Arkansas Tech University has received clearance from the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board to begin offering new degree programs in cybersecurity during the fall 2017 semester.
The approval was granted during an AHECB quarterly meeting hosted by ATU at Ross Pendergraft Library and Technology Center in Russellville on Friday.
Arkansas Tech will offer Bachelor of Science and Associate of Applied Science degrees in cybersecurity. The programs were developed by and proposed by the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the Department of Computer and Information Science at ATU.
The cybersecurity programs had received prior approval from the ATU Board of Trustees in January 2017.
Dr. Mohamed Abdelrahman, vice president for academic affairs, wrote in a memorandum presented to trustees that the programs were developed “in response to the unprecedented rise in cyber threats nationwide.”
Abdelrahman went on to write that the baccalaureate program will prepare students “to understand how a threat occurs, how to prevent a threat and how to recover from a threat,” while the associate program is “designed to prepare a student to support the cybersecurity professional in both prevention and recovery from a threat.”
Students interested in pursuing the cybersecurity degree programs may contact the ATU Office of Admissions at (479) 968-0343 or tech.enroll@atu.edu to learn more about applying to become a Tech student.
