The Gary E. West College of Business is proud to announce the addition of a new major:  Cybersecurity for the Fall 2019!

West Liberty’s Cybersecurity program is designed to appeal to both the technical and non-technical student.  Students enrolled in this program will acquire a basic understanding of programming and a grounded understanding of cybersecurity.  The cyber program covers cyber threats, vulnerabilities, risk assessment and using them to develop business security management practices.  Further coverage includes security models, protocols, ethics, digital forensics, network security, cyber attacks, network penetration, and PC component and repair.  Overall, students will develop an understanding of information security assurance and how they can apply this learned knowledge to support an organization.  In industry organizations this can viewed as knowing how to do the following.

1. Protect an organization’s information and assets by integrating cybersecurity policies and procedures.
2. Integrate continuous monitoring and security solutions through information collection, sharing, collaboration, and analysis capabilities in organizations.
3. Perform risk analysis and assessment for cybersecurity incidents.
4. Handle cybersecurity incidents appropriately.
5. Create technical reports on cybersecurity incidents.
6. Evaluate cybersecurity vulnerabilities, threats and attacks.
7. Participate in digital/computer forensic analysis of cyber incidents and assist in recovery of operations in an organization.
8. Execute situational awareness and deployment of countermeasures in an organization.
9. Create cybersecurity policies and procedures.
10. Select effective security solutions for intrusion detection and prevention.
11. Evaluate and assess the use of technology to support cybersecurity goals and objectives in an organization.
12. Identify safeguards and controls to mitigate cybersecurity risks.
13. Formulate, update, and communicate organizational cyber security strategies and policies.
14. Conduct basic research in the Cybersecurity field.
15. Demonstrate familiarity with cybersecurity career paths and requirements.
16. Demonstrate basic skills in managing cybersecurity projects.

West Liberty’s Cybersecurity program strives to develop and grow students in five skill areas which are: Research Skills, Communication Skills, Critical Thinking Skills, Quantitative Reasoning Skills, and Information Management Skills.

1. Research Skills: Students learn to research information on cybersecurity by reading credible sources/publications found in journals.
2. Communication Skills: Students learn to communicate in both verbal and written format in general and in cybersecurity by writing papers and doing presentations.
3. Critical Thinking Skills: Students learn critical thinking and problem solving skills by completing lab assignments.
4. Quantitative Reasoning Skills: Students learn to use technology, skills, and software efficiently and effectively, which allows them to collect, read, interpret, and analyze data results by completing lab assignments.
5. Information Management Skills: Students learn to use software and network management tools to assess and diagnose security related issues by completing lab assignments.