On April 26, Bellevue College announced a new bachelor of science degree in cybersecurity to meet the needs employers have identified for systems administrators and security analysts.

According to CyberSeek, a project supported by the U.S. Department of Commerce, cybersecurity is one of the fastest growing fields in the country. From 2020 to 2021, the domestic cybersecurity workforce offered over 1,000,000 positions, and close to 600,000 of them were unfilled.

“BC’s decision to create this program was based in part on the findings by the Bureau of Labor Statistics that a bachelor’s degree is now considered the minimum level of education for a variety of IT occupations, including cybersecurity,” said Alysa Kelsey, program manager.

Kelsey mentioned how a greater number of students and existing information technology professionals interested in this field will need to continue their education at the bachelor’s level.

Curriculum for the cybersecurity program will be updated yearly to meet industry and business demands. Students will learn how to monitor and maintain system security solutions, to include legal, regulatory and internal compliance solutions, and how to translate security policy into technical architectures.

The upcoming program will also prepare students for system administration tasks such as interoperation, automation, virtualization, and storage. Students in the program will be provided with skills for a range of careers, including network and computer systems administration, computer systems analyst, information security analyst and information technology consultant.

Bellevue College is currently accepting applications for the fall 2022 cybersecurity program.

Alysa Kelsey, cybersecurity program manager at Bellevue College. Courtesy of Bellevue College.