New degree program will help address predicted global shortfall of cybersecurity professionals

UAH now offers a Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity in addition to its Master of Science in Cybersecurity. Both programs are intended to help address the growing global demand for cybersecurity experts.

Michael Mercier | UAH

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) and UAH’s Center for Cybersecurity Research and Education (CCRE) are pleased to jointly announce the launch of a brand-new Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity program. This highly technical cybersecurity undergraduate degree is intended to prepare graduates for a career in cybersecurity engineering, secure software development, cybersecurity test and evaluation, offensive security, systems architecture, reverse engineering, and/or emerging cybersecurity problem-solving.

"Our new bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity program is unique in the state of Alabama as it prepares students to work in cybersecurity-intensive jobs that require students to have a thorough understanding of modern computing systems from both a hardware and software perspective," says Dr. Tommy Morris, CCRE director and computer engineering professor. "They will be able to identify and mitigate computing system vulnerabilities and apply security principles and practices to the design and implementation of the physical, software, and human components of the system."

Our new bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity program is unique in the state of Alabama.

The 124-credit-hour program of study includes UAH’s "Charger Success: First Year Experience for Engineers" course, foundational courses in the liberal and fine arts, laboratory sciences, mathematics, computing fundamentals, a technical elective, and the following cybersecurity courses: Introduction to Cybersecurity, Systems Security, Mobile Digital Forensics, Secure Software Development, Cybersecurity Management, Network Security, and Software Reverse Engineering. Students will also be expected to complete a cybersecurity capstone course, in which they will work as a team to conduct and document a risk assessment for a target system and then design, implement, and test cybersecurity controls to mitigate any threats to the system.

Graduates of the program will have a thorough understanding of modern computing systems from both a hardware and software perspective; be able to identify, investigate, and mitigate computing system vulnerabilities of various types; be able to design, deploy, and configure secure computing systems and software; understand cyber ethics, cyber policy and law, cyber risk management, and human behavior relating to computing systems and operations; be able to apply security principles and practices to the design and implementation of the physical, software, and human components of the system; and be able to analyze and evaluate cyber systems with respect to security and maintaining operations in the presence of risks and threats.

Those who would like to pursue an advanced degree in the field and/or who are participants in UAH’s Joint Undergraduate Master's Program can enroll in the university’s Master of Science in Cybersecurity program. Offered by UAH’s Colleges of Engineering, Science, and Business, this interdisciplinary degree exposes students to a diversified core curriculum as well as an in-depth curriculum in one of three elective tracks: engineering, computer science, and business. Upon graduation, students will be able to perform a cybersecurity analysis of vulnerabilities and threats to network environments, network penetration testing, auditing for certification and accreditation, and technical project management in information technology. They will also be able to integrate the business and scientific underpinnings of information technology trends related to the system development lifecycle and understand federal, state, and local statutory requirements associated with information and cybersecurity through the Information Assurance Technical Framework.

The ultimate hope is that these two degree programs will help address the growing demand for cybersecurity experts, 1.5 million of whom will be needed to accommodate the predicted global shortfall by 2020 according to a 2015 Global Information Security Workforce Study by (ISC)². "Cybersecurity is a national, state, and local priority for both industry and government," says Dr. Morris. "This Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity is a reflection of and response to that growing cybersecurity momentum and will serve both the region and the state by developing a workforce in a growing, high-technology field that historically has very high salaries."