r/OMSCyberSecurity

I am looking for someone to talk to on how to send official transcripts. I can’t find any contact information on the website. Can someone point me in the right direction?

I also have the lawful presence hold. I submitted my passport two months ago. Is this normal?

I received my admissions letter in March, but my application is still under “institute review”. Does anyone have an idea on how long this takes and when I can register for classes?

In addition, what will class availability be like for the Fall semester? I’d imagine slim pickings based on the time frame.

Applying from Canada.

University of Guelph: Biomedical Science major. (gpa 3.7)

Mohawk College: Network Engineering and Security Analyst (gpa 4.0)

3.5+ years of work experience as information security analyst (currently Tier2-3 level)

Certifications: CISSP, CCSP, GIAC GSEC, CCNA, AWS Security Specialty, Azure Admin.

Not sure if it was the essay or the University Major is non-IT. (GTech still said I can apply and also saw a post where a business major got accepted).

References: Uni professor I worked for, Previous organization's director and manager.

Any feedback will be greatly appreciated. I am preparing to apply for 2027 Spring semester again.

Is the Introduction to Python Programming that’s advertised for non-technical people entering the policy track worth it? Or are there cheaper and better options?

I just got my rejection letter from Information Security Track

Education: B.Sc. in Computer Engineering from Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport in Egypt with GPA 2.6

Experience: Worked as technical support Engineer in RSA Security for two years and 3 years working as Incident Response analyst in global practice in NetWitness and currently switched to red teaming.
I have these certificates
eCIR – Certified Incident Responder, CRTO – Certified Red Team Operator, CRTP – Certified Red Team Professional, eWPT – Web Application Penetration Tester, RHCSA – Red Hat Certified System Administrator, PCNSA – Palo Alto Networks Associate and Penetration Testing path by HackTheBox Academy

Recommendations: 3 Recommendation
One from my current manager which is the global practice director
Two from ex colleagues working now in Fortinet and GuidePoint Security

Comments: 
-Shared an official statement from my university that English was the medium of instructions during the whole academic years.
-Explained in my SoP why my GPA was low during college time and that I have gained more knowledge and experience since then.
Even tho I had two internships after my graduation one in cybersecurity and networking while the other one was focused in offensive security and penetration testing and was during my full time job

Not sure if it's related to my GPA being low (which I can't change unfortunately) or there is something else

I am thinking of applying for the next intake; is it worth to reapply again?
if so what should I consider this time to have a better acceptance rate

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.

I’m trying to decide which lab class to take next semester: CS6264 or CS6265.

I’ve been doing some research on both, but I wanted to ask here for feedback from anyone who has taken either class. Honestly, I’m leaning toward whichever option is more manageable and less time-consuming.

For those who have taken one or both, which did you choose and why? How was the workload, difficulty, and overall experience?

Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated.

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'm on the IS track and registered for MGT 6727 (Privacy for Professionals) this summer since I heard great things about the class and still need my flex core requirement. However, I just learned that the midterm will be the week I am out of town.

I'm on the fence about whether to stick with the course and do the midterm/3 writings that week on hotel wifi, or drop the course and save it for another term. Does anybody have any experiences/advice on the class that would help inform my decision?

Got rejected for Policy today.

BA History From UTSA with 3.0 GPA did see UG GPA drop after when I struggled with French in grad school

MA in History from UTSA with 3.5 lots of Poly Sci support work

Spent last 3 years at Long Beach City College taking grounding Courses in Cybersecurity and IT...plus several season of NCL last 3 at Diamond 2 level and getting Challenge Coin Award.

Did get accepted to SANS cyber academy so will be getting classes leading to GFACT, GSEC, GCIH

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 planning on taking the policy track next year in for fall semester or spring. I’ve heard that there’s 1 class that touches on the technical aspects of cyber security a bit and that’s about it. What Coursera courses do you recommend that I take in advance?

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.

I’ve seen a lot of people take this class. Any advice on it to be successful? How are the quizzes, discussions, group project?

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.

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!

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