The Government of India, for the first time, has allowed educational institutions to offer full-fledged online degrees. This step has been taken to reshape the education system of the country and to open doors for U.S.-based online education service companies. Earlier, colleges and universities were not allowed to offer more than 20% of an online degree. This move by the Indian government aims at raising the profile of Indian educational institutions globally. Now, degree-level full-fledged online education programs will be offered by the top-100 institutions in the National Institutional Ranking Framework.
Indian Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, announced this during the Union Budget 2020. Sitharaman, in her budget speech, said, “In order to provide quality education to students of deprived section of the society, as well as those who do not have access to higher education, it is proposed to start degree level full‐fledged online education program. This will be offered only by institutions that are ranked within the top 100 in the National Institutional Ranking framework. Initially, only a few such institutions would be asked to offer such programs.”
Along with this, the country is now also planning to boost its higher education programs by inviting students from Asian and African countries. The program has been named ‘Study in India.’ She said, “India should be a preferred destination for higher education. Hence, under its “Study in India” program, Ind‐SAT is proposed to be held in Asian and African countries. It shall be used for benchmarking foreign candidates who receive scholarships for studying in Indian higher education centers.”
Benefits of Online Education for Indian Universities
While this move by the Indian government is a welcome shift for the US-based online education program providers. It is also a move for better for Indian institutions as now they will be able to raise their profile to a global level. In her speech, FM Sitharaman acknowledged that the Indian education sectors need foreign investment to “attract talented teachers, innovate, and build better labs.” A draft version of the National Education Policy 2019 highlights how online learning could reform the country’s education system. It also encourages Indian institutions to develop their online programs and also recognizes online programs that are offered by foreign institutions. EC-Council University is one such institution that offers online degrees in cybersecurity.
Online programs offered by EC-Council University
- Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity (BSCS) EC-Council University’s Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity degree is an online program that has been designed to help students to secure a career in cybersecurity and assurance. Students can use the coursework that is available for these programs as per their flexibility – anytime, anywhere. Through this program, students will learn about security threat assessment, cybersecurity management, incident response, and more.Towards the end of the program, students, along with their bachelor’s degree, will also receive seven industry-recognized certifications from EC-Council and others.
- Master of Science in Cybersecurity (MSCS) The EC-Council University offers multiple Master of Science in Cybersecurity programs that have been designed to impart all the necessary skill set to students to make them job-ready as per industry requirements. On the completion of this program, students are ready to enter the industry as professionals and assume leadership roles.
- MSCS in Security Analyst
- MSCS in Cloud Security Architect
- MSCS in Digital Forensics
- MSCS in Incident Management & Business Continuity
- MSCS in Executive Leadership in Information Assurance
Towards the end of their master’s in cybersecurity program, students, along with their degree, will be able to attain up to 4-industry-recognized certifications from EC-Council. These certifications will be given to them depending on the specialization chosen by them.
- Graduate Certificate Program (GCP)
Industry professionals who do not want to pursue long term degrees can go for one of the Graduate Certificate Programs that are offered by the EC-Council University. These programs, over 3 to 9 months, will impart the necessary skill set that is required by an industry professional to rise in the hierarchy.
The Graduate Certificate Programs offered by ECCU are
- Information Security Professional
- Security Analyst
- Enterprise Security Architect
- Digital Forensics
- Incident Management &Business Continuity
- Executive Leadership in Information Assurance
More about ECCU
EC-Council University is dedicated to creating superior educational programs in the discipline of cybersecurity. The programs will equip graduates with the knowledge to assess the latest I.T. security risks and expert skills to handle them successfully. The university offers bachelor’s and master’s programs. The Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity (BSCS) gives required exposure, builds cybersecurity skills, and develops leadership abilities that help any candidate to grow as a cybersecurity professional. Master of Science in Cybersecurity (MSCS) makes you an expert in desired skills and helps you in gaining domain knowledge to stand ahead in the competition.
ECCU is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC), which is a recognized accrediting agency by the U.S. Department of Education and is also an acknowledged member of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
ECCU has industry practitioners as faculty members who also serve as mentors for the students when they aspire to get into cybersecurity. The iLabs facility from the university helps in gaining hands-on practice for students.
