Second Major in Information Security
The School of Computing offers a second major in Information Security (InfoSec) for non-School of Computing students.
Objective
The objectives for a Second Major in InfoSec are as follows:
- To provide an information security programme within NUS for non-computing students;
- To contribute to the national focus on growing the pool of cyber security professionals in Singapore; and
- To produce graduates who are able to understand information security issues and practices from an inter-disciplinary point of view.
Student Learning Outcomes
The Second Major in InfoSec enables students to attain, by the time of graduation:
- Strong knowledge of computer science foundations and fundamentals, including (a) familiarity with common computer science themes and principles, (b) high-level understanding of systems as a whole, (c) understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of computer science and their influences in practice.
- An ability to design, implement, and evaluate a computer-based system, process, components, or program to meet the security needs.
- An ability to function effectively in teams to accomplish a common goal.
- Recognition of the need for and an ability to engage in continuing professional development
- An ability to use the current techniques, skills, and tools necessary for information security practice.
Admission Requirements
For direct admission, students applying for the Second Major in InfoSec must meet the entry requirement:
- For diploma holders: Diploma with at least an A2 grade in GCE O-level Elementary Mathematics or at least a B4 grade in GCE O level Additional Mathematics.
- For A-Level Holders: H2 pass in Computing or Mathematics or Physics; OR a good pass in H1 Mathematics.
Students from cohort 2017-18 or beyond may apply into the Second Major in InfoSec after completing CS2040/C, and CS2107 with B+ or above in each of the courses.
Existing students from cohort 2016/17 or earlier may apply into the Second Major in InfoSec after completing CS1020 (or its equivalent), and CS2107 with B+ or above in each of the courses. Those who have not completed CS1020/E yet can apply using CS2040/C with a grade B+ or above in place of CS1020/E.
Application
School of Computing Minor/Second major are restricted programmes which students must apply during the prescribed application window specified by the School via EduRec. Students will not be able to declare themselves in the Academic Plan Declaration Exercise (APAD) before ModReg begins for each semester. APAD is only for open minors/second majors which do not require special approval from the host department to approve.
To apply for School of Computing minor/second major programme, students must submit their application to the School of Computing by the 4th semester of study, for enrolment at the start of their 5th semester of study.
With the recent revision to total unit requirements for Minor and Second Major programmes, the School is making special provision to allow students from Cohort 2019 a final application round to apply for School of Computing minor/second major programmes in Sem 1 AY21-22 only, for enrolment at the start of Sem 2 AY21-22. Any late request to enroll after our application window has closed will not be entertained.
Please take note that the application date will typically be from the Friday (9:00 AM) before reading week of each regular semester till end of first week of examinations on Sunday (11:59 PM), based on NUS academic calendar here. Kindly refer here for more information on the application procedure for restricted programmes.
Structure
Please click here for the university’s framework for completing of a second major for different cohorts. No triple counting is allowed.
Continuation and Graduation Requirements
The Second Major in InfoSec is a non-Honours major programme.
Students must complete CS2040/C, and CS2107 with a grade of at least B+ or above in each of the courses to continue the Second Major in InfoSec programme.
The Second Major in InfoSec will be awarded to students who have completed the total unit requirement of second major requirements they belong to. It would be either 48 units and 40 units respectively for the cohort they belong to. That is, 48 units for Cohort before 2019 and 40 units for Cohorts 2019 onwards. Students will need to complete the primary major requirements to graduate.
- Computing Foundations = 20 units
- Information Security Foundations = 8 units
- Information Security Electives = 12 units
- Core courses = 28 units
- Elective courses = 12 units
| Programme Structure | Units |
|---|---|
| Computing Foundations | 20 |
| CS1010 Programming Methodology or its equivalent 1 | 4 |
| CS2040/C Data Structures and Algorithms | 4 |
| CS2100 Computer Organisation 2 | 4 |
| CS2105 Introduction to Computer Networks 3 | 4 |
| CS2106 Introduction to Operating Systems 4 | 4 |
| Information Security Foundations | 8 |
| CS2107 Introduction to Information Security | 4 |
| CS3235 Computer Security | 4 |
| Information Security Electives | 12 |
Complete 12 units of courses from the following list of security electives, with at least 8 units at level-3000 or above: CS-coded Courses
IS-coded Courses:
IFS-coded Courses:
| 4 units each (except IFS4205 which is 8 units) |
| Grand Total | 40 |
1 Students who are waived from completing CS1010 or its equivalent must complete another 4 units of courses listed under the Information Security electives.
