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Purdue University Northwest (PNW) received approval today (April 8) from the Purdue University Board of Trustees to offer a Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity degree. PNW, with campuses in Hammond and Westville, says it plans to transition current undergraduates and welcome new students into the program during the 2022-23 academic year, pending approval by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education. PNW students currently enrolled in the bachelor’s of Computer Information Technology degree, with a concentration in Cybersecurity, would be eligible to transition to the new Cybersecurity bachelor’s degree.
“Purdue University Northwest constantly assesses how we can serve in-demand education and career interests,” said Kenneth C. Holford, provost and vice chancellor for Academic Affairs. “Transitioning some of our current Cybersecurity offerings into a four-year degree will help PNW recruit and prepare new classes of technology students well-trained in cybersecurity, who will be highly sought after by employers in this growing field. As an affordable, high-quality metropolitan university, PNW also will offer a significant financial advantage through this degree program compared to other nearby institutions and in Indiana.”
Since 2014, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the National Security Agency (NSA) have jointly designated PNW as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education for its Computer Information Technology program. PNW says the designation signifies the strength of their cybersecurity curriculum and its status as one of two institutions in Indiana with this recognition which offer four-year in-person cybersecurity education.
“The bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity will help meet workforce needs that are in very high demand at the state and national levels due to cyber incidents affecting our infrastructure, industry, business and government,” said Niaz Latif, dean of the College of Technology at PNW.
