MDC’s School of Engineering and Technology (EnTec) is expanding cybersecurity program while it receives multiple grants from the National Science Foundation and National Security Agency
Entec is now accepting applications for its highly-anticipated Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity program, which will be offered starting Spring 2021. Interested students should complete pre-requisite courses during Fall semester to be admitted to the program in the spring. There is also a scholarship available to help students with the first pre-requisite of the Bachelor this fall.
“Cybersecurity has been identified as a field where the shortfall in the workforce is already in the hundreds of thousands,” said Antonio Delgado, EnTec’s dean. “This unique and affordable degree program will allow our students to become part of the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.”
Employment opportunities for Cybersecurity are abundant in both public and private sectors, including healthcare, business, finance, manufacturing, energy, education, tourism and government. Graduates can expect to obtain positions as Security System Administrators, Information Security Analyst, Vulnerability Analyst, Cyber Security Incident Response Specialist, and Cyber Threat Intelligence Analyst. The global shift to online learning and remote work due to the pandemic has triggered the need for additional technology professionals in several key fields, including cybersecurity. According to Salary.com, as of July 2020, the average salary for information security and cybersecurity specialists in the United States is $134,310, and the range typically falls between $121,710 and $153,380. In Florida, the range is $115,630 to $145,710.
MDC’s groundbreaking Cybersecurity Center of the Americas, located at the Wolfson Campus, officially opened just two years ago, and has quickly become renowned as one of the country’s top cybersecurity training facilities. Students can progressively achieve their goals through several pathways that offer instant and augmented labor-market value, beginning with a College Credit Certificate in Network Security, which progresses to an Associate in Science in Cybersecurity, and culminates with the recently developed Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity.
“We wanted to create a program that is current with the times and gives students the best preparation for the current job market,” said Dr. Diego Tibaquirá, cybersecurity professor and Principal Investigator of the cybersecurity grants. “We designed a program that had input from our Industry Advisory Board, aligns with current industry certifications, and provides hands-on experience at our very own Cybersecurity Center of the Americas.”
The curriculum for the cybersecurity program was created following the guidelines of the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education framework, and the Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education knowledge units from the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security. The program also combines input from experts in cybersecurity, industry certification like Certified Ethical Hacker, and hands-on training at the College’s state-of-the-art Cybersecurity Center of the Americas.
In addition, EnTec was recently awarded three grants from the National Security Agency and National Science Foundation worth more than $500,000 to strengthen MDC’s cybersecurity programs and the cybersecurity pathway from high school to college. As part of these grants, EnTec will offer summer training programs for Miami-Dade County Public Schools high school students interested in exploring the field of cybersecurity, and public high school teachers. Additionally, cybersecurity students at MDC will receive extra support to become certified and find employment upon completion of the degree.
“These grants complement MDC’s robust offerings in cybersecurity education by providing resources and support to students in the pathway from high school to associate and bachelor’s degrees and directly into a high-paying job in cybersecurity,” added Dean Delgado.
For more information about the Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity, visit www.mdc.edu/cybersecuritybs/.