Ohio Magazine: UC prepares students for cybersecurity careers

Thousands of jobs are available in the multidisciplinary field

The University of Cincinnati is preparing students for the numerous careers available in cybersecurity, which is a multidisciplinary field that involves social engineering, psychology, networking, programming, policy and law, Ohio Magazine reported.

There are 769,000 cybersecurity job openings in the United States, including more than 18,000 in Ohio, according to CyberSeek, a project of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

“Once students find out how flexible a career in cybersecurity is, they realize they can blossom and choose their path,” said Rebekah Michael, an associate professor in UC’s School of Information Technology and executive staff director for the Ohio Cyber Range Institute at UC.

In their coursework, UC cybersecurity students learn how computer systems work and how communication pathways are exploited.

Cybersecurity is much more than programming and networking. Students also learn about psychology and identifying social patterns like how a disgruntled employee might act to create an issue for their employer.

“We cover adversarial thinking, and students also take courses in our School of Public and International Affairs, so they learn about law and get that cross-pollination and different skill sets,” said Ryan Moore, and assistant professor educator in the School of IT and lead educator for the Ohio Cyber Range Institute.

Read more from Ohio Magazine.

Featured image at top: Rebekah Michael speaks during a training exercise hosted by the Ohio Cyber Range Institute at the University of Cincinnati. Photo/Joseph Fuqua

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