Cybersecurity major
Cybersecurity: courses, careers, and where to study
Cybersecurity prepares graduates to defend networks, systems, and data — combining computing fundamentals with offensive and defensive security techniques and the policy frameworks that govern them.
A Cybersecurity major covers network security, cryptography, secure software engineering, digital forensics, incident response, risk management, and the legal and regulatory frameworks (NIST, GDPR, HIPAA, PCI-DSS) governing information security. Most programs share a foundational year with Computer Science before diverging into security-specific upper-division coursework.
Demand has outpaced supply for years — the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 33 % growth in information security analyst roles between 2023 and 2033, far above the 4 % average across all occupations. Cybersecurity graduates work in industry, financial services, healthcare, defense, and government.
What you'll study
- Network and protocol security (TCP/IP, TLS, DNS security, firewalls, IDS/IPS)
- Cryptography fundamentals and applied use
- Penetration testing, ethical hacking, and red-team techniques
- Secure software development practices and code review
- Digital forensics and incident response
- Risk management frameworks (NIST CSF, ISO 27001) and governance
- Security operations center (SOC) workflows
- Cloud security (AWS, Azure, GCP)
Typical careers
- Cybersecurity Analyst
- Penetration Tester
- Security Engineer
- Incident Response Analyst
- Security Consultant
- CISO (career path)
Starting salary range: $72,000–$120,000 starting (BLS information-security analyst median $120,360)
Find a Cybersecurity program
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Related majors
Computer Science
Computer Science combines the mathematical foundations of computation with practical software engineering — preparing graduates for careers in software, AI/ML, security, data, and research.
Information Technology
Information Technology (IT) focuses on applying computing systems to organizational needs — administering networks, supporting users, building business systems, and managing IT operations.
Data Science
Data Science combines statistics, programming, and domain expertise to turn raw data into decisions — drawing on machine learning, visualization, and data engineering.