Approval granted for two new academic offerings

January 2013

Two new academic offerings for fall 2013:  SUNYIT has received formal approval to offer a graduate degree program in the cybersecurity field and an advanced certificate for engineers and professionals in related disciplines.

The new Master of Science program in Network and Computer Security (NCS), to be launched in the fall semester, will prepare students for technical and management positions in cybersecurity research and information technology security management.

SUNYIT President Wolf Yeigh

“Our new graduate program in NCS builds on SUNYIT’s strengths in cybersecurity at the undergraduate level and our programs in computer science as well,” President Yeigh said. “Cybersecurity education in particular is an emerging national priority due to our growing reliance on information technology infrastructure and the vulnerable nature of that infrastructure.”

The new cybersecurity program will prepare graduates in state-of-the-art network and computer security practices, building on SUNYIT’s undergraduate cybersecurity program in Network and Computer Security. The master’s program is intended to serve students just beginning their careers as well as those seeking career advancement opportunities at current jobs. To develop the program, SUNYIT sought input from a professional advisory board whose members include leading cybersecurity researchers associated with Rome’s Air Force Research Laboratory-Information Directorate headquarters and information technology executives at regional businesses.

“Cybersecurity professionals are in high demand throughout industry and government sectors,” said John Marsh, chair of computer and information sciences. “Graduates of our new program will have strong knowledge in securing and maintaining computer networks and will be able to identify, defend and respond to various security threats and vulnerabilities.”

Marsh said the Utica-Rome area has a special need for network and computer security professionals due to the presence of AFRL and local businesses supporting it. Educating the workforce for these positions, he said, will support government and government contractors’ efforts to attract highly sought-after professionals to the region, ensuring the viability of the area’s high-tech workforce.

Also new this coming fall, an Advanced Certificate in Data Analysis. The new course of study is intended for engineers and professionals in other disciplines whose jobs require an understanding of variability, its causes and consequences. Students pursuing the certificate will develop expertise in the field without the requirements of obtaining a master’s degree.

William Durgin, SUNYIT Provost

“Numerous examples could be drawn from many fields, but one type of professional interested in pursuing the Data Analysis certificate would be an engineer working with signal and image processing,” said William W. Durgin, provost. “As an undergraduate, that engineer would have studied introductory probability and statistics, and our new course of study will provide a more in-depth exploration of topics encountered daily on the job.”

Admission to the certificate course of study will be available to professionals with a bachelor’s degree in an appropriate discipline. For those interested in further study, courses leading to the 12-credit certificate can be transferred into SUNYIT’s Master of Science degree program in Advanced Technology.

Applications for fall admission are currently being accepted for both the M.S in NCS and the Advanced Certificate in Data Analysis. For more information, e-mail graduate@sunyit.edu or call 315-792-7347.