Cyber Security Degrees in Alabama

Working in Cyber Security in Alabama

There are numerous undergraduate programs that are accredited as CAEs along with Master’s degrees at each institution. Locations for these schools are at Auburn, Birmingham, Boaz, Huntsville, Jacksonville, Mobile, Tanner, and Tuscaloosa.

• Undergraduate Degrees:
  Under the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, there is a segment of the program dedicated to Information Systems with a concentration in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance. Courses involved in the upper division of the curriculum includes Databases for Management, Computer Forensics, and IS Management and Strategy. A total of 120 semester hours are needed to complete the curriculum.
• Masters and Continuing Education:
  The University of Alabama in Huntsville also has Master’s program in Cybersecurity that is interdisciplinary within the departments of Computer Science, Electrical and Computer, and Management. Students can select from those three concentrations, and should have experience and an educational background in the track they select. Courses that are in the engineering component are Computer Network Security, Advanced Cybersecurity Engineering, and Mobile and Wireless Networks. 21 total semester hours are needed to finish the program, and at least half of those hours must classes that are at the 600 level.
• Cyber Security Employment Options:
  Huntsville provides some of the biggest cyber security opportunities in the state due to the Cummings Research Park and the army post, Redstone Arsenal. This is the location of the Missile Defense Agency where intelligence is gathered. A junior cyber security analyst at the Intuitive Research and Technology Corporation, where they will provide technical support and create risk management accreditation and standard procedures.

Alabama Cyber Security Careers

From the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 1,150 information security analyst positions exist in the state of Alabama with an annual mean salary of $92,500.

That salary average is on the higher end when compared to neighboring states and is equivalent to Georgia and North Carolina, which have a significantly higher amount of cyber security workers. Huntsville, Alabama, is one of the top metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs, only beaten out by places such as Washington, DC, and Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Top Cyber Security and Tech Employers and Organizations

Some of the biggest companies in the field of cyber security located in Huntsville are Raytheon and Lockheed Martin. PeopleTec has a CyberTec Solutions Center at their headquarters in Huntsville, which provides real-time information of cyber threats around the world and the ability for people that work at the company to pursue research and development to further improve cyber security. The goal of the solutions center was to retain workers in the area and to bring in more advanced professionals in the industry.