Josh Siatkowski Staff Writer
Expansion of Baylor's core catalog is on the horizon, with a new cybersecurity major scheduled to begin next fall.
Sean Hutton, clinical associate professor of computer science and executive director of the Central Texas Cyber Range, said the new major addresses the “huge need” for more cybersecurity professionals around the world. It is said that it will respond to the following.
“We think there's a huge need,” Hutton said. “There are 3.5 million jobs open worldwide in the cybersecurity field.”
This new major is one of several ways Baylor has recently added to its cybersecurity offerings. Since Hutton arrived at Baylor in the fall of 2020, the introduction of the 2021 Cybersecurity Concentration Facility and the 2023 Baylor & McLennan Community, his college's cybersecurity education facility, Central Texas Cyber We have seen growth in this sector through the opening of ranges. The cybersecurity program continues to develop, cementing the university's status as a national center of academic excellence in cyber defense education.
Students majoring in cybersecurity choose one of four areas of concentration to develop talent beyond computer and technical skills. Each concentration requires six courses, many of which are outside the computer science department.
The first of these concentrations is business and entrepreneurship. Hutton said business skills are very important for people who want to start their own cybersecurity company.
“When you graduate, you'll probably end up building your own apps or developing your own cyber company,” Hutton said. “You'll probably need some business or entrepreneurship classes to gain cyber knowledge and build your own business from it.”
Hutton said that for those interested in government work, focusing on policy, legal and geopolitical issues is best suited.
“Perhaps you want to assist government agencies in developing cyber-related strategies and policies.[security]'' Hutton said. “Well, you'll need a political science or history class to understand that.”
Third, students who want to thoroughly develop their cybersecurity technical skills have the option of an analytics concentration.
“Maybe you want to be really good at analytics, machine learning, statistics, things like that,” Hutton says. “That’s what analytical focus is for.”
Finally, there is an interdisciplinary concentration that combines the previous three aspects into a single concentration.
The major will introduce five new computer science courses, Hutton said. The courses range from the 2000 level to the 4000 level, and registration with the Registrar will begin in fall 2025. However, some of these courses are not scheduled to be released until 2027 or 2028.
Because this major is still in development, the earliest you can earn a degree with a cybersecurity major will be spring 2028. This means that current students who want to complete their degree on schedule cannot declare a cybersecurity major.
Current Computer Science students may not be able to experience the full benefits of their new major, but that doesn't mean they aren't satisfied.
Misty Kurien, a junior at Garland, is majoring in computer science with a concentration in cybersecurity. She also competes as a member of Baylor University's nationally ranked cyber defense team.
Kurien said she is grateful for the opportunity to learn important cybersecurity skills and looks forward to seeing more such opportunities for future students.
“Our cybersecurity focus itself is new,” Kurien said. “I think I will be the first graduate to graduate with a cybersecurity specialization, so just seeing how that expands into the major itself, you can see how much awareness of cybersecurity has grown. I’m really happy.”
And this realization paid off. Last summer, Kurien interned at a defense company and is preparing for a cyber analyst internship this summer. She said her experience at Baylor helped her secure a competitive position.
“Being able to talk about the club and concentration really gives you an advantage in interviews,” Klien said.
Please note that all dates and course offerings are subject to change once a major is determined. The new major is supported by a grant. Costs associated with planning and developing the new major were paid for by grants from the U.S. Department of Education (grants: P116Z220034 and P116Z230151).
