Cybersecurity Courses Added to Applied Science Degree Opportunities

Tue, 01/26/2021 - 05:01pm | By: Margaret Ann Macloud

The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) is expanding its offerings to include cybersecurity courses in response to a growing need for workers skilled in cybersecurity fundamentals.

These cybersecurity courses are now available to students who are working toward a Bachelor of Applied Science in Applied Technology, which is a fully online program. The four courses in cybersecurity will build awareness of cybersecurity defense, including intrusion detection and cyber law and ethics.

“The Applied Technology BAS provides a flexible pathway that builds on an associate degree earned through a military or other community college and allows students to develop skills necessary in the growing cybersecurity field,” said Dr. Sarah Lee, Director of the School of Computing Sciences & Computer Engineering.

The program’s primary objective is workforce development. Of the nearly 73,000 students who enter Mississippi’s community and junior colleges, some enter the workforce after completing a one- or two-year program or transferring to four-year institutions. USM’s APT BAS coursework in cybersecurity highlights the relationship between the community and junior colleges and four-year institutions, meeting the need to provide community and junior college graduates with associate degrees with an appropriate, corresponding baccalaureate degree.

“As a workforce development strategy, career pathway programs such as the online Applied Technology BAS are designed to increase education and training opportunities to provide an alternative route to occupations and postsecondary options,” said Dr. Deidra Minor, Director of the Applied Technology BAS.

The inclusion of the cybersecurity coursework expands options in the long-running Applied Technology program. With over a decade of success, USM’s Applied Technology BAS is the longest running program of its kind in Mississippi and is designed for professionals with a technical/occupational two-year degree. The program is designed to serve as an educational bridge for adults with technical or associate degrees interested in continuing their lifelong education goals.

The online curriculum includes project-based courses and accommodates a wide variety of professional lifestyles, from the traditional student to the working professional. This program provides an opportunity for those completing a career and technical degree program at a two-year institution or through the military to obtain an advanced degree.

More information can be found by visiting www.usm.edu/undergraduate-programs/applied-technology.php