Master of Cybersecurity Leadership

Became your organization’s first line of defense against cyber threats with an online Master of Cybersecurity Leadership. The blend of hands-on learning with leadership development positions you to excel as a transformative leader in any organization.

At a Glance

54 days left to apply
Average 16 Months to Completion
Start date: August 31, 2026
Expert Faculty Mentorship

Why Choose a Master of Cybersecurity from Wake Forest?

Cybercrime is a growing threat, costing organizations an estimated $320 billion in 2023 alone with the number expected to rise.

The Wake Forest SPS Master of Cybersecurity Leadership program prepares you to meet this challenge by combining deep technical expertise with strategic leadership and a strong foundation in compliance and ethics.

Developed with input from industry experts, the program delivers a cutting-edge curriculum that blends hands-on experience with leadership development. You’ll learn to design and implement comprehensive cybersecurity strategies, manage risk, and tackle emerging threats. With this knowledge, you can protect critical digital assets and lead with confidence.

Master of Cybersecurity Leadership Core Courses

You’ll complete 8 required online courses, including a capstone that brings everything together. Each course lasts 7.5 weeks. There’s no required order for these courses, so you are free to take courses in the sequence that works best for your schedule, depending on availability.

Foundations in Cybersecurity Leadership
Develop a foundational understanding of the critical aspects of leading cybersecurity initiatives within an organization. This course covers the frameworks and principles for developing and assessing a cybersecurity program, including cybersecurity terms and concepts, ethical considerations, leadership theories, risk management practices, strategic planning, and effective communication techniques necessary for driving cybersecurity initiatives. Through case studies and practical exercises, students will learn to navigate the complexities of cybersecurity leadership and build resilient cybersecurity programs.
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Cybersecurity Law, Policy, and Privacy
Explore cyber risks, the impacts of cyberattacks, data privacy challenges, cyber-criminal motives, and common strategies used to combat cyber warfare. This course will also look at the laws and regulations that apply to the rapidly changing threat landscape of cybersecurity. Students will develop a cybersecurity risk mitigation strategy for workplace or personal data.
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Advanced Information Security and Cyber Controls
Learn about fundamental security design principles and information assurance fundamentals. This course will explore a wide range of topics including cryptography, capability and access control mechanisms, authentication models, security models, operating systems security, malicious code, security policy formation and enforcement, vulnerability analysis, and the evaluation of secure systems. laws and regulations that apply to the rapidly changing threat landscape of cybersecurity. Students will develop a cybersecurity risk mitigation strategy for workplace or personal data.
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Technology, Data, and Cyber Risk Management
Build a foundational understanding of how to navigate a complex environment with layered technology, data, and cyber risks. This course explores how organizational responses to cyber security, data, and emerging technologies can help organizations avoid minefields and capture opportunities.
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Incident Management and Business Continuity
Explore the essential strategies and practices for responding to cybersecurity incidents and ensuring business continuity. This course will emphasize the importance of exercises to test preparedness plans and enhance cyber resiliency. Students will learn to plan, test, and execute incident management and disaster recovery strategies, including conducting Business Impact Analysis (BIA) to prioritize responses.
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Crisis and Issues Communications
Real and perceived threats can pose major challenges for organizations. These threats can range from attacks on an organization’s reputation to managing the proliferation of misinformation communicated in both external and internal channels. This course provides the tools, approaches, and confidence to prepare for and manage reputational challenges.
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AI and Other Emerging Cyber Technologies
Dive deeper into the latest trends, tools, and innovations at the forefront of the rapidly evolving cybersecurity landscape. This course will explore the potential impacts of these technologies on cybersecurity practices, assess their practical applications, and understand how to integrate them into existing security frameworks. Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of how to leverage emerging technologies in cybersecurity.
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Capstone in Cybersecurity Leadership
Synthesize and apply knowledge and skills through a comprehensive, project-based approach. In the capstone, students will develop and present a project that addresses real-world cybersecurity issues, integrating strategic, technical, and leadership aspects with an emphasis on aligning cybersecurity strategies with organizational goals and risk management frameworks, defining and ensuring adherence to cybersecurity policies and regulations, leveraging emerging technologies, planning and executing incident management and disaster recovery strategies, and addressing ethical challenges in cybersecurity. The course also focuses on enhancing executive communication and strategic communication across stakeholders.
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Master of Cybersecurity Leadership Electives

You will choose 2 elective to take at any time during the program when your selection is available. Wake Forest SPS designs electives with flexibility and relevance in mind. You’ll have access to a wide range of courses across all programs, so you can tailor your learning and deepen your expertise to meet your goals.

