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Early Integrating of Industry Certification Domains and Objectives into a Modern a Cybersecurity Degree Curriculum

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Conference

2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Baltimore , Maryland

Publication Date

June 25, 2023

Start Date

June 25, 2023

End Date

June 28, 2023

Conference Session

COED: Cybersecurity Education

Tagged Division

Computers in Education Division (COED)

Page Count

16

DOI

10.18260/1-2--43208

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/43208

Download Count

182

Paper Authors

biography

Mahmoud K. Quweider The University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley

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M K Quweider is a Professor of Informatics and Engineering System (founding member of the Cyber Security Program) at the U. of Texas at RGV. He received his Ph.D. in Engineering Science (Multimedia and Imaging Specialty) and B.S. In Electrical Engineering, M.S. in Applied Mathematics, M.S. in Engineering Science, and M.S. in Biomedical Engineering all from the University of Toledo, Ohio. He also holds a Bachelor/Masters of English and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Texas at Brownsville. After graduation, he was employed at several corporations including Pixera, a digital multimedia processing company in Cupertino, CA, 3COM, a networking and communication company in Schaumberg, IL, and Mercantec, an E-Commerce company in Naperville, IL. He is an IEEE Senior Member and has more than 40 publications in the field, and has served as a reviewer/moderator for several scientific and educational journals and conferences. He joined UTB in the Spring of 2000. His areas of interest include Imaging, Visualization and Animation, Networking and Cyber Security, Web Design, Computer Graphics, and Linguistics.

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biography

Liyu Zhang The University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley

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Liyu Zhang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science Department of Computer Science at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. He received his Ph. D. in Computer Science from the State University of New York at Buffalo in Septemb

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Hansheng Lei

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Abstract

Abstract We have recently created a new bachelor level degree in Cyber Security (B.Sc. CS) to address the national and pressing needs for cybersecurity specialists, cyber-crime analysts, incident and intrusions analysts, IT auditors, and many others. The new degree addresses not only the technical part of the degree, but also the legal, corporate, policy, procedure, and human sides as well. To achieve such a wide range of objectives within the cyber security degree, a student is required to obtain two national certifications before they graduate. These certifications are embedded in the curricula and are an integral part of the degree.

In this paper, we present our academic and hands-on approach to these certifications. In particular, since these certifications are obtained by students with no expected extensive job experience or training, the choice of the certifications, the resources needed, and the academic approach to teaching them becomes very important. In the paper, we will present:

• The list of certifications that were carefully selected and the fields they cover: o Promoting vendor neutral certifications o Allowing customized certifications for experienced students. • The complete degree plan with the embedded certification: o When to take the certification o What SLOs should be covered in courses leading to the certification • The course developments for these certifications and how they are delivered: o Department-wide course template and resources • Resources available to the students: o Internal and external o A live and ever-expanding compiled set of resources • Practical and Mock exams • Compilation of adds by leading companies that require certifications as extra motivation for students. By presenting our efforts, we hope that other institutions who are considering expanding their programs of study to include Cyber Security and Certifications can benefit from our experience by adopting best practices while avoiding pitfall. Keywords Cyber Security, Vendor Neutral Certification, Network+, Security+.

Quweider, M. K., & Zhang, L., & Lei, H. (2023, June), Early Integrating of Industry Certification Domains and Objectives into a Modern a Cybersecurity Degree Curriculum Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--43208

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