With a predicted growth of 31 percent through 2029, cybersecurity jobs are among the fastest-growing careers in the nation, according to The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Fairfield’s fully online 30-credit Master of Science in Cybersecurity (MSCYB) program offers students a hands-on learning experience using real-world applications in its state-of-the-art cybersecurity lab — an integral teaching and research facility created in partnership with Pulse Secure, the leading provider of Zero Trust Secure Access solutions.
The School of Engineering's cybersecurity lab is designed to enhance the complexity of MSCYB coursework, challenging students to collaboratively solve sophisticated problems, and equipping them with the critical thinking and technological skills needed to monitor, mitigate, and prevent online security threats.
During the program, students gain hands-on experience by investigating and remediating threats through Fairfield’s fully remote Cybersecurity Lab. Students access the lab remotely though a private and secure VPN connection and are assigned a Linux and a Windows virtual machine that is created on the servers.
“Professionals in the IT space (i.e. cybersecurity experts, system administrators, devOps) use the same approach,” explained program director Mirco Speretta, PhD, assistant professor of the practice Computer Science.
Instructors use virtual machines to create specific exercises that can be used as demonstrations or assignments for students during classes.
Admission to the program is open to students who hold a bachelor’s degree and come from a broad array of professional or academic backgrounds such as — but not limited to — information technology, business, engineering, science, and law.
For more information on Fairfield University’s MS in Cybersecurity program, visit fairfield.edu/cybersecurity.
