UHV launches cybersecurity master’s program
The University of Houston-Victoria will soon offer a graduate degree in cybersecurity.
The Master of Science in cybersecurity program began as a certificate program that was designed for business managers who wanted to learn more about the subject. Now, the program has been expanded to a full graduate degree with the option to take concentrations in artificial intelligence or business.
“Cybersecurity is a critical and growing field,” said Dmitri Sobolev, interim dean of the UHV College of Natural & Applied Science. “The new program will equip our students with highly sought-after skills and provide local employers with a well-trained workforce.”
The program was created over the past year with the goal of helping students earn a degree and leave college with the skills they would need to be competent, effective professionals with experience in the cybersecurity field, said Daya Nand, UHV associate professor and director of the cybersecurity program.
“Cybersecurity is an essential area of need for every business, government, nonprofit or any other type of entity,” Nand said. “That has become even more apparent as AI has begun to be widely used. That’s why we’ve worked with industry leaders to see what they need in cybersecurity professionals.”
UHV’s program is ahead of the curve because it has been specifically designed to incorporate the latest technology and current issues surrounding AI usage, Nand said. UHV’s program is one of the first in the nation that incorporates AI as a concentration, he said.
“AI development is moving so quickly,” Nand said. “There are some wonderful, exciting things happening with AI, but it is also being abused by scammers and other criminal elements. We’re working to help our students be able to identify and prevent breaches in information security that could be caused by AI.”
In addition to the AI concentration, the program offers a business concentration through a collaboration with the UHV College of Business. This concentration will be useful for managers who want to understand the business side of cybersecurity in addition to the technical side, Nand said.
“Throughout the process of developing this program, we have worked with and coordinated with industry leaders to ensure that the program will address the needs of employers today,” Nand said.
For more information about the program, contact Nand at 361-570-4246 or nandd@uhv.edu.
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 50 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.