COLUMBIA — The University of South Carolina is offering a new degree program focused on cyber technology.
The popularity of cyber-related degrees has risen in the Palmetto State. The Citadel and College of Charleston have a joint cybersecurity master's degree, according to the S.C. Commission on Higher Education. South Carolina State University, hoping to increase the visibility of its cybersecurity offerings, started a bachelor's program in late 2020. And Lander University was approved for a bachelor's program for fall 2021.
Statewide, there are at least 16 collegiate degree and certificate programs in the field. But USC said it hopes to set itself apart with a broad degree that goes beyond just security and operations, to encompass policymaking and ethics, as well.
So far, 38 students have enrolled in the new program, said Joel Samuels, interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, "which is quite a large number for a program that just became a formal degree this fall. It's a major we expect to grow very quickly."
In anticipation of the degree, several students began taking courses before it was finalized and the first graduate is expected in the spring.
"There were certainly courses at the university that had different elements of various cyber matters," Samuels said. "There was not a unified singular degree that addressed the topic."
Nationally, there are an estimated 3.5 million unfilled cyber-related jobs.
"So there's a huge need in the country for this skill set," Samuels said.
The University of South Carolina. File/Provided
Cyber policy is what regulates all aspects of virtual data movement, privacy and network usage, in addition to defending against breaches of privacy. It walks the line between national security, business interests, and individual privacy and free speech.
Experts in the field might help craft laws or be hired by a corporation to oversee surveillance and ensure legality.
Samuels said that when USC was developing the degree program, it heard from state and federal government personnel, as well as private industry, that its vision was unique and desperately needed.
"This is really filling a gap where very few other universities have a degree," he said. "There are many universities that have a cybersecurity degree. There are virtually none that have a degree that focuses on cyber policy, cyber ethics and cyber operations."
Because of demand, Samuels thinks the degree program will grow to enroll 200 students within five years.
Under the leadership of former President Bob Caslen, USC sought to take advantage of the proximity of Fort Gordon, 80 miles west in Georgia, where the Army's cyber headquarters is now housed. School leadership hoped the school would be able to land more federal contracts and boost its technical prowess.
But Samuels said the new degree program was not created with the military or any particular entity in mind.
Some of the details are still being finalized, but students are expected to have a choice of focus areas where they might take extra coursework within the degree. Those include global cyber cultures, cyber tools and digital skills, policy and governance, society and ethics, and cyber developments and challenges.
"It's about making sure that we're actually developing a holistic degree that prepares students for a quickly evolving area of the professional workforce," Samuels said.
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