UC Offers New MPS in Cyber Policy, Risk Analysis
Program Begins Online in August
Written By Christine Leogrande
New degree will prepare cyber professionals, managers to deal with policy-related changes in rapidly changing field
Contact
cleogrande@utica.edu
Utica, NY (06/24/2015)
- Today, cyber weapons have replaced traditional warfare, presenting new challenges to existing law, government and military policies. As society becomes increasingly more dependent on cyberspace, the need for professionals to protect, control and manage large data sets is particularly pressing. In addition, issues of national security and personal privacy are a concern around the globe, escalating the need for professionals to enforce such security and privacy requirements while dealing with complex social, legal and ethical issues.
Utica College’s new online degree, Master of Professional Studies in Cyber Policy and Risk Analysis, will educate and prepare cybersecurity professionals to understand and deal with the unique policy-related challenges that are present in the dynamic field of cybersecurity.
The 30-credit master’s program will teach cyberspace concepts, as well as foundational principles in cybersecurity international relations, cyber ethics, complex organizational structures and more. The program explores issues surrounding international cyber espionage, including legal and policy limits and threats. Individuals will also learn how to legally and ethically deal with sensitive data and information entrusted to them in a variety of settings.
“As we look to the future, there will be a tremendous need for graduates who have garnered the skill set to understand the technical issues at a high level, in addition to understanding the social and legal risk, and the ethical constraints associated with the gatherings and handling of sensitive data sets,” said Joseph Giordano, professor and chair of cybersecurity at Utica College. “As technology advances, so does how we protect and use the information that we gather.”
Students will have the opportunity to build upon the core courses and choose one, or both, specializations in cyber policy and cyber data fusion and analysis. The cyber policy specialization seeks to close the gap between technology and policy, and will examine U.S. laws and public policies that relate to cybersecurity.
The cyber fusion and analysis specialization will prepare students for careers as compliance and privacy officers, HIPPA surveillance monitors, intelligence or cyber surveillance analysts and data mining specialists. A variety of courses will teach students defensive and offensive modes of operation, sources of surveillance and tracking, web data mining, as well as the legal and ethical issues important to the field.
As a pioneer in economic crime and cyber programs, Utica College is home to the Economic Crime and Cybersecurity Institute, the Northeast Cybersecurity Forensic Center, and the Center for Identity Management and Information Protection (CIMIP), which has garnered national attention for its landmark study of perpetrators of identity theft. Utica College is one of only a handful of colleges to offer a master’s program in specialized cybersecurity.
The college was recently designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance/Cyber Defense Education (CAE IA/CD) by the National Security Agency (NSA) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The college has also earned designation as a National Center of Digital Forensics Academic Excellence (CDFAE) by the Defense Cyber Crime Center (DC3).
The new MPS dovetails with Utica’s complete suite of cybersecurity programs, including both on-campus and online bachelor’s degrees in cybersecurity with five specializations: network forensics and intrusion investigation, information assurance, cybercrime and fraud investigation, homeland security and emergency management, and cyber operations. Utica also offers an online masters degree in cybersecurity – intelligence, forensics and cyber operations, as well as a host of criminal justice, economic and financial crime and business programs.
The program will begin online this August. For more information, visit http://programs.online.utica.edu/programs/mps/online-cyber-policy-risk-analysis.asp.
About Utica College – Utica College, founded in 1946, is a comprehensive private institution offering bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees. The College, located in upstate central New York, approximately 90 miles west of Albany and 50 miles east of Syracuse, currently enrolls over 4,000 students in 36 undergraduate majors, 27 minors, 21 graduate programs and a number of pre-professional and special programs.