Cybersecurity degree approved for Kennesaw State

New program will help meet workforce need in rapidly growing field

KENNESAW, Ga. (Feb 14, 2017) — The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia on Tuesday approved an online Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity at Kennesaw State University.

The new undergraduate degree adds to Kennesaw State’s portfolio of technology and security programs, which include a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Information Security and Assurance. The cybersecurity major includes elements of information technology, information security and assurance, and criminal justice, giving students a combination of technical knowledge and information security management skills.

“The Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity is an opportunity to offer something unique, by building on past excellence and delivering a one-of-a-kind experience for students,” Kennesaw State President Sam Olens said. “By combining the strengths from each program, this interdisciplinary degree will solidify the University as a leader in producing cybersecurity professionals who are much-needed in the Southeast and across the country.”

Georgia’s High Demand Career Initiative (HDCI) identified cybersecurity as a key field in which businesses in Georgia, nationally and globally need a well-trained and reliable workforce. The cybersecurity field will need an additional 1.5 million workers by the year 2020, according to the 2015 Cybersecurity Education Workforce Demand Report. Students pursuing Kennesaw State’s Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity will concentrate on one of three tracks – systems security, network security or cyber crime.

“The exciting thing about this degree is that it will produce graduates with the skills companies need immediately to address their cybersecurity challenges,” said Dr. Traci Carte, chair of Kennesaw State’s Department of Information Systems. “It makes huge sense for the cybersecurity field. This is an exciting place to be, in terms of having a plan and having some amazing faculty, to be part of the solution to meet workforce demand.”

The B.S. in Cybersecurity, set to begin in fall 2017, is the first major initiative of Kennesaw State’s Institute for Cybersecurity Workforce Development. The Cybersecurity Institute is a combined effort of three of KSU’s largest colleges: the Coles College of Business, College of Computing and Software Engineering, and College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Kennesaw State University has been a Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity Education since 2004, as designated by the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security. The University’s online information technology and information security programs each are among the 10 best in the country, according to the 2017 rankings of America’s Best Online Colleges by BestColleges.com.

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers more than 150 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its approximately 41,000 students. With 11 colleges on two metro Atlanta campuses, Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia and the third-largest university in the state. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the region and from 92 countries across the globe. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 6 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status, and one of the 50 largest public institutions in the country. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.