Philippi, W.Va. – Alderson Broaddus University announced its newest undergraduate major, Cyber Security on Thursday, February 8, 2018 during a press conference held on the Alderson Broaddus campus.
The Cyber Security program will prepare students for the multi-disciplinary aspects of securing software, networks, web and mobile systems.
In addition to the hard work of the faculty and staff at Alderson Broaddus, Congressman David McKinley and the University Alliance Advisory Board were integral to beginning this program.
“After we hosted a cyber security forum in August of 2016, our office brought CSRA and Alderson Broaddus University together to establish this new cyber security program. A 2016 Cisco study showed that there are 209,000 unfilled cyber security jobs in America,” said Rep. McKinley. “As West Virginia’s economy continues growing and diversifying, this type of workforce training is critical to bring these jobs to the state. With this new program, Alderson Broaddus is now leading the charge.”
Curriculum for the program was developed to fit the current and future needs of industries including: financial and healthcare as well as to help criminal justice agencies incarcerate cyber criminals.
“It has been a pleasure to create a program in cyber security at Alderson Broaddus University; the rapidity in which we met the need expressed by Congressman McKinley for this program speaks to how nimble private education can be to industry demands. It is almost impossible to pick up a paper or listen to the news without reading or hearing about an incident involving a cyber-crime,” said Provost / Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Joan Propst. “Our faculty have the expertise in this field and have worked arduously to put together a major that will serve our students and prepare graduates in a field where the demand is increasing. In the development of the curriculum, we met with leaders in industry and have created a powerful advisory board of representatives from law enforcement, health care and the computer science industry; their input into the program has been invaluable and we will continue that relationship as we continue to evolve this program to meet these demands.”
“The Associate’s Degree in Cyber Security option allows industry to hire students with basic, but up-to- date knowledge,” said Dr. Ross Brittain, Dean of the College of Science Technology & Mathematics. “Associate’s degree graduates can then get certifications or training specific to their employer’s needs. The employer may also provide funds for the students to finish their Bachelor’s degree or pursue a Master’s Degree.”
For more information on the Cyber Security major visit ab.edu.
