Cybersecurity Leadership Overview

The Cybersecurity Leadership concentration prepares you to shape the strategy behind risk management and security response across organizations. You’ll study best practices in security governance, risk management, compliance, auditing, and business continuity while learning how frameworks NIST and ISO 27001 guide security decisions.

If you’re interested in developing organizational security strategy, leading teams, or preparing for executive-level security positions, this concentration gives you the business and governance perspective to complement the technical foundation built in the MS in Cybersecurity.

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Our program was ranked the No. 18 Best Online Master’s in Cybersecurity Degree Programs according to Intelligent.com (2025).

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Core Skills You’ll Master

Graduates of the Cybersecurity Leadership concentration build expertise in:

  • Security planning and policy development using NIST standards
  • Risk auditing against ISO 27001 and ISO 27002 frameworks
  • Regulatory compliance across Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS
  • Business continuity and disaster recovery planning using ISO 22301 standards
  • Organizational security strategy, architecture, and stakeholder communication
  • Incident response planning and operational resilience

Where This Concentration Takes You

Every organization needs people who can connect technical security decisions to business priorities. That’s true whether you’re protecting a hospital, a financial institution, a government agency, or a global retailer. According to Lightcast labor market data, graduates of the Cybersecurity Leadership concentration are prepared for roles including:

Role
Median Annual Salary

Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
$219,900

Cybersecurity Manager
$158,500

Cybersecurity Architect
$151,300

Big Data Architect
$143,100

Cybersecurity Consultant
$141,000

Source: Lightcast

Cybersecurity Leadership Curriculum

The concentration consists of three required courses. These courses can also be taken as electives without the formal concentration.

Cybersecurity Leadership Concentration (0-9 Credits)

These courses can also be taken as electives without the concentration.

The United States government requires all federal systems to have a customized security plan. In addition, the National Training Standard for Information Systems Security (INFOSEC) professionals require programs that meet this standard to produce students capable of developing a security plan. This course provides an introduction to security planning as recommended by NIST guidelines on developing security plans. The student is required to conduct a case study where a security plan is developed for a fictitious or real small size organization. The purpose of this course is to provide an overview of the security requirements of the existing computing environment and describe the controls in place or planned for meeting those requirements. The security plan presents all managerial, operational, and technical controls an organization will need in the next three years.

This course provides an introduction to security auditing based on the ISO 27000 family of standards. In addition to risk management, the course also presents both nominal security audits based on ISO 27002 and technical security audits based on ISO 27001. Each student is required to conduct a case study where he/she performs a security audit for a fictitious or real small-size organization. Security Audit programs contain about a dozen security areas of audit focus, performed by either an external or internal auditor, who aims at validating the compliance of the Information Technology Organization as well as the enterprise at-large to the ISO 27000 Series, as well as Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS.

Recent events in this world have increased the need for organizations to develop strategies for mitigating, preparing for, responding to, and recovering from small and large scale emergencies. In the context of a highly integrated global economy, nearly every business is likely to feel the effects of emergencies around the world, and in the face of intense competition, it is crucial that all businesses have a plan for continuing operations before, during, and after emergencies of all types. This course presents an introduction to business continuity and disaster recovery planning. It includes a comprehensive advanced business continuity planning and management workshop which is designed to teach practical methods to develop, test, and maintain a business continuity plan. In addition to ISO 22301 and the BS 25999 business continuity standards, this course is based on industry best practices and guidelines for business continuity, disaster recovery, and emergency management.

Complete the MS in Cybersecurity in 10 Courses

Understand how to identify and counter security risks as well as implement protective measures.

Learn More About The Concentration

Frequently Asked Questions

Cyber Operations focuses on the technical side of security and teaches you to investigate incidents, analyze malware, test systems, and solve technical security problems. It’s designed for students who enjoy working with technology.

Cybersecurity Leadership takes a different approach. Its coursework centers on governance, risk management, compliance, and security strategy to prepare you to lead security programs and teams.

Yes. All three courses in this concentration are also available as electives. You can take one or two without committing to the full concentration.

A foundational background in computer science or a related field is helpful for the online MS in Cybersecurity as a whole. The program requires three prerequisite courses covering computational statistics, an introduction to coding, and business data communications before core coursework begins. Students who complete those prerequisites are well positioned for the technical demands of this concentration.

Not Sure Cybersecurity Leadership Is Your Path?

The Pace online MS in Cybersecurity offers a second concentration, as well as the flexibility to design your own. Explore the other options:

Cyber Operations

Develop the hands-on technical skills to investigate incidents, analyze malware, and defend systems at the code and network level.

Build Your Own Path

Draw from both concentrations and the broader elective list to build a curriculum that fits your goals.

Explore the Curriculum

Contact Us

Email
seidenbergonline@pace.edu

Phone Number
(914) 758-1080

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