Ensuring the safety of critical information and assets is what the new cybersecurity analytics and operations degree is all about at Penn State York. This new four-year bachelor of science degree, which started this fall, is designed to help students master the technical skills, risk management strategies, and analytical methods used to safeguard data and systems,, while analyzing security and communicating cyberthreat and vulnerability issues to top-level decision-makers.
“There is a headline almost every day about a major cybersecurity breach somewhere in the world. It impacts corporations, governments, universities and every organization that is connected to the internet. No organization is immune, and every organization needs someone with expertise on how to combat this modern threat,” said Bill Cantor. assistant teaching professor in information sciences and technology (IST), and program coordinator for the IST program and the new cybersecurity analytics and operations degree. “The cybersecurity analytics and operations degree prepares students for this new battleground,” Cantor said.
Students with an interest in working on computers and their operating systems will find this degree interesting and challenging. Students pursuing this degree will learn:
• to protect digital information, data stores, and computer networks from threats
• defense strategies used to anticipate, recognize, and defend against cyberattacks
• how to work on a team to solve technical problems for organizations
Career Opportunities
The cybersecurity degree prepares graduates to pursue a variety of career fields. Job opportunities include:
• Cybersecurity Analyst
• Cyberthreat Adviser
• Digital Network Exploitation Analyst
• Forensic Analyst
• Incident Responder
• Infrastructure Analyst
• Penetration Tester
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs in information security will be growing at a rate much faster than average. The National Institute for Cybersecurity Career and Studies (NICCS) predicts that the “…demand for cybersecurity experts is growing 12 times faster than the current U.S. job market, making cybersecurity one of the most highly sought-after careers in the country.”
The cybersecurity major is new at Penn State but was developed from the cyber option in the security and risk analysis (SRA) degree, which has been available for several years. Starting salaries for SRA majors have averaged about $66,000, according to the latest data compiled by the College of Information Sciences and Technology at Penn State.
For the bachelor of science degree in cybersecurity analytics and operations, a minimum of 124 credits is required. To learn more about the degree and its requirements, visit the cybersecurity website or contact Cantor at wpc2@psu.edu or 717-771-4143.