Cloud Security
Explore advanced strategies and principles essential for securing cloud computing environments. This course will delve into the unique security challenges and considerations specific to cloud architectures, including multi-tenancy, cloud service models, data protection, and identity management and covers best practices for implementing and managing security controls in cloud environments, compliance requirements, and strategies for mitigating cloud-specific risks.
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Proactive Cyber Defense
Dive into advanced strategies and frameworks designed to anticipate, identify, and mitigate cyber threats. This course will cover security architectures such as Zero Trust, proactive threat hunting, continuous monitoring, and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in cyber defense. Through a combination of theoretical knowledge and practical exercises, students will learn to design and implement robust defense mechanisms that enhance the resilience of digital infrastructures.
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AI Foundation and Evolution
Gain knowledge of the overview and historical progression of AI. This course will cover key topics such as machine learning, neural networks, natural language processing, and the historical milestones that have shaped the development of AI. It will also explore the current landscape and future directions of AI, emphasizing its use in various industries to give students a thorough understanding of AI's foundational theories, practical applications, and evolutionary trajectory.
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Strategic Leadership in AI
Learn and perform the best practices for building AI systems in real-world applications. This course will include modules on change management specific to AI implementation. Students will build AI systems knowledge and the skills necessary to develop and implement AI strategies effectively in diverse organizational contexts.
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AI Implementation Across Industries
Learn more about the selection and implementation of AI across various industries and teams. This course will equip students with the skills to leverage AI technologies in interdisciplinary contexts to foster collaboration, ethical decision-making, problem-solving, and impactful integration. Students will review real-world, industry-specific case studies and strategic frameworks in various sectors.
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Strategic Communications
Internal and external stakeholders expect greater transparency and responsiveness from organizational leaders today. This course emphasizes the practice of internal and external strategic communications through the analysis of case studies. This course examines real organizational challenges and students work to identify solutions.
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Negotiation and Conflict Management 
With an emphasis on the project management work environment, explore the determinants of successful negotiations. Learn a process-oriented approach with an emphasis on the practical application of proven frameworks and theories. In this course, you’ll learn about and explore the nature and common causes of conflict that can derail projects, gaining practical guidance for identifying and addressing the root causes of conflict.
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AI Pathway

The AI Pathway in the Master of Cybersecurity Leadership program is for anyone who wants to kick their AI expertise up a notch.  It supplements the core curriculum with relevant AI technology and knowledge to help you successfully integrate AI in your career. If you choose this pathway, you will fill your required 2 elective slots from the curated list below.

