M.S. Degrees in Security, Data Science Ranked No. 4 in Nation by Fortune

New Jersey Institute of Technology is now ranked fourth in the nation for its M.S. in Cybersecurity and online M.S. in Data Science, according to Fortune magazine.

Researchers in both fields were quite busy in 2022, working at the Newark main campus and NJIT @JerseyCity, and through Ying Wu College of Computing, Cybersecurity Research Center, Institute for Data Science. There is also collaboration with Israel's Ben Guiron University of the Negev through the mutually operated Institute for Future Technologies.

Data science — along with its cousins in artificial intelligence and machine learning — pervades many fields beyond computing, such as humanities, mathematics and physics. The year 2022 kicked off with Distinguished Professor David Bader, director of Institute for Data Science, being named a fellow of the ACM. Associate Professor Przemyslaw Musialski figured out how to make 2D designs that convert into 3D structures. Machine learning helped combat COVID vaccine inequity, students formed a data science club, while data tools were used to help local journalists understand public information and to help self-driving cars understand traffic signals.

In security research for 2022, NJIT's Association for Computing Machinery chapter hosted its annual security event called JerseyCTF, which reached new levels of worldwide participation. Professor Reza Curtmolo and peers discovered a critical browser bug and developed a software cure. Students form a pair of new security clubs, including one focused on hardware hacking. In addition, NJIT hosted a Big Data Alliance Symposium, students developed a fake Tweet detector and a graduate student applied artificial intelligence to offshore windmill maintenance. AI was further applied to new CPU architectures and supply chain research. There was a Data Science Summit, while Turing Award winner Jeffrey Ullman gave his own insights.

"I'm proud to see that YWCC's graduate programs in key computing areas such as data science and cybersecurity are so well received. I congratulate my colleagues in the college for a job well done and look forward to similar feedback on our new M.S. in Artificial Intelligence," said Craig Gotsman, dean of the college.

"We are very pleased to note that our graduate programs in cybersecurity and data science are highly ranked and among the best in the nation," added NJIT Interim Provost Atam Dhawan. "Computing, data science and information systems are the priority strategic areas for NJIT for developing prominence and future growth. Congratulations to NJIT faculty, students and staff in Ying Wu College of Computing for this outstanding recognition of their handwork, dedication, synergy and vision."