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As cybercrime and sophisticated, cybersecurity professionals are in demand. A degree in this field can teach students the skills and hands-on experience they need to protect business and consumer data.

A bachelor’s in cybersecurity typically teaches students skills needed to defend against cyber threats and safeguard digital systems. These skills are helpful for roles in information security, computer security, systems analysis, and other information technology (IT) and cybersecurity careers.

This type of degree program may also offer focused tracks in cybersecurity operations and cybersecurity analysis and defense. Through the specialized courses in a cybersecurity degree program, students learn practical knowledge necessary to protect data across a variety of private and public sectors.

Cybersecurity coursework is often structured to develop competency in disaster recovery planning, network administration strategies and foundational techniques for network defense. Some colleges help prepare students for EC-Council certification exams in risk assessment, ethical hacking and other related career paths. 

Students follow a structured learning path that has core courses focused on must-have cybersecurity principles, as well as elective courses that allow for specialization in personal or professional interests.

Additionally, students may take general education classes in government and privacy, cybersecurity ethics, quantitative reasoning, computer applications and systems, and other topics that help support broader career readiness.

A bachelor’s in cybersecurity may cover a variety of topics, including:

• Cybersecurity foundations: These foundational courses may cover the basics of the cyber domain, core security principles and operating systems such as Linux.
• Network defense and security operations: These courses focus on defending computer networks through layered security strategies, intrusion detection, traffic analysis and hands-on exercises that simulate real-world threats.
• Programming and scripting for security: Students may learn how to write and analyze code using object-oriented scripting languages, with a focus on automating security tasks and creating secure programs.
• Ethical hacking and penetration testing: These courses explore offensive security techniques, including vulnerability scanning, system exploitation and ethical hacking methodologies.
• Cloud, web and wireless security: Through these courses, students learn to address the challenges of protecting web applications, cloud infrastructure and wireless networks.
• Risk management and insider threat detection: Students learn how to assess cybersecurity risks, identify internal threats, create response strategies, evaluate vulnerabilities and protect organizations from within.
• Digital forensics and investigation: These courses teach forensic techniques for analyzing compromised systems, recovering deleted data and investigating cyber incidents across mobile, email and web environments.

A bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity typically prepares students with skills to face real-world challenges in the field. For example, computer forensic courses give students the opportunity to engage directly with industry tools and techniques, and work through realistic investigation scenarios.

In addition to technical coursework, some programs expect students to complete capstone projects that serve as culminating experiences. This requires them to apply and demonstrate the full scope of knowledge and skills acquired throughout the program.

If the program requires it, the design phase focuses on risk analysis, project management and management information systems. Students design a secure network architecture, assess risks, evaluate compliance with cybersecurity standards, and compare monitoring tools for identifying suspicious activity in real-world organizational settings.

The implementation phase focuses on problem-solving, investigation and decision-making. Students bring their designs to life by troubleshooting systems, selecting testing tools and developing ethical hacking plans that align with business objectives.

Elective courses allow students to dive into cybersecurity topics that match their personal interests. This might be cloud technologies, Java programming or another specialized topic.

For example, a course in cloud technologies helps equip students with both foundational knowledge of cloud servers, networks and storage. This includes virtualization and IT security best practices for cloud implementation. 

Java programming trains students to use variables, expressions and control structures (e.g., branches and loops, data storage using arrays, and method creation).

A comprehensive cybersecurity undergraduate degree can help students build a foundation of technical, analytical and problem-solving skills that a cybersecurity career demands. Students who complete programs like this can graduate with theoretical knowledge and real-world, career-aligned experience using the same tools and techniques employed by cybersecurity professionals.

Skills a cybersecurity degree teaches may include:

• System administration: Students must understand and maintain the ecosystem of computer systems, including installing software, managing user access and configuring hardware.
• Programming languages: Knowledge of programming languages such as Python, C and assembly is required to create scripts, analyze malicious code, detect vulnerabilities, automate tasks and build secure applications and tools.
• Data management: Handling large volumes of sensitive data requires skills in classifying, storing and sharing information securely. Students must also understand data privacy laws and how to develop methods to protect data from leaks and breaches.
• Cloud security: With data increasingly stored and accessed in the cloud, students need to understand cloud platforms such as AWS and Azure and how to protect them from cyber threats.
• Blockchain security: A cybersecurity degree teaches students how to understand cryptography, distributed ledgers and how to prevent tampering within decentralized networks.
• The Internet of Things (IoT): Students learn to protect smart devices and their networks. This requires the ability to manage vulnerabilities in connected systems and ensure secure device communication.
• Operating systems and AI: Students learn how to identify vulnerabilities in operating systems while also leveraging AI and machine learning to detect anomalies and predict threats. 

While technical knowledge is a must-have in cybersecurity, soft skills are also important in this field. Those pursuing a cybersecurity or IT career must be able to collaborate with colleagues who have different areas of expertise and confidently troubleshoot and educate others.

Plus, quick and accurate typing helps with reviewing code and drafting threat reports. Time management is important for responding quickly to cyber incidents. Strong organizational abilities help in prioritizing tasks and managing ongoing threats efficiently.

When choosing a bachelor’s in cybersecurity, students should consider the following factors:

• Technical resources: Does the program offer access to well-maintained tools, equipment and computing resources that support student learning and program goals?
• Student support: Students should receive clear guidance on how to use available labs, systems and resources effectively.
• Online learning environment: Online programs must ensure that virtual labs and digital tools are regularly updated and functional for remote learning.
• Academic resources: Library services must be robust enough to support student research.
• Computing infrastructure: The computing infrastructure must be reliable and capable of supporting academic and professional activities.
• Institutional support and program continuity: There must be adequate institutional support to ensure program continuity and a respectful, supportive environment for learning.

An online bachelor’s in cybersecurity provides flexibility that on-campus programs typically don’t offer. Depending on a college’s scheduling policies, students may follow a traditional schedule or focus on one class at a time, while balancing school with work, family and other responsibilities. Online classes can also be attended anytime, day or night, so students can fit their education around their life rather than the other way around. Typically the courses have deadlines to meet, but the work in between those deadlines can be set to whatever schedule you currently have.

Additionally, the online delivery style is designed for accessibility. Rather than commuting to a classroom, students access coursework, discussions, labs, student resources and support through a digital platform. Plus, students still get to collaborate with peers, get feedback and can even join study groups.

Interested in pursuing a bachelor’s in cybersecurity? ���۴�ý offers an online degree program designed to help students develop skills for real-world challenges in IT security.

If you’d like to learn more about the Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity, reach out to UOPX to request additional information.