Stevens to offer undergraduate degree in cybersecurity
New program to begin in the Fall 2006 semester
HOBOKEN , N.J. — A new undergraduate degree program in cybersecurity has been accepted into Stevens Institute of Technology’s curriculum and will be managed by the Computer Science Department. The program, developed by Assistant Professor Susanne Wetzel and Associate Professor Rebecca Wright of Computer Science, will build Stevens’ capacity in information assurance and computer security education. It is expected to help attract more students to Stevens and also provide current and incoming students with an education that prepares them thoroughly for careers as information assurance and computer security professionals. Wetzel and Wright anticipate the program to begin in the Fall 2006 semester. Stevens is one of the few universities worldwide that will offer such a cybersecurity degree program at the undergraduate level.
“The new undergraduate program is structured to provide students with security expertise within the context of a broad education,” said Wright. A solid education in security requires not only a strong focus in science and computer science in particular (e.g., need for robust implementation and software validation), but must also incorporate some aspects of engineering and technology management.
“While cryptographers strive to develop the best security solution possible, actual implementations of theoretical concepts often fail due to technological limitations, cost restraints and human factors that were not part of the initial design process,” said Wetzel. For a solution to gain practical relevance, the end user must be able and willing to use it. From an economical point of view, a solution must provide a substantial monetary benefit to the customer. In order to allow for these complex issues to be better addressed, an education in cybersecurity must integrate science, technology and management. This is of even greater importance for undergraduate education given that few students pursue advanced degrees.
The cybersecurity curriculum is designed so that students can switch between computer science and cybersecurity relatively easily during the first year or two of the programs.
About Stevens Institute of Technology
Founded in 1870, Stevens Institute of Technology is one of the leading technological universities in the world dedicated to learning and research. Through its broad-based curricula, nurturing of creative inventiveness, and cross disciplinary research, the Institute is at the forefront of global challenges in engineering, science, and technology management. Partnerships and collaboration between, and among, business, industry, government and other universities contribute to the enriched environment of the Institute. A new model for technology commercialization in academe, known as Technogenesis®, involves external partners in launching business enterprises to create broad opportunities and shared value.
Stevens offers baccalaureates, master’s and doctoral degrees in engineering, science, computer science and management, in addition to a baccalaureate degree in the humanities and liberal arts, and in business and technology. The university has a total enrollment of 2,150 undergraduate and 3,500 graduate students, with about 250 full-time faculty. Stevens’ graduate programs have attracted international participation from China, India, Southeast Asia, Europe and Latin America. Additional information may be obtained from its web page at www.stevens.edu.
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