2 EE2024 Programming for Computer Interfaces or EE2028 Microcontroller Programming and Interfacing and its prerequisite EE2026 Digital Design can be used in place of CS2100 Computer Organisation.
3 EE3204/E Computer Communication Networks I or EE4204/E Computer Networks can be used in place of CS2105.
4 CG2271 Real-Time Operating Systems can be used in place of CS2106.
5 MA1100 and CS1231 can be used in place of CS1231S. Students without A-level mathematics are required to complete MA1301 Introductory Mathematics before completing CS1231.
6 MA4261 Coding and Cryptography can be used in place of CS4236.
- Computing Foundations = 20 units
- Information Security Foundations = 8 units
- Information Security Electives = 12 units
- Core Courses = 28 units
- Elective Courses = 12 units
| Programme Structure | Units |
|---|---|
| Computing Foundations | 20 |
| CS1010 Programming Methodology or its equivalent 1 | 4 |
| CS2040/C Data Structures and Algorithms | 4 |
| CS2100 Computer Organisation 2 | 4 |
| CS2105 Introduction to Computer Networks 3 | 4 |
| CS2106 Introduction to Operating Systems 4 | 4 |
| Information Security Foundations | 8 |
| CS2107 Introduction to Information Security | 4 |
| CS3235 Computer Security | 4 |
| Information Security Electives | 12 |
Complete 12 units of courses from the following list of security electives, with at least 8 units at level-3000 or above. CS-coded Courses
IS-coded Courses:
IFS-coded Courses:
Legacy Electives:
If students have taken any of the above legacy electives before AY2021-22 Semester 1, they can use it towards the second major but must ensure that there are at least 8 units at level-3000 or above for this category. | 4 units each (except IFS4205 which is 8 units) |
| Grand Total | 40 |
1 CS1010S can be replaced by CS1101S/CS1010/E/S/X/FC/J. But students need to apply for the course substitution as advanced courses may need the taught programming language in CS1010S and it is imperative that students who take CS1010S equivalent are aware of it. Students who are waived from completing CS1010 or its equivalent must complete another 4 units of elective courses under Business Analytics Verticals.
2 ST2334 can be replaced by ST2131 (Probability) or ST2132 (Mathematical Statistics). However, students who have read EC2303 (Foundations of Econometrics) are not allowed to use ST2131 or ST2132 to replace ST2334. Economics students who are unable to read ST2334 due to course preclusion are required to replace it with an additional (4 units) course from the Business Analytics Verticals.
3 Some of these courses require prerequisites from outside this list. Students must have the prerequisites to take them.
Continuation and Graduation Requirements
The Second Major in BZA is a non-Honours major programme.
The Second Major in BZA will be awarded to students who completed 40 units for the second major requirement. Students will need to complete the primary major requirements to graduate.
Students pursuing a second Major in BZA must comply with the followings:
- Up to 16 units may be used to meet the requirements for both (i) the Second Major and (ii) another Major or Minor
- Only Double Counting is allowed. “Triple counting” of a course that is common to, for example, a Major, Second Major and Minor that are all being taken by a student, is not allowed. The student will have to read an additional course/s to fulfill the total unit requirement for one of the three programmes.
- at least 12 units must be at Level 3000.
- total unit requirement is at least 40 units. Of which, at least 60% must be courses read at NUS include all courses taught, co-taught, supervised or co-supervised by NUS faculty members. These consist of graded courses or courses with an ‘S’ or ‘CS’ grade. The remaining units may be earned through credit transfers, advanced placement and exemptions, from courses deemed relevant to the particular Second Major.
As a continuation requirement, students taking the Second Major in BZA need to obtain at least a B+ grade in both CS1010S (or its equivalent) and BT1101 (or its equivalent). Should S/U option be chosen by students for either (or both) course(s), the raw performance in the course(s), i.e., based on the B+ equivalent marks, will be reviewed. Should a student fail to obtain the grade of B+ and above for both courses, he/she can apply to downgrade to taking the Minor in Business Analytics.
The programme structure for Cohorts 2017 till 2018 is given below.