AI Risk Management and Governance
Examines governance and oversight of artificial intelligence in enterprise risk contexts. Covers regulatory developments, model risk management, algorithmic transparency, data governance, and fairness and bias concerns. Emphasizes evaluating AI-related risks and designing governance frameworks for responsible adoption.
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Global Analytics and Emerging Technologies
Students explore how emerging technologies—including AI, predictive analytics, and data visualization—shape international policy, economic development, business strategy, security, and diplomacy.
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Innovation Strategy for AI & Emerging Technologies
This course prepares engineering managers to lead innovation by strategically evaluating and integrating emerging technologies (e.g., AI, IoT) into engineering practice. Students explore technology readiness levels, adoption models, and governance frameworks while weighing ethical, regulatory, and risk considerations.
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Deep Learning and Advanced AI
Explore the foundations of neural networks, deep learning networks, and their various problems. This course will have students participate in hands-on labs with real-world datasets to enhance practical skills and use prompt engineering to interact with advanced models.
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Applied Computer Vision for AI
Gain an introduction to computer vision by exploring a combination of traditional AI, machine learning, image processing, and mathematical theories to provide ways of programming a computer to understand visual imagery. The course will expose students to the techniques required to efficiently analyze images for representation in applicable context scenarios.
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AI and Other Emerging Cyber Technologies
Dive deeper into the latest trends, tools, and innovations at the forefront of the rapidly evolving cybersecurity landscape. This course will explore the potential impacts of these technologies on cybersecurity practices, assess their practical applications, and understand how to integrate them into existing security frameworks. Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of how to leverage emerging technologies in cybersecurity.
View Course
Proactive Cyber Defense
Dive into advanced strategies and frameworks designed to anticipate, identify, and mitigate cyber threats. This course will cover security architectures such as Zero Trust, proactive threat hunting, continuous monitoring, and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in cyber defense. Through a combination of theoretical knowledge and practical exercises, students will learn to design and implement robust defense mechanisms that enhance the resilience of digital infrastructures.
View Course
AI Implementation Across Industries
Learn more about the selection and implementation of AI across various industries and teams. This course will equip students with the skills to leverage AI technologies in interdisciplinary contexts to foster collaboration, ethical decision-making, problem-solving, and impactful integration. Students will review real-world, industry-specific case studies and strategic frameworks in various sectors.
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Applications of Machine Learning Techniques
Gain deeper understanding of machine learning techniques, including supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement learning. This course will cover key algorithms—such as linear regression, decision trees, support vector machines, k-means clustering, and neural networks—and emphasize practical applications. It will help students become proficient in selecting and applying appropriate machine learning techniques to solve complex problems.
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Ethics and Responsible AI
Explore the key areas of consideration when deploying products that contain AI. This course will cover the social, political, and economic effects that AI may have on society, including an understanding of public concerns with AI such as economic, equity, and human rights. Students will study diverse ethical issues that arise with the widespread and rapid integration of AI technologies, as well as the tools and frameworks for ensuring ethical AI practices to mitigate AI bias.
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IT Infrastructure, Cloud Computing & AI Operations
Develop an understanding of the ethical considerations and issues that IT professionals encounter in the workplace given their exposure to data, various forms of electronic communication, and other types of information. Students will also explore contract law to cover a variety of services, including software, cybersecurity, and privacy.
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Systems Analysis, Design & AI-Enabled Solutions
Dive into a comprehensive overview of the principles and practices involved in the analysis, design, development, and implementation of effective information systems. Students gain proficiency in modern software development practices — including analyzing project requirements, risk analysis, cost estimation and budgeting, and quality control.
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Emerging Tools and Technologies in AI
Learn to leverage the latest tools and methodologies in the field. In this course, students will track the continuous iterations of AI as one of the most rapidly evolving technologies of our time through large language model (LLM) benchmarking. Students will experiment with various LLMs, learning to craft and refine prompts to optimize model outputs for different application
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Strategic Leadership in AI
Learn and perform the best practices for building AI systems in real-world applications. This course will include modules on change management specific to AI implementation. Students will build AI systems knowledge and the skills necessary to develop and implement AI strategies effectively in diverse organizational contexts.
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AI Foundation and Evolution
Gain knowledge of the overview and historical progression of AI. This course will cover key topics such as machine learning, neural networks, natural language processing, and the historical milestones that have shaped the development of AI. It will also explore the current landscape and future directions of AI, emphasizing its use in various industries to give students a thorough understanding of AI's foundational theories, practical applications, and evolutionary trajectory.
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Technology and Public Administration
Examine the role of emerging technologies in setting and implementing public policy, the role of stakeholders and interest groups, and available tools to apply from a technology and innovation framework. This course will analyze how new technologies improve and impact policy efficacy by assessing key principles and defining opportunities regarding the role and application of technology in public administration.
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Decision Making and Conflict Management
Develop a deeper understanding of ethical decision-making and effective conflict management against a backdrop of major social, economic, and cultural transitions. In this course, learners will gain the knowledge and skills for navigating complex organizational landscapes.
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Instructional Design and Digital Learning Technologies
This course will provide an overview of the digital tools, techniques, opportunities and challenges associated with learning technologies and leading teams. The course will also introduce learning technology applications, provide tools to evaluate learning technology solutions and related multimedia learning design models, address digital accessibility, and engage in best instructional technology practices.
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Artificial Intelligence for Health Informatics
This course will review the foundations of artificial intelligence (AI) with applications to the prevention, detection, diagnosis, and prognosis of diseases. Learners will differentiate various artificial intelligence concepts and enabling technologies, and discover and employ processes used in designing and implementing artificial intelligence systems to prevent bias and inequities.
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Healthcare Leadership and Impact of AI
This course will explore leadership, organizational structure, and effective team functioning in healthcare. It will provide students with an understanding of the importance of developing high-quality relationships, the impact of motivation, power, and influence, principles of organizational ethics, and health equity.
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Applied AI and Digital Health
This course will explore the theory, applied practice, and impact of current and emerging digital health technologies and clinical documentation systems for all demographics. Learners will differentiate between the technology tools used in healthcare, including wearables, telemedicine, Mobile Health, Internet of Things (IoT), and other Consumer eHealth tools, and examine how digital health solutions and patient portals impact patients’ health and wellness, access to healthcare services, and interactions with their caregivers (patient perspective). They will also evaluate how digital platforms can improve and transform clinical operations and the delivery of healthcare (care provider perspective).
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AI-Enabled Healthcare Database Systems
Dive into the theory and application of database management systems. This course will help learners apply principles of database management, data modeling, privacy, and cybersecurity to improve healthcare and manage health data effectively, and identify and analyze database management systems. It will also cover query languages and the design and maintenance of cloud databases.
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AI and Data Analytics for Health Professionals
A comprehensive introduction to the current state of the science and practice of analytics in healthcare, including how to “tell the story” the numbers present. Core competency skills are achieved using a variety of learning methods to help students apply analytic techniques supporting data mining, visualization and data driven decision making.
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Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence
Explore the impact of machine learning, deep learning, and artificial intelligence tools in finance. While learners will not engage in coding or the building of machine learning and AI tools, this course will cover the practical application of these tools to solve problems in asset management, corporate finance, and financial institution settings.
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The people who develop & continually refine programs bring expertise from…

