Starting in Fall 2020, Kennesaw State students will have the opportunity to complete a master’s program focused on cybersecurity.
The new cybersecurity master’s program will be open to all KSU students, according to Dean of the College of Computing and Software Engineering Jon Preston.
“We are currently recruiting existing students who want to transfer into the new MS degree and also current students who will be graduating with undergraduate degrees this year who would like to continue their studies in the MS cybersecurity program,” Preston said.
Preston explained that cybersecurity centers around the protection of digital data, networks and computers.
“This includes proactive and reactive actions to ensure continuity of businesses and their data,” Preston said. “Since all companies and industries rely upon secure computing to conduct research and business, students with a cybersecurity degree can apply skills learned in this program to nearly any business and field.”
KSU has an existing cybersecurity bachelor’s degree program that has been available to students since Fall 2017, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Preston attributes the creation of the new master’s program to faculty and department chairs involved in the bachelor’s in cybersecurity. The degree could not have come without the collaboration between multiple departments.
“The MS cybersecurity degree is a joint collaboration between the College of Computing and Software Engineering, the Coles College of Business, and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences,” Preston said. “Faculty and department chairs from each of those colleges have been successfully serving the BS in cybersecurity for a number of years, and given the industry demand and excellent talent at KSU, the MS cybersecurity grew from the faculty in the existing program.”
Due to the high demand for jobs in the cybersecurity field, Preston said that partners of the colleges working together are trying to provide expanded opportunities for students to study cybersecurity and secure a job in the field.
The demand for cybersecurity jobs has increased by 94 percent within the past six years, according to IBM.
Preston said the new degree expands opportunities for students and that the master’s in cybersecurity will be highly accessible to all potential students.
“Since this program can be taken completely online, it’s accessible for people who are working and want to complete their degree at the same time,” Preston said. “The degree can be completed in just 12 months, so students can add to their existing credentials or enter the cybersecurity field and quickly advance their careers thereafter.”
Preston said that all KSU students could potentially have access to the new cybersecurity master’s program, which could be used to graduate on time.
“Any student, regardless of the bachelor’s degree, is eligible for the MS in cybersecurity, Preston said. “The program allows students with computing backgrounds to enter but it also allows students with other backgrounds to take transition courses and then graduate in a timely manner.”