The second major in InfoSec is structured as follows:
- Computing Foundation = 20 units
- Information Security Foundation = 8 units
- Capstone Project = 8 units
- Information Security Electives = 12 units
The 48 units for graduation requirement are broken down as follows:
- Core courses = 36 units
- Elective courses = 12 units
| Courses | Units |
|---|---|
| Computing Foundation | 20 |
| CS1010 Programming Methodology or its equivalent 1 | 4 |
| CS1020/E Data Structures and Algorithms I or CS2040/C Data Structures and Algorithms 2 | 4 |
| CS2100 Computer Organisation 3 | 4 |
| CS2105 Introduction to Computer Networks 4 | 4 |
| CS2106 Introduction to Operating Systems 5 | 4 |
| Information Security Requirements | 16 |
| CS2107 Introduction to Information Security | 4 |
| CS3235 Computer Security | 4 |
| CS3205/IFS4205 Information Security Capstone Project | 8 |
| Information Security Electives | 12 |
Complete 12 units of courses from one of the following group, with at least 4 units at level-3000 or above. Group I: Data and Software Security
Group II: Foundation of Information Security
Group III: Information Systems and Security Management
| |
| Grand Total | 48 |
1 Students who are waived from completing CS1010 or its equivalent must complete another 4 units of courses listed under the Information Security electives.
2 Students from cohort 2016 or earlier should take CS2103 in place of CS2113 if they have already taken CS1020/E. They can also take CS2020 Data Structures and Algorithms Accelerated in place of CS1020/E. They may take CS2010 as subsequent course in Group I or Group II elective after completing CS1020/E. Cohort 2017 and beyond should take CS2040/C Data Structures and Algorithms instead of CS1020/E for the minor. CS2010 is not applicable to cohort 2017 and beyond.
3 EE2024 Programming for Computer Interfaces or EE2028 Microcontroller Programming and Interfacing and its prerequisite EE2026 Digital Design can be used in place of CS2100 Computer Organisation.
4 EE3204/E Computer Communication Networks I or EE4204/E Computer Networks can be used in place of CS2105.
5 CG2271 Real-Time Operating Systems can be used in place of CS2106.
6 Cohort 2016 or earlier should take CS2010 as subsequent course in Group I or Group II elective if they have taken CS1020/E. CS2010 is no longer offered with effect from AY2019-2020.
7 MA1100 and CS1231 can be used in place of CS1231S. Students without A-level mathematics are required to complete MA1301 Introductory Mathematics before completing CS1231.
8 MA4261 Coding and Cryptography can be used in place of CS4236.
The second major in InfoSec to be structured as follows:
- Computing Foundation = 20 units
- Information Security Foundation = 8 units
- Capstone Project = 8 units
- Information Security Electives = 12 units
The 48 units for graduation requirement are broken down as follows:
- Core courses = 36 units
- Elective courses = 12 units
| Courses | Units |
|---|---|
| Computing Foundation | 20 |
| CS1010 Programming Methodology or its equivalent 1 | 4 |
| CS1020/E Data Structures and Algorithms I or CS2040/C Data Structures and Algorithms 2 | 4 |
| CS2100 Computer Organisation 3 | 4 |
| CS2105 Introduction to Computer Networks 4 | 4 |
| CS2106 Introduction to Operating Systems 5 | 4 |
| Information Security Requirements | 16 |
| CS2107 Introduction to Information Security | 4 |
| CS3235 Computer Security | 4 |
| CS3205/IFS4205 Information Security Capstone Project | 8 |
| Information Security Electives | 12 |
Complete 12 units of courses from one of the following groups, with at least 4 units at level-3000 or above. Group I: Data and Software Security
Group II: Foundation of Information Security
Group III: Information Systems and Security Management
| |
| Grand Total | 48 |
1 Students who are waived from completing CS1010 or its equivalent must complete another 4 units of courses listed under the Information Security electives.
2 Students from cohort 2016 or earlier should take CS2103 in place of CS2113 if they have already taken CS1020/E. They can also take CS2020 Data Structures and Algorithms Accelerated in place of CS1020/E. They may take CS2010 as subsequent course in Group I or Group II elective after completing CS1020/E. Cohort 2017 and beyond should take CS2040/C Data Structures and Algorithms instead of CS1020/E for the minor. CS2010 is not applicable to cohort 2017 and beyond.
3 EE2024 Programming for Computer Interfaces or EE2028 Microcontroller Programming and Interfacing and its prerequisite EE2026 Digital Design can be used in place of CS2100 Computer Organisation.
4 EE3204/E Computer Communication Networks I or EE4204/E Computer Networks can be used in place of CS2105.
5 CG2271 Real-Time Operating Systems can be used in place of CS2106.
6 Cohort 2016 or earlier should take CS2010 as subsequent course in Group I or Group II elective if they have taken CS1020/E. CS2010 is no longer offered with effect from AY2019-2020.
7 MA1100 and CS1231 can be used in place of CS1231S. Students without A-level mathematics are required to complete MA1301 Introductory Mathematics before completing CS1231.
8 MA4261 Coding and Cryptography can be used in place of CS4236.
