The College of Engineering (COEN) at Boise State University received unanimous approval from the Idaho State Board of Education to launch new online cyber operations and resilience (CORe) programs for fall 2021. These programs are a collaboration between COEN, Extended Studies and the Institute for Pervasive Cybersecurity.
The new programs include a Bachelor of Science in Cyber Operations and Resilience, a Master of Science in Cyber Operations and Resilience and three graduate certificates: Analyst and Threat Intelligence, Resilience Engineering and Governance Policy Administration. The Governance Policy Administration graduate certificate will be available to students in fall 2022.
The existing undergraduate cyber operations certificate curriculum, funded for three years by the Idaho Workforce Development Council starting in 2019, served as a foundational building block to developing the new online CORe programs. The CORe programs were designed with collaborative input from faculty at Idaho State University, engineers and researchers at Idaho National Laboratory and members of the local Information Systems Security Association chapter.
The CORe programs go beyond theory to teach students to anticipate, detect and mitigate cyber and physical infrastructure threats by combining curriculum with practical application. In a digital environment where cyberattacks are a constant threat, students from these programs fill an immediate need in the workforce as there were over 500,000 new cyber jobs between January 2018 and September 2020 alone (Cyber Feasibility Study, Boise State University, 2020).
“These new programs in cyber operations and resilience (CORe) expand the College of Engineering cyber and workforce training opportunities both in terms of access: being fully online degree programs, and student populations: designed for adult learners as well as traditional students. The certifications gained within these degrees meet the needs of Boise State’s cybersecurity initiative, as well as fulfill the national workforce demands,” said JoAnn Lighty, Ph.D., the dean of COEN.
The fully online CORe programs are the first of their kind in Idaho and the program’s unique emphasis on theory combined with application aims to create industry-ready students.
“There are misconceptions that cyber programs are about calculus, computer science or engineering,” said Boise State Cyber Operations and Resilience program director Sin Ming Loo, Ph.D. “While they are important, that mindset concentrates only on technology rather than interactions. To help build a safer world, CORe aims to create an understanding of the interactions between people, process and technology.”
Boise State recognizes the need for skilled cyber professionals who can create and protect resilient systems and networks. The CORe programs are led by instructors with industry experience, preparing students to join the workforce from day-one after graduation. The addition of the online CORe programs expands the boundaries of higher education and opens doors to increased career opportunities.
To learn more about Boise State University’s Institute for Pervasive Cybersecurity, please visit www.boisestate.edu/cybersecurity. To learn more about all of Boise State University’s online offerings, please visit www.boisestate.edu/online.