r/OMSCyberSecurity

20 years tech experience, with 5 years being in a principal role for SOC for a top 20 Fortune 500.

-AS network administration from a local juco

-BS cyber security information assurance from WGU. finished in 2 terms.

- MS IT Management in one term from WGU.

Certs:

CCNA + security

Comptia A+, network+, security+, CySA+, CASP, AWS SA, MS 200

got rejected and don’t understand why.

Okay first question-

I tried to take CS 6035 this past Spring & it didn't go well. So I'm Trying again this Summer semester with PUBP 6725. However since it went so badly it showed me that I should switch from Info Sec Track to Policy. With that being said, I asked the advisors about switching and they said I have to take CS 6035 first before applying to switch, which I knew, but they also said not to take courses from the other track.

Which brings me to my next question.

I signed up for INTA 6103 and INTA 6742 for the Fall 2026 semester. It looked like these two would be relatively easy together (correct me if I'm wrong those who have taken them please). But would it be better to just try to take CS 6035 again? The thought of doing that again so soon gives me anxiety, but maybe if I start cramming the concepts now?

So would it be better to keep going with the plan that I had going or to bite the bullet and just go for it again in the Fall instead of the 2 Policy track classes? I'm honestly not sure now. Thanks in advance!

I didn’t realize that MGT is not open book or notes and I’m not a good test taker. I need a replacement for this class which can be either a required or elective course.

I’ve already taken:
PUBP 6502
INTA 6103 - pending
PUBP 6540
PUBP 8823
CS 6239
PUBP 6725

What’s a class you’d recommend for the summer?

Also, take MGT 6727 or 6501?

I'm not sure what I'm going to pivot to now. I might look into University of Maryland Cyber Security program, SANS Masters, or even Offensive Security (employer looking into package). Maybe even reapply, but really frustrated right now.

Added (edits) based on comments/questions.

Creds:

- I'm mid-career (edit: 25 yrs experience) Principal Application Security Engineer (strong engineering, architecture, coding experience). Global brands, 3 Fortune 20
- 3.7 GPA BS in CS, 10+ years ago
- (edit)Computer Science. 1 B in C++ I, otherwise all As in C++II, C# I and II, and Java I and II, as well as Discrete Math and Data Structures
- Cloud certs, CISSP, CCSP, etc
- 2 recommendations from Management (edit: including CISO I worked for), 1 from peer

I feel like it might be because I haven't been in an academic setting for 10+ years or my age, but I feel my career accomplishments should've been enough.

Hi Everyone,

I’m starting the Information Security track this Fall 2026 and I’m looking for study buddies so we can help keep each other accountable throughout the program.

A little about me: I’m fairly new to cybersecurity, but I’m very curious and excited to learn. I enjoy learning new things with others and thought it would be great to connect with classmates who want to study together, share ideas, and support each other along the way.

If you’re also starting in Fall 2026 and interested in forming a study group, feel free to reach out!

Hello all.

I currently work an 8-5 job and I’m wondering which Required Policy courses y’all recommend and for which semester.

So far, I passed PUBP 6725 (Fall 2024), INTA 6742 (Spring 2025), CS 6261 / PUBP 8803 (Fall 2025) and CS 6750 (Spring 2026).

I’m currently planning on taking PUBP 6502 in the upcoming summer semester since I’ve so far heard positive things about it regarding the workload and difficulty in this subreddit and on omscentral. However, I may also plan to add another course this summer to speed things up.

I tried CS 6035 back in Fall of 2024, but I couldn’t handle it at the time, so I plan to also prepare and retake that as the second-last course (a semester before Practicum).

I’d greatly appreciate any recommendations from you all.

For those who have taken it, would you recommend PUBP 6725 as a summer class? I looked back at prior posts and there seems to be conflicting answers. This would be my first class in the program. I tried to take CS 6035 last semester, but had to drop because of the heavy course load and not being able to balance it with work and family responsibilities. Thanks in advance for any advice!

