TAMPA, Fla. -- The University of South Florida is about to become the first state school in Florida to offer a bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity.
“If I could’ve gone back in this major was available, I would’ve done cyber security,” said My Nguyen, an USF computer engineering student who is graduating in the fall.
It’s no surprise the program is already getting binary buzz.
The new four-year degree will specialize in what has become a very in-demand industry.
“Some of the best degrees are offered a very specific and very focused,” said Derek Rodriguez, also majoring in computer engineering at USF.
Robert Bishop, Dean of USF’s College of Engineering, says the four-year program is a product of demand from the private sector, government, and the military.
“We respond to the needs of industry,” said Bishop.
From elections to personal electronics, Bishop said we are living in the age of computer hackers, identity theft and ransomware.
The military is vulnerable. Weapons systems. Power grids. Even personal electronics like Google Assistant and Alexa, cameras, and home security. Imagine someone hacking into your personal medical device. And soon, perhaps, your autonomous vehicle.
The goal, said Bishop, is to graduate a generation of innovators who will build the computer and internet infrastructure of the future - far less vulnerable to cyber-attacks.
“When we are successful, the people who are sitting at home watching television, for whom this is not their area of expertise, they won’t have to know about it," he said. "They won’t hear about it. They will no longer be hacked."
And it’s not just tech skills. The students will also delve into the psychology of what makes people vulnerable to computer hacking. They’ll take ethics courses to hopefully ensure that the skills they learn are used for the right reasons.
“Maybe even hacking into a system to find the security flaws for a company,” said Rodriguez.
Companies are excited of the program's potential.
“I think employers are looking for that,” said Cameron Hunt, chief information officer at SOFWERX in Ybor City. SOFWERX is a technology incubator that works closely with the Special Operations Command at MacDill Air Force Base.
A four-year degree specializing in cybersecurity, says Hunt, should give graduates a leg-up.
“It shows me they’re serious about it. It shows me they’ve invested serious resources to get after and to understand that problem,” he said.
University officials say word is spreading quickly about the cybersecurity degree program. They are already seeing interest - not only from incoming freshmen - but from people with experience in the cybersecurity field who would like to add a bachelor’s degree to their resume.
Oh, and there’s another incentive for students majoring in cyber-security. The median salary for information security workers is about $95,000.
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