CyberCorpsⓇ Scholarship for Graduate Students

Open to graduates of any undergraduate major. Students from CS or technical fields enter the PSM directly; students from non-technical backgrounds prepare through URI’s OnRamp To Cybersecurity bridge program. Both paths are scholarship-eligible. The 2026 CyberAICorps cohort includes an AI Track option for applicants with AI or CS backgrounds.

Graduate student candidates from any undergraduate background are eligible to apply for the CyberCorps scholarship. Applications are typically submitted in the Spring prior to entering URI’s Professional Science Master’s Degree in Cybersecurity (PSM) the following Fall. Students from CS, Engineering, or related technical fields enter the PSM directly. Students from non-technical backgrounds are encouraged to complete URI’s OnRamp To Cybersecurity bridge program before or concurrent with beginning the PSM.

The minimal qualifications for applicants are:

  • A Bachelor’s degree in any field with at least a 3.0/4.0 GPA.
    • CS, Engineering, and technical majors: eligible to enter the PSM directly.
    • All other majors: must complete or be enrolled in URI’s OnRamp To Cybersecurity bridge program prior to or concurrent with PSM enrollment. CSF 432, completed as the third OnRamp course, satisfies the PSM core course requirement.
  • Submitted application to URI’s PSM program. Acceptance to the PSM program is not required at the time of applying for the CyberCorp Scholarship, but the application to the PSM must be completed in URI’s graduate degree application system prior to applying for the CyberCorp scholarship.
  • A citizen or lawful permanent resident of the United States

For the CyberAICorps AI Track cohort:  Prior coursework or demonstrated experience in Python and introductory machine learning is strongly recommended. Applicants without sufficient mathematical background for AI coursework may be required to complete a preparatory math course after consultation with and advisor.

Applications will be reviewed, and scholarship recipients selected, by a Committee of faculty and staff in the URI CS Department. The deadline to apply for a CyberCorp Scholarship each year is spring of each year.

The CyberCorp Scholar Course Schedule

 A CyberCorp graduate student scholar typically follows this course schedule (details on courses are available here).

Graduate Year 1 Fall
Graduate Year 1 Spring
Summer Between Graduate YearsGraduate Year 2 FallGraduate Year 2 Spring
CSC 432
CSF 410
CSF 430
CSF 505		CSF 580
CSF 534
CSF 505		CyberCorps InternshipCSF 536
CSF 560
CSF 505		CSF 524
CSF 590
CSF 505

Students will do the experiential part of their internship in the summer between graduate years, and take the academic portion of it in CSF590 in Year 2.

Each semester, CyberCorp scholars will take a special course that is designed specifically for CyberCorp scholars to survey the landscape of government cybersecurity jobs and provide support for students’ upcoming job search process. This is an in-person course where students are expected to be on URI’s campus.

CyberAICorps Graduate Scholar Schedule (AI Track)  [NEW]

Graduate AI Track scholars follow the same two-year structure with these course substitutions:

  • Replace one Year 1 or Year 2 elective slot with CSF 470 – Applied AI for Cybersecurity(Prerequisite: CSF 432, which is already in the standard Year 1 Fall schedule. Plan CSF 470 for Year 1 Spring or Year 2 Fall.)
  • Replace one Year 1 or Year 2 elective slot with CSF 592 – Machine Learning Security

Coming from a Non-Technical Background?

URI’s OnRamp To Cybersecurity bridge program prepares you for the PSM in one summer. Three fully online courses — Python programming, system fundamentals, and network security (CSF 432) — give you the technical foundation to succeed in the PSM curriculum. The third course (CSF 432) counts as your first PSM core course, so you are already building your Master’s degree during OnRamp. Scholarship note: We encourage non-technical background applicants to begin OnRamp before or concurrent with their first scholarship year. Contact cybersecurity@uri.edu to discuss how to structure your timeline. Learn more:  web.uri.edu/cs/academics/onramp/

Questions? Contact URI Department of Computer Science and Statistics, cybersecurity@uri.edu