Getting Started Working in Cyber Security in Louisiana

There are many opportunities to get an undergraduate degree or certification in the state of Louisiana. The Shreveport metropolitan area is home to the National Cyber Research Park which hosts numerous cyber security jobs. Bossier Parish Community College has added educational buildings at the park to accommodate the rise of students entering the program, and General Dynamics has a new Integrated Technology Center in the area and has brought over 800 new jobs to the area.

• Undergraduate Degrees:
  Bossier Parish Community College offers the Associate of Applied Science in Cyber Technology that can be completed in two years with 60 total credit hours. Students that graduate from this program should be able to perform risk analysis, implement new innovations in the industry, communicate with others effectively as a team, and be able to proficiently interpret technical information.

  The community college also offers the Information Systems Security Professionals certification. This is a 24-credit hour program that focuses exclusively on IT and security coursework, and is good for those that already have a general background within computer science. Example courses include Problem Solving and Programming Techniques, IT Hardware and Software Support, and Ethics in IT.

  Louisiana Tech University has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science with a concentration in Cyber Security. This 120-credit hour program has numerous areas of emphasis, but the Cyber Security will require 12 credits and are typically taken in the final two years of the degree. Courses required are Introduction to Cyber Security and Computer Networks, with two more courses selected by the student to customize their degree. Topics include digital forensics, cryptography, and cloud computing.

• Masters and Continuing Education:
  Students needing further education can look toward the Graduate Certificate in Information Assurance. This advanced curriculum requires a Bachelor’s degree in order to get administered into the program. After taking the required Introduction to Information Systems Assurance, three of the following four courses are needed: Incident Response and Computer Forensics, Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity, Information Systems Assurance Risk Analysis, and Principles of Cryptography. This curriculum can become a concentration for those taking the Master of Business Administration, and it can be done before or after pursuing that program. Students can take the program at the main Ruston campus or in Bossier City.

Louisiana Cyber Security Careers

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the state of Louisiana is on the lower end of employment for information security analysts, and has an average salary of $74,350 – reaching up to $104,940 at the 90th percentile. The locations of Baton Rouge and New Orleans sees about half of this employment level.

Cyber Security and Tech Employers and Organizations

The National Cyber Research Park has an emphasis in building and maintaining cyber security professionals in the state of Louisiana. In addition to General Dynamics, which frequently hires cyber security analysts, the Louisiana Tech Research Institute is a partnership between the Cyber Innovation Center and Louisiana Tech that reaches out to entrepreneurs to innovate new technology and build those opportunities in the area.