A newly approved cybersecurity program at UW-Stout aims to help meet rising demand for workers in this field.
Enrollment is now open for the fall 2022 bachelor’s degree program, which was approved April 7 by the UW System Board of Regents.
According to a release from the university, graduates will be prepared to: analyze complex computing problems and identify solutions; understand hardware, software and human elements of computing systems; incorporate legal and ethical principles in their work; and more.
Also, enrolled students will get opportunities to engage with industry partners and conduct research in subjects such as cloud computing and 5G networks, as well as industrial and health care applications.
“Our B.S. cybersecurity program with hands-on training in a real-world cybersecurity laboratory setting will broaden students’ subject matter knowledge and skills needed for the growing cybersecurity job market,” Glendali Rodriguez, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, said in a release.
It’s being offered online or on-campus, a release from the university shows. About 150 students are expected to be enrolled in the on-campus program within four years, with “similar numbers” projected for the online program as well. UW-Stout also has a cybersecurity minor, as well as four related certificates and concentrations.
The new program builds on the university’s existing Cybersecurity Research and Outreach Center, which was created in 2017. The university has also been designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense by the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security. It was the first four-year institution in the state to be designated as such, the release shows.
According to a report from UW Extended Campus, national employment for information security analysts is projected to increase 33 percent by 2030 compared to 2020 figures.
And in Wisconsin, employment among four cybersecurity-related positions is expected to rise by about 11.6 percent between 2019 and 2029 as demand for these workers continues to increase. Those positions include information security analysts, network and computer systems administrators, computer network architects, and computer and information system managers.
See more details on the new program here: https://www.uwstout.edu/about-us/news-center/new-cybersecurity-major-aims-take-bite-out-internet-crime
See the UW Extended Campus report: https://uwex.wisconsin.edu/stories-news/cybersecurity-career-outlook/
–By Alex Moe
