required Before M.S. Enrollment
Students must complete the following courses before taking the 12 credits of M.S. in Information Technology courses:
- MATH 1200 Pre-calculus Algebra (or higher) (3 credits)
- MATH 2020 Applied Statistics (3 credits)
- CSIS 1800 Introduction to Computer and Information Sciences (3 credits)
- CSIS 2101 Fundamentals of Computer Programming (4 credits)
Students will then be eligible to complete the following M.S. courses (12 credits) towards the B.S. in Information Technology Degree:
- ISEC 615 Fundamentals of Cybersecurity (3 credits)
- MMIS 623 Ethics in Computing (3 credits)
- MMIS 653 Telecommunications and Computer Networking (3 credits)
- MSIT 630 Database Management and Applications (3 credits)
B.S. Information Technology Undergraduate Curriculum
First Year Seminar (3 credits)
General Education Requirements (30 credits)
Students are required to complete 30 credit hours as part of the General Education Program.
Major Requirements (40 credits)
- MATH 1200 Pre-calculus Algebra (or higher) (3 credits)
- MATH 2020 Applied Statistics (3 credits)
- CSIS 1800 Introduction to Computer and Information Sciences (3 credits)
- Substitute MSIT 630 Database Systems (3 credits) for CSIS 2000 Introduction to Database Systems (3 credits)
- CSIS 2101 Fundamentals of Computer Programming (4 credits)
- CSIS 3020 Web Programming and Design (3 credits)
- Substitute MMIS 623 Ethics in Computing (3 credits) for CSIS 3023 Legal and Ethical Aspects of Computers (3 credits)
- Substitute MMIS 653 Telecommunications and Computer Networks (3 credits) for CSIS 3500 Networks and Data Communication (3 credits)
- CSIS 4010 Computer Security (3 credits)
- CSIS 4311 Web Services and Systems (3 credits)
- CSIS 4351 Human-Computer Interaction (3 credits)
- CSIS 4501 Wireless Network Infrastructures (3 credits)
- TECH 4900 Directed Project in Information Technology (3 credits)* OR TECH 4950 Internship in Information Technology (3 credits)*
Major Electives (15 credits)
Substitute ISEC 615 Fundamentals of Cybersecurity (3 credits) for CSIS 3001 Introduction to Cybersecurity (3 Credits)
Select 12 credits from any TECH, CSIS, EENG, and CENG courses.
*Can be counted only once, either as a core course requirement or a major elective requirement
M.S. Information Technology Curriculum
Graduate Courses (18 Credits)
- MSIT 650 Platform Technologies (credits 3)
- MSIT 660 Software Development (credits 3)
Select an additional 12 credits from the courses below.
- MMIS 621 Information Systems Project Management (credits 3)
- MMIS 680 Human-Computer Interaction (credits 3)
- ISEC 635 Information Systems Operations Management (credits 3)
- ISEC 655 Information Security Governance (credits 3)
- SEC 675 Information System Auditing (credits 3)
- MMIS 671 Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence (credits 3)
- MMIS 642 Data Warehousing (credits 3)
- MMIS 643 Data Mining (credits 3)
- MMIS 680 Human Computer Interaction (credits 3)
- MMIS 636 Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (credits 3)
- MMIS 644 UX Strategy for Social Media (credits 3)
- CISC 683 Object-oriented Design (credits 3)
- CISC 685 Interaction Design (credits 3)
- MMIS 621 Information Systems Project Management (credits 3)
- MSIT 675 Deep Learning (credits 3)
- ISEC 635 Information Systems Operations Management (credits 3)
- MMIS 636 Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (credits 3)
- MMIS 653 Telecommunication and Computer Networking (credits 3)
- MMIS 692 Data Analytics Project (credits 3)
- MMIS 690 Special Topics in Information Systems (credits 3)
- ISEC 695 Information Security Management Project (credits 3)
Why Choose a 3+1 Pathway Program?
Earn graduate credits while still an undergraduate and reduce your overall time to completion.
Graduate courses taken in year four apply to both degrees—allowing you to finish your M.S. with fewer credits and lower overall tuition.
Early access to advanced coursework prepares you for internships, full-time roles, and industry certifications.
Taking M.S. courses as a senior helps you adjust to the expectations of graduate-level work.
