With a tremendous job outlook for cybersecurity professionals, Assumption’s new Bachelor of Science degree prepares graduates for a dynamic, evolving field.
As a high school student, Samuel Malone ’20 enjoyed playing video games. When a teacher offered bonus points on a quiz to anyone who coded something on a calculator, “My interest in computer programming really snowballed,” he said.
Maloneʼs budding computer skills, along with recent news about breaches in cybersecurity in every industry from weapons to social media platforms, led him to sign up for Assumptionʼs new Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity program. “Our country needs people on the front line of defense who are trained to prevent breaches in cybersecurity,” said Malone. “We also need experts who can work after the fact, identifying how breaches occurred and developing ways to fix them.”
Cyberthreats have risen dramatically with the explosion of technology and increased connectivity, “affecting organizations, individuals, and entire nations,” said Raymond Albert, Ph.D., director of Assumptionʼs new cybersecurity program, which officially launched in fall 2018.
A past recipient of over a million dollars in federal and state grants, Prof. Albert brings a wealth of experience to Assumption. He was one of only 30 faculty members chosen nationwide to participate in a Department of Homeland Security workshop aimed at enhancing homeland security education and encouraging diversity among cybersecurity students, and he has served as a National Science Foundation-sponsored Catalyzing Computing and Cybersecurity in Community Colleges Fellow. Prof. Albert has also led extensive research projects that focus on exploring the best methods to educate the next generation of cybersecurity professionals; collaborated with academic, government, and business leaders to create a vision for cybersecurity for the State of Maine; and identified core cybersecurity vulnerabilities for critical maritime computer systems.
Now Prof. Albert is bringing his expertise to bear on developing a topnotch cybersecurity program at Assumption. Undergraduates majoring in the field will complete 15 courses that focus on methods in computing and information science, cybersecurity, and other related fields. They will also complete a capstone project and an internship.
While it may seem unusual for a liberal arts institution to promote such a high-tech degree, Prof. Albert believes the program fits well with Assumptionʼs mission to prepare students for high demand job markets. As he sees it, cybersecurity students from Assumption, a University known for graduating thoughtful citizens with a strong moral character and integrity, “will have an advantage in the workplace. Besides a solid foundation in the behavioral and natural sciences, the humanities, and the arts, Assumption graduates are known to be trustworthy. Thatʼs key in this particular field.”
Another unique feature of the new program is that the curriculum adheres to the highest standards of the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD). The Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Agency jointly sponsor the CAECD program, which currently recognizes only 160 top colleges and universities as CAE-CDs in cybersecurity. Now that the program has launched, Assumption will apply for its own CAE designation with the first class of graduates. This will lead to the University being one of only three higher education institutions in Massachusetts – and the only one from Worcester to the New York and Connecticut borders –to offer a B.A. in cybersecurity that meets these top standards.
Besides a general interest in computers and the knowledge that this career field is booming, Prof. Albert said that cybersecurity attracts Assumption students “because the nature of the work is exciting and this field satisfies their interest in having a positive impact on society. There are many evildoers in our increasingly digital world, and there is an extraordinary need for people who can thwart the actions of these folks.”
Those reasons ring true for Olivia Hulsebosch ʼ20. “Lately there has been a lot of cybersecurity scares with Facebook and voter fraud, and I just really want to help with that sort of thing,” she said. “Cybersecurity is a field that’s wide open. Iʼm really looking forward to seeing where this major can take me.”
Just how big a problem is cybersecurity? HUGE.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s 2016 Internet Crime Report, millions in the United States are victims of internet crimes each year. Losses due to email scams, identity theft, ransomware attacks, tech support fraud losses, and other cybercrimes generated $1.33 billion in victim losses in 2016, the latest year for which statistics are available. A more recent 2017 cybercrime report indicates the costs associated with cybercrime are projected to hit $6 trillion annually by 2021, the same year the first class of Assumption’s cybersecurity students is expected to graduate.
With the escalation in cybercrimes, it’s not surprising that the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a 28 percent growth in information security analyst positions, rating the field as having “much faster than average” growth rate. As demand continues to outstrip supply, the average salary of these workers now exceeds $95,000 per year.
