Starting this fall, students at Miami University can earn a Bachelor’s of Science in Cybersecurity. The degree will combine aspects of computer science with the skills and knowledge of security.
In recent years, cybersecurity has been in the news in regards to potential cyber attacks from countries like Russia or China.
But cybersecurity is more than just national security. Hackers can access your social media profiles, bank account information, and personal files. They can then use this information to blackmail individuals or companies for financial gain.
Some hackers will leak the personal information they’ve obtained to harm their targets.
“The problem with cybersecurity is any one hole will allow an attacker or a bad guy in,” Dr. Scott Campbell, an instructor of computer science at Miami University, said. “So I really focus on three areas: how do you create secure systems? How do you create secure networks? And then how do you create secure programs? And so our students will be focusing on all of those.”
Campbell continued to say the students earning the cybersecurity degree will be filling a critical gap needed to better protect our privacy and information.
Cybersecurity is a quickly growing field. According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, jobs like information security analysts are projected to grow by 35% from 2021 to 2031. Around 19,500 openings are projected to grow each year over the course of the decade.
“We’re becoming more aware of the importance of cybersecurity. But the threat’s increasing. The number of bad actors, of attackers, is just dramatically growing because, unfortunately, it’s profitable,” Campbell said.
The students at Miami University will be taught how about the “policy all the way down to the very practical nuts and bolts” of designing programs and softwares.
“We’re going to start teaching students and giving them both the theoretical and the practical skills,” Campbell said.
The first class is expected to be around 20 to 30 students.
Wright State University and Clark State College also offer cybersecurity programs. The University of Dayton offers cyber defense as a concentration in the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science field.