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start your tomorrow?

Your goals are within reach—and we’re here to help you get there.

Meet the Experts Guiding Your Journey

Program Faculty

Dwayne Hodges
Dr. Dwayne Hodges, U.S. Army (ret.)
Academic Director, Information Technology Management and Cybersecurity Leadership Faculty
Wake Forest University
Michael Lester
Michael T. Lester
Cybersecurity Leadership Faculty
Wake Forest University
Brandon Sloane
Brandon Sloane
Academic Director, Cybersecurity Leadership
Wake Forest University

Advisory Board

Pete Seeber
President and Chief Commercial Officer
Blue Team Alpha Inc.
Christina Bray
CISO, Collins Aerospace
Collins Aerospace, an RTX Business
Tia Hopkins
Chief Cyber Resilience Officer & Field CISO
eSentire, Inc.
Carla Sweeney
Chief Information Security Officer
Red Ventures
Janine Medina, MSL, MEng, MSc
Deputy CISO for North and South America
Biohacking Village

Where Your Master of Cybersecurity Leadership Can Take You

Completing your Master of Cybersecurity Leadership positions you to step into high-demand roles that combine technical know-how with strategic vision. This includes positions such as Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), Cybersecurity Director, Security Operations Manager, Risk and Compliance Lead, and IT Governance Analyst.

As cybercrime continues to rise, so does the need for leaders who understand both the technical and human sides of security. Be prepared to lead the charge by designing resilient systems and shaping cyber strategies that keep organizations secure in a connected world.

The Students of Wake Forest SPS