University of Idaho launches cybersecurity master’s program 

As the threat of ransomware and other internet attacks increases nationwide, the University of Idaho (U of I) has added a cybersecurity master’s degree program to its computer science (CS) offerings.

The master’s program builds on U of I’s existing bachelor’s program, which launched last fall, and gives computer science students another way to enter an important and growing field, according to Dr. Terence Soule, the chair of the Computer Science Department.

“Even if a company has valuable data, in terms of proprietary plans or something like that, figuring out how to get value from that for an attacker can be really difficult,” Soule said. “Instead of attackers trying to get the data for the value of the data, they’ve taken this ransomware approach of locking up the data.”

This means nearly any company is a potential target for a cyber attack. It also means the need for well-trained cybersecurity professionals will be increasing for years to come.

While the new program provides recent graduates of the existing bachelor’s program the option of seeking a master’s degree in the same field, Soule said it also builds on a security-minded approach taught throughout the university’s computer science programs.

“Ideally, there won’t be vulnerabilities someday; if there aren’t, it’s because the software has been designed from the ground up to be secure,” Soule said. “So that’s really what we’re trying to do, not only with cybersecurity, but with the regular CS degree: make sure students think about security all the time.”

For students unsure if they’re interested in cybersecurity as a career, Soule said both the bachelor’s and master’s programs are designed so CS students don’t have to make a decision on their degree path until their junior year.

“There’s enough course overlap that students aren’t necessarily locked in as soon as they come here,” Soule said.

A recent study from the Idaho Department of Labor found that cybersecurity jobs in Idaho have increased 160% since 2015, and that cybersecurity jobs grew 28% in 2020 alone.

Part of the 2020 increase, the report found, was due to the increase in people working remotely since the pandemic, and along with that, an increase in phishing attacks on those remote workers.

A March report from Fortune Business Insights Market Report found that the global cybersecurity market was worth about $153.16 billion in 2020, and projected it would more than double to $366.10 billion by 2028.

U of I’s Master of Science in cybersecurity, offered through the College of Engineering, was approved by the Idaho State Board of Education in early June. A doctoral program is also in the works, but according to Soule, the master’s program must first undergo a review by an external committee. Soule said that because other U of I computer science programs offer doctoral programs, the process should be straightforward.

Because the master’s program just launched, no students had enrolled as of this writing, but Soule said he knew about five computer science students who planned to switch to the new program, and he expected more students to register before the fall semester starts in August. The bachelor’s program had 32 students enrolled as of this writing.

The cybersecurity program begins with teaching students the technical fundamentals of the industry, according to Soule, such as things that have changed very little over the years, no matter what kinds of threats attackers have launched.

“The field has been changing very rapidly, and will continue to change. So it’s extremely important for students who are just starting a career that could last 30 or 40 years (to have) that fundamental knowledge,” Soule said. “The other piece is lots of hands-on experience. Really getting to use what they’re learning while they’re still in school.”

Some of that hands-on learning is possible through the College of Engineering’s global network of industry partners like Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Power, POWER Engineers and Avista Utilities.

Students can also gain hands-on experience by working in U of I’s laboratories, Soule said, including high-security labs that are isolated from other networks where students can study computer viruses to learn how they work and how they spread.

“Paired with all of this is a very strong research program in cybersecurity. A lot of what we do besides the degree programs for educating students is research to support cybersecurity, and to hopefully help Idaho business,” Soule said. “That’s the end goal of all of this: to make sure they have the labor force that they need, and the technology they need.”