Ask Yourself These Questions Before Enrolling in a Cybersecurity Degree Program

Are you inspired by the latest trending wave of cybersecurity? Do you want to consider entering the field of cybersecurity as your next career move? If yes, then having a cybersecurity degree can be a great step for for entering or enhancing your qualifications in this technical arena. A degree attained in the field can give you in-depth knowledge of cybersecurity and other relevant skills that can improve your leadership and team building skills. However, before investing your time, money, and resources in acquiring a degree, you must ask yourself a few questions to ensure that the degree program that you want to pursue will best fit your needs.

1. Who developed the program and who are the faculty?

Cybersecurity is the ever-challenging, ever-evolving, and dynamic field. For the best outcomes, you should insure that the faculty are practitioners in the industry or have practical applied knowledge of the subjects as well as appropriate academic qualifications.. When faculty with industry certifications and leadership develop and deliver programs, they also contribute their real-lworld experience as a part of the curriculum. This insures that you gain practical knowledge that can be immediately applied to working situations.

Understand the motive of framing a cybersecurity degree by a university. Universities often offer degree programs that provides an overview of different cybersecurity theories in a purely academic context. The addition of labs and other methods that provide practical sessions designed for real-time skills as needed by government and industry employers based on their inputs is an important aspect of excellent programs.

2. What courses are included in the degree program?

When you are investing in a cybersecurity degree program, you need to understand what you are going to get from that degree. A degree that gives you a combination of theoretical policy and operations along with a hands-on approach can get you the knowledge of the tools that you require to be successful after the completion of the program. Some degree programs do not provide applied practical knowledge, and therefore, employers may prefer to hire those who have such experience.

Similarly, you should investigate how the classes are conducted and how the curriculum is structured. Many universities market themselves as a giant in cybersecurity degrees, but in real discipline, they offer only a few classes. The curriculum of the degree program also matters as the industry is continuously evolving, and the universities should keep their curriculum updated with the pace. You should choose a program that gives you knowledge on current tools and skills which you can use to fight cybercrime in the real-world.

3. How is the program delivered and what is the scope of practical sessions?

This is very important to insure that the program is delivered in a way that you can access it conviently. For example, if you are looking for an online mode of study, then make sure that the degree program is fully online. That means you don’t have to visit the university, not even for the exams. When it is online, the university should conduct the exams online, and more importantly, it should be proctored. The word ‘online’ can also applies to a degree program that is self-paced and independent study therefore, the student takes their own pace in completing their work. Instructor led programs that contain substantive interation with the professor and run on fixed term timetables are closer to traditional classroom learning and generally show higher success rates.

The practical labs can be given less importance when it comes to online training. Cybersecurity, being a most dynamic industry, prefer their professionals to have hands-on lab experience while pursuing their degree.

4. What is the reputation of the university?

A university’s reputation does not reflect your score aggregate, but it does add value to your degree. When you obtain a degree from a recognized university, you will have the pride of owning it. Universities are often accredited by agencies recognized by the government department of education. It is an advantage to join a university that holds a strong reputation in your area of study. You must also gather reviews, preferences of employers, and forum rankings that will help you determine the reputation and relevance of the university.

5. What is the employability scope of the program?

Cybersecurity has wide employment potential, and when the curriculum of your degree program is mapped to the existing skills required in the industry, it improves the scope of employability. In short, it is the effectiveness of the program that analyses the popularity of the program among employers across the world. Several factors like industry-relevant curriculum, recognition, accreditation, additional certifications, etc. can increase the value of your degree and thereby your employability.

6. Do your career goals align with what is being learned in the program?

Many master-level programs offer specialization in the subject. Students can select a particular subject of their choice and gain mastery in the subject. When you want to be a computer forensic investigator, then you must have specialized training and knowledge on the similar domain.

7. What is unique about the degree?

When you are pursuing a degree, you must know how different is the university you are attending from other institutions. What is that unique benefit that you can avail by pursuing your degree from a particular university? The perks can be measured in terms of the reputation of the university, faculty, mode of delivey, additional certifications, etc. When evaluating degree programs, verify yourself whether the given degree can prepare you in the skills that you wanted to acquire.

A degree in cybersecurity is a significant investment, and that is why it is important that you ensure that your investment pays off. EC-Council University is constantly contributing to developing the talent required by the industry. The two main degree programs, viz., Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity and Master of Science in Cybersecurity provide the opportunity to gain necessary cybersecurity skills and stand ahead in the competition. Few of the significant features that make EC-Council University a preferred university for cybersecurity professionals are –

• • • The degree programs are fully online, including the examination which is conducted remotely online. The program is faculty-led in standard university terms which will helps the students to complete the program within the assigned timeframe.
    • The students can exploit the iLabs facility to gain hands-on experience in practical learning.
    • ECCU is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission, which is listed by the U.S. Department of Education as a recognized accrediting agency. DEAC is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). (see our Accreditations)
    • ECCU is licensed by the New Mexico Higher Education Department. (see our Accreditations)
    • The faculty members are well recognized and practicing professionals in the industry.
    • The bachelor program enables you to secure three cybersecurity certifications from EC-Council, and they are Certified Ethical Hacker (C|EH), Certified Network Defender (C|ND) and Certified Hacking and Forensic Investigator (C|HFI).
    • The master program offers the option to select from five different specialties, and every specialization again allows the opportunity to avail related industry-recognized EC-Council certifications.