Cybersecurity programs in U.S universities – will they meet the demand?
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The cyberattacks of recent years have not only increased the demand for employees who understand the field of information assurance and cybersecurity, they have also created a demand in cyber-security education.
Major private-sector firms including Wal-Mart, BP, and Citibank, along with critical federal agencies such as the National Nuclear Security Administration and the Defense Intelligence Agency, are faced with millions of cyber intrusions every day. Universities across the country are adding cybersecurity concentrations to their curricula to train students who will later help secure network systems.
According to HomeLand Security News Wire, the most widely accepted certification for cybersecurity jobs is the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), but obtaining that takes at least four years of work experience.
Some cybersecurity programs have begun to offer their own certifications as a fast-track approach to cybersecurity accreditation for students. Other schools are taking a multidisciplinary approach.
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Florida Polytechnic University in Lakeland offers a concentration in information assurance and cybersecurity in its computer science and information technology degree program. “The demand is very high. I’ve had students get into cyberspace companies with just one security class, never mind an entire major,” said Kenneth Knapp, a professor of information and technology management at UT and head of the school’s cybersecurity program.
“With all of the high-profile breaches over this last year or so, more focus has been on security than I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been doing it since I was 21 years old in the Air Force.”
“Our cybersecurity program is housed in the College of Business, because we emphasize it as a business problem,” said Knapp. “These students are going to get the full load of tech classes and cybersecurity, but they’re also going to get the business classes, finance, law, accounting and so on. They’ll understand the business environment and they’ll also understand the technology. They’ll be very well-rounded.”
