Cybersecurity Degrees in Mississippi

cybersecurity degrees in mississippi

Cybersecurity Degrees in Mississippi- This brochure provides a quick overview of Mississippi’s cybersecurity education and career prospects.

During the twentieth century, Mississippi’s economy changed from agricultural to manufacturing, with traditional cotton production being replaced by reforestation efforts. Poultry, along with soybeans as the state’s principal crop, is the primary source of livestock, accounting for the majority of the state’s production value.

Through industrial development projects, the state’s manufacturing sector, which includes the production of automobile components, lumber, and processed foods, revolutionised the state, converting industry into a consistent, slowly declining source of jobs and money.

The state’s primary source of revenue remains the hospitality and service business, which includes federal, retail, wholesale, real estate, and social services. The state government employs a large number of people and is funded mostly through sales taxes. Local governments rely on real estate taxes for revenue, and significant firms across the state support labour unions by providing perks to their employees in order to boost productivity.

Transportation services have gradually dropped over the last century, but with a 21 percent industry distribution rate, they remain one of the most important employers for its residents. According to a state-conducted research published in 2016, transportation, business services, and manufacturing created roughly 11,000 employment as a result of these economic shifts between 2012 and 2016.

Despite the state’s improved economic development, economic growth remains stagnant, as the state’s per capita gross product is among the lowest in the country. Despite its development, Forbes rates Mississippi 42nd among its neighbours, arguing that the state is in the bottom five for economic growth, labour supply, and economic climate. The state’s schools have low achievement levels, and the average household income in the state is $46,333, which is among the lowest in the US.

While job possibilities appear to be limited, Mississippi’s reliance on state and federal employment provides cybersecurity specialists with exceptional chances. Cybersecurity employs the abilities required for government regulation and the protection of data information, resulting in a secure job and financial wealth.

Growing Awareness of Cybersecurity in Mississippi

Mississippi’s legislature approved the Enterprise Security Program, which supports cybersecurity approaches to state companies, according to the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services. The programme specifies how all state agencies will be tasked with implementing security programmes, systems, services, and regulations in order to buy technology solutions and support new cybersecurity efforts.

Prior to this, the state only had the Enterprise Security Policy, which was established in 2013 and set basic criteria for agencies to protect data and information technology.

Mississippi has various outlets for cybersecurity awareness and services in response to the rise in cyber threats to public sector organisations. The state’s Enterprise Cloud and Offshore Hosting Security Policy, recently revised in 2018, helps to illustrate extra criteria for cloud and offsite hosting services. Both the Enterprise Security Awareness Training Standard and the Cybersecurity Incident Notification Response Standard, both amended in 2019, provide solutions for computer-based cybersecurity incident training and response protocols.

The Mississippi Statewide Architecture & Technology Infrastructure Plan, among its policies, lays out more specific programmes and principles to supervise and implement across the state, providing businesses with advice on technology investments and decision-making.

The state holds an annual Mississippi Cybersecurity Summit to help educate citizens about cybersecurity threats, what the public and private sectors are planning for future initiatives, and to celebrate advancements in cybersecurity during National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM), which is observed every October.

Cybersecurity Degrees in Mississippi

Mississippi offers a variety of academic degree options to its inhabitants in order to improve their training and readiness for future information technology professions. Workers managing sensitive data material related to public and private sector organisations must be trained in computer security measures, according to state and local governments. Those requirements will be completed according to current standards with a cybersecurity degree, allowing those who are interested to find better jobs.

ASSOCIATE’S DEGREE

Traditionally, associate degrees provide students with the required concepts to prepare for a profession in cybersecurity. Students in cybersecurity associate degree programmes will learn how to handle firewall breaches, secure computer software intrusions, and encrypt important data information over the course of two years. For students who want to further their education, an associate’s degree permits them to transfer credits and achieve bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in cybersecurity.

BACHELOR’S DEGREE

Bachelor’s degrees typically give students with sophisticated cybersecurity approaches for understanding cloud networking, hardware/software systems, and encryption infrastructures. Bachelor’s degrees help students to expand their knowledge in information security, give them greater flexibility in course completion, and provide more strong foundations for job growth.

The University of Southern Mississippi offers students the opportunity to minor in information security in addition to their bachelor’s degree. The minor focuses on network security measures such as IT policies, intrusion detection systems, advanced Linux administration, and multi-layered network operations.

The bachelor’s degree programmes at the institution include everything from creating digital hardware to safeguarding software applications to network testing and deployment.

