Education In The US: Study Says Top Universities In America Are A Failure At Cybersecurity Education

The cybersecurity education in the U.S. is a failure in producing skilled professionals who could catch up with cybercriminals. A new study found that most of the top universities in America are not competent enough in educating the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.

CloudPassage, a security company, conducted the study by evaluating the quality of cybersecurity education of the top-ranked technology universities in the U.S. The researchers assessed 121 universities and examined their undergraduate cybersecurity courses and graduation requirements.

Top-Ranked U.S. Universities Get 'F' In Cybersecurity Education

After analyzing the undergraduate computer engineering, computer information systems and computer science degree programs of the top-ranked U.S. universities, CloudPassage hired an independent consultant to grade the schools' cybersecurity education. The results were shocking as most of the top performing universities received a failing grade.

CloudPassage's study showed that there are only three computer science programs among the 121 top-ranked U.S. universities that require a cybersecurity course for graduation. It also revealed that the University of Alabama is the only school that requires three or more cybersecurity classes for graduation.

The Need To Improve Cybersecurity Education In The U.S.

Robert Thomas, CEO of CloudPassage, told CIO that the dismal results suggest that there is an immediate need to improve the present cybersecurity education in the U.S. "In a world of escalating threats and attacks, universities have a responsibility to address security with their students," he stated.

Thomas suggested that universities should require computer science students to complete cybersecurity training as a part of graduation requirements. With this, he said that the next generation of cybersecurity professionals will "have security front-of-mind when delivering products to market."

The Growing Demand For Cybersecurity Professionals

According to the Peninsula Press, cybersecurity is a booming field with 209,000 unfilled positions in the U.S. The publication made an analysis in 2015 and found that the demand for cybersecurity professionals will continue to grow by 53 percent until 2018. The number of cybersecurity jobs is also expected to grow tenfold in the next decade.

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