By Agustin Sanchez
A new major in Cyber Security set to debut in the fall will arm students with the tools to combat cyber-terrorism, hacking, and phishing scams, Alderson Broaddus University officials announced last month.
Ironically, just as the University released information on the new program, the Office of Information Technology was working to eradicate an aggressive computer virus that infected some networks and completely shut down some employees’ laptops in February.
For many, Cyber Security is an unknown field, but the US Bureau of Labor Statistics says the field is growing, predicting 25,500 new job openings in 2018 with a median salary of $90,120.
The Cyber Security program will prepare students in the multi-disciplinary aspects of securing software, networks, web and mobile systems, said Ross Britain, Dean of the College of Science, Technology & Math.
Britain said the impetus for the new program began when Congressman McKinley reached out to President Tim Barry. The program was then designed with input from the College of Science, Technology and Mathematics, Congressman McKinley’s Office, and industry representatives on the University Alliance Advisory Board.
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