Computer engineering courses integrate computer science and electrical engineering into a single major, with areas including digital logic, hardware design, and wireless computing covered. Embedded systems, the internet of things, and cybersecurity are also included in the major.

The computer science degree at the institution focuses heavily on data, including data security, data feeding into GPUs and CPUs, data analysis using optimal algorithms, and data prediction.

The information technology major focuses on network management and application development for future commercial opportunities, allowing students to concentrate on embedded software systems and virtual technologies.

Any major in information technology, computer engineering, or computer science can benefit from the minor.

MASTER’S DEGREE

The Cybersecurity and Information Assurance master’s degree from Mississippi College offers students an online education in cybersecurity. The master’s degree focuses on cybersecurity leadership and management, and includes comprehensive research on analyst and engineering programming and design approaches. The master’s degree allows students to concentrate in a specific component of cybersecurity and provides various options for high-tech innovation through the college’s online courses.

Mississippi State University’s Master of Science in Cyber Security and Operations degree programme provides students with an advanced, on-campus education. Students must be able to analyse and design software programmes, comprehend hardware and software applications, and comprehend data transfers with mathematical fluency in order to be accepted into the programme. The master’s degree takes a theoretical approach to computer security and allows for targeted specialisations thanks to previous academic work.

PH.D. DEGREES

Through its Direct Admit Ph.D. programme, Mississippi State University provides a comprehensive education in cybersecurity and computer science. The programme allows students to investigate in-depth concepts linked to algorithms, computer theories, and sequential complexity of data composition through specialisation.

Cybersecurity Certifications in Mississippi

Mississippi State University and Mississippi College both offer cybersecurity credentials. Certificates in computer science, electrical engineering, information systems, and software engineering are available at Mississippi State University for both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Through its online programme, Mississippi College’s Cybersecurity & Information Assurance degree emphasises security policies and functioning in cyberspace.

SchoolCityProgram Website
University of Southern MississippiHattiesburgInformation Security Minor
Mississippi State UniversityMississippi StateM.S. in Cyber Security and Operations
Mississippi CollegeClintonMaster of Science in Cyber Security and Information Assurance
Mississippi State UniversityMississippi StateInformation Assurance Professional Certificate
Mississippi CollegeClintonCertificate in Cyber Security and Information Assurance
Mississippi State UniversityMississippi StatePh.D. Computer Science – Computer Security Concentration

Cybersecurity Jobs in Mississippi

Initiatives in the state government and developments in cybersecurity education at institutions give persons interested in cybersecurity careers a leg up on the competition. The constant move from agriculture to manufacturing, as well as the state’s tightening grip on the services and transportation industries, has prompted many in cybersecurity to not only produce essential services but also to grow the state’s economic success.

According to Cyberseek, there are approximately 3,758 persons employed in the cybersecurity profession in Mississippi, with a total of 1,293 job vacancies.

The following are some further cybersecurity insights:

Mississippi’s supply of cybersecurity workers has a supply/demand ratio of 2.9, compared to the national average of 2.0, both at the low end of the scale.

Location Mississippi has a location quotient of 0.40, compared to 1.0 nationally. Mississippi’s geographical concentration indicates the state’s modest but steady progress in computer security, despite its flat economic growth.

Certifications Certifications such as CompTIA Security+, Global Information Assurance Certification (GIAC), and Certified Information Systems Security Professional are required by state and local governments, as well as private and public sector enterprises (CISSP).

The following are some of the most popular job titles among current employees in the state:

  • Cyber Security Engineer
  • Cyber Security Analyst
  • Network Engineer
  • Architect
  • Vulnerability Analyst
  • Penetration Tester
  • Incident Analyst
  • Responder

The average hourly wage for a cybersecurity analyst in Wyoming is $30.31, with an average yearly compensation of $63,040, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Cybersecurity in Mississippi

Mississippi’s transition away from agricultural production and toward industrial and services has created new cybersecurity opportunities. Because state and local governments employ the majority of people in the state, students who get computer security and cybersecurity degrees have a better chance of earning more than the state average. Despite the fact that the state’s economy is stagnating, its endeavours in cybersecurity education and policy are paving the road for the state to improve its current ranking in the country.

Jennifer Thomas
Jennifer Thomas is the Co-founder and Chief Business Development Officer at Cybers Guards. Prior to that, She was responsible for leading its Cyber Security Practice and Cyber Security Operations Center, which provided managed security services.