The Information Security and Assurance major will not be removed by Kennesaw State this academic year following speculation from students online.
A recent Reddit post to the r/KSU subreddit page shared an email stating that the Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity would be moving from the Institute for Cybersecurity Workforce Development to the Michael J. Coles College of Business.
The email states that due to “significant overlaps” between the Cybersecurity and Information Security and Assurance majors, they would be merging the two majors into the Cybersecurity program in January 2024.
While the Cybersecurity major is moving to Coles College in 2024, ISA program leaders say that there are currently no plans to get rid of their program, especially not by January.
“We’re not shutting down the ISA degree program in January,” Dr. Andy Green, ISA program coordinator for Coles College said. “It’s not like, you know, we’re bringing the cyber degree over here. And we’re just shutting down ISA. We’re running both programs for the foreseeable future.”
Green does acknowledge the significant overlaps between the ISA and Cybersecurity majors but says that there won’t be any changes to the curriculum for at least a year.
“Conversations haven’t really started. They will happen here at some point in time down the road, I don’t know when yet,” Green said. “But we will be looking at the options that we have for the ISA program. Does that mean we split it down and deactivate it? That’s one option. Do we look to maybe combine it as a minor? Do we look to make it a certificate? Those are the things that we need to think through as faculty based on the input we get.”
As it stands now, the main difference between the Cybersecurity degree program and the ISA degree program lies in their lower-division classes. Cybersecurity students may start out taking more classes based in computer science, while ISA students start out taking more classes based in business. However, both programs maintain an interdisciplinary structure as students advance in their studies.
“The structure [of the Cybersecurity program] will still stay the same because we look at these programs as interdisciplinary.” Dr. Khawaja A. Saeed, chair of the Department of Information Systems and Security, said.
The ISA program is no stranger to change, as it exists within a constantly evolving industry. According to TheBestSchools, graduates with ISA degrees are in high demand as the world continues to become increasingly reliant on computer systems to operate.
A goal for KSU’s ISA program is to ensure that students graduating are able to meet the ever-evolving demands of the industry that they are graduating into. Maintaining the consistency of knowledgeable graduates from KSU is the main goal of the program moving forward.
“We were the first undergraduate degree in information security and assurance in the state of Georgia, and a public institution and actually the first in the southeast region,” Dr. Green said. “And we’re well known, the brand is well known, and so that carries a lot of cachet. What we hear from our partners, time after time, is that our kids speak business and our kids speak tech. And that’s what they care about.”
While nothing is set in stone, one way Green and Saeed would like to see the program evolve is by requiring more hands-on experience in the workforce by students before they graduate.
“I would like to have a required work experience component that needs to be part of our program,” Saeed said. “Let’s say 150 hours of required practical experience, where they’re going out working in the industry, but as part of their program. What I would like to have is being able to establish enough industry contacts, and you’re able to put these structures together.”
For now, the ISA program will remain unchanged as talks continue into the beginning of the 2023-24 school year. Previously, a town hall meeting was held in June to discuss the upcoming Cybersecurity move with majors in both programs. Ruehlman says that there may be another one during the fall semester.
In the meantime, students in either program are recommended to discuss any questions or concerns they may have with their academic advisor.
