Integrating Cybersecurity with Undergraduate IT Programs

University Of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore MD

Investigators

Abstract

Cybersecurity has become a matter of national and global importance because of the economy's dependence on the Internet, and on cyber-infrastructure. Workforce development through cyber education and training are key towards protecting the ever-growing cyberspace and cyberinfrastructure. However, US universities are not graduating nearly sufficient workforce in the IT areas, let alone cybersecurity. Academic programs in STEM and IT fields are uniquely positioned to address this need. Tailoring curricula in these areas to include cyber education can bridge the gap existing between the demand and supply of trained workforce. Existing certificate programs do not offer a data analytics perspective along with a software security and network security perspective for undergraduate curricula. In addition, the existing certificates are not seamlessly integrated with the existing curriculum towards a bachelor?s degree. This project is motivated to fill this gap. The key objective of this project is to increase the capacity in the cybersecurity workforce by creating, delivering and assessing a new undergraduate certificate program in cybersecurity. This will include developing a model curriculum and material for undergraduate cyber education grounded on the pedagogical literature. In addition, this project will design and develop intervention strategies using peer mentoring between advanced cybersecurity courses and an entry level Information Systems course. This will provide a framework for learning and retention through peer mentoring, early intervention strategies, group engagement, critical thinking through capstone projects, and individualized learning of deeper issues in cybersecurity through one-on-one interactions with faculty. A certificate program will be designed to increase interest in cyber education as well as increase retention and completion of the program by undergraduate students. The project will also include qualitative and quantitative evaluations of the effectiveness of the certificate program. The certificate program will (a) Develop skills in technical, analytical, software security, and critical thinking, (b) Allow students to apply the knowledge gained to projects that simulate real-life problems, (c) Nurture and support innovative thinking in solving some of the key challenges facing the cyber world, (d) Expose students to various career opportunities in the cyber industry and connect them with relevant professional groups, and (e) Increase the cybersecurity workforce capacity to support this pervasive area with a growing importance in society. The certificate program will result in products and outcomes that can be used as a model for adoption in other undergraduate curricula in computing.