Starting Policy track Fall 2026. Long-term goal is cybersecurity leadership, eventually CISO.

Background: Finishing B.S. Computer Science, 3.945 GPA. Certs: A+, Security+, AWS CCP, CySA+ in progress. Past internships in SWE and IT. Currently in a non-tech job.

Situation: Been applying to SOC Tier 1 and help desk roles for months. One interview, no offer. Mostly silence.

Questions:

1.	Does the Policy track help students land cybersecurity internships during the program?

2.	Does GT on the resume move the needle once enrolled, or do recruiters wait until graduation?

3.	Any cybersecurity internship pipelines through GT, or all on you?

4.	What should I be doing now, before the program starts, to set up for cybersecurity internships?

Appreciate any honest input.

when you are in a “top” security program and cannot access your grade 😆

I've found that Cyber Physical courses have far less information shared online, so I'm doing my part to correct that. Here is my review of this course:

This is a course about how power systems operate and the math that defines them. Coming into this, you should refresh your knowledge of complex math, and light trigonometry. Basic calculus would be helpful, but most of that is handled in Matlab, which the TA will guide you through. Matlab is free for GT students, make sure you have it downloaded and installed prior to starting.

It appears this course is offered in the Spring at a 'lighter' difficulty for physical track cyber students, compared to the Fall offering for EE students. However, I do not have access to the Fall curriculum to compare.

The recorded lectures explain how the grid operates, from generation through transmission and distribution. Bluntly, the recorded lectures are extremely dry and hard to follow, and you will never be tested on any of the information. However, it is extremely valuable information from a forefront researcher.

The book is rough, and hard to follow. Multiple math steps are skipped in several examples. I suspect the professor wrote it to give students a free book and avoid a lot of the subscription scams that textbooks are prone to. I admire this, but I ended up buying the textbook used in the Fall-EE offering to supplement (Power Systems Analysis and Design by Glover, Sarma, and Overbye). The only problem is that book does not cover state estimation at all, which is a major part of this course, especially in the second half.

The assignments are separated into 8 light assignments, combined worth 20% and 2 larger group projects worth 30%. The TA goes over expectations and explains the problems in the weekly office hours, which I found to be more like a traditional lab. The projects are group projects where you're expected to split up tasks for a final program, but you each write your own reports. My suggestion is that you complete the program individually and use your group as a sounding board to bounce ideas against. I've found that in the Physical track most of us are either EEs who want to get better at Cyber, or Cyber people who want to better understand the Electrical and Instrumentation. Hopefully your group will have representation from the EEs because they have a huge advantage in this course.

Grading is pretty light, in my opinion. However, make sure you're watching the office hours, and communicating your struggles to the TA early. The TA I had in Spring of 26 was extremely helpful.

I'm a cyber guy who entered the cyber physical world, I ended up averaging about 10 hours a week on this course, and found the first half pretty easy, and the second half pretty difficult.

I'm curious what the graduation rate for this program is. I feel like a lot of people are hopping on this degree and OMSCS, but curious how many people actually finish vs just enroll or get accepted. I'm wondering if there are statistics for this because I can't find them online from any reliable source. Understandably this might be because it takes variable lengths of time but anyone know where this data would be located?

Hello. I'm interested in becoming a TA. I never saw the summer recruitment email go out, did anyone else get it?

Also, do we know when the Fall 26 recruitment email will be going out? And what does the process look like? Is it just get an A, be active, apply, and hope for the best? I've heard it's difficult. Thanks.

Has anyone here been accepted with a 3-year European undergraduate degree?

I completed my BSc in Cybersecurity at IU International University of Applied Sciences (Berlin). My coursework included programming in Python and C++, and I’ve also completed a GRC-focused internship where I worked on policy development at an AI company in the UK.

In addition, I hold Microsoft certifications including Azure Fundamentals, SC-200, and AZ-500.

I’m particularly interested in pursuing an InfoSec track, but from what I’ve seen in Reddit threads, the competition seems extremely strong.

What advice would you give to strengthen my application and improve my chances of acceptance?