Hacker. Courtesy photoUNM-LA News:
The number of successful cyber attacks perpetrated in the United States has grown from 50 a day in 2010 to 160 a day in 2015, according to a February 2016 report by The Heritage Foundation. The frequency and the magnitude of the attacks continue to escalate.
This growth in successful cyber attacks has created an increased demand for cyber professionals to combat or reduce the effects of these attacks. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Information Security, also known as cyber security, is one of the fastest growing occupations in the United States, with an anticipated national growth rate of 18% over the next ten years. (Average growth rate for many occupations is 7 percent).
Regional market demand for cyber security professionals is also growing. A recent job-posting search revealed sixty-one job openings for cyber security personnel within a one hundred mile radius of Los Alamos.
The University of New Mexico, Los Alamos campus, offers a degree program in Information Technology with a Cyber Security emphasis. This Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree is designed to train cyber security professionals through a two-year technical program. The 61 credit hour program is designed to develop skills that will assist a student in gaining entry-level employment in an information technology field such as computer security technician, technical support, and network administration.
Classes in this program include networking concepts, web fundamentals, forensics and incident response, and scripting for network defense. Classes are typically held in the redesigned cybersecurity classroom, which hosts its own network server to allow for simulated cyber attacks and counter measures.
Instructors in the UNM-LA program include Arthur Nichols, a Cyber Security expert with certifications in Information Systems Security, and Dr. Lynne Williams and Barry Keeny, information technology specialists with extensive experience in the field.
Beginning students will need to complete both Computer Science 101: Introduction to Computing Science and Information Technology 119: Networking Core Concepts. More advanced students can enroll in Information Technology 265: Forensics and Incident Response or Information Technology 271: Databases and Information Management.
Space is limited in many of these classes. Students interested in helping meet the critical need for information security experts in the workforce are encouraged to enroll as quickly as possible.
For more information about the AAS Information Technology with Cybersecurity program, visit https://losalamos.unm.edu/catalog/associate-degrees/aas-information-technology-with-cybersecurity.html, or call Student Services at 505.662.5919.
