Starting this fall, Old Dominion University will offer its students the opportunity to pursue a major in cyber security.
The new major, part of the university's Interdisciplinary Studies degree program, will prepare students for careers in digital forensics, analysis, information systems security and network security administration.
The major was added just weeks after the creation of ODU's new Center for Cyber Security Education and Research, which launched March 1.
The center offers an interdisciplinary approach in fighting Internet-based crimes.
Faculty and staff for the center include experts from different departments across the university, including the College of Arts and Letters, Strome College of Business, Darden College of Education, and Batten College of Engineering and Technology.
Staff from three administration units - Information Technology Services, the Tri-Cities Higher Education Center and Military Affairs - also will be part of the center.
Together, they have been working on the launch since last September, said Youssif Al-Nashif, director of the Center for Cyber Security Education and Research.
Al-Nashif is an assistant professor in electrical and computer engineering.
Before he joined ODU, he helped create the NSF Cloud Autonomic Computing Center at the University of Arizona.
Tamer Nadeem, from the Department of Computer Science, was named associate director.
The center was designed to promote awareness about cyber security, cyber forensics and cyber operations from a multidisciplinary framework.
Although many universities teach cyber security classes or offer a major in the discipline, very few offer majors solely dedicated to an in-depth and well-rounded education on cyber security, Al-Nashif said.
The center has around 30 faculty members who are excellent researchers and skilled in their field, he said.
"It's a very strong department," he said. "The well-rounded courses offered by a diverse staff makes this program stronger."
Students with a cyber security major will earn a bachelor of science degree through the Interdisciplinary Studies program in the College of Arts and Letters.
The four-year, 120-hour major includes courses in computer science, computer engineering and engineering management, information technology and decision science, information assurance, wireless networking, criminal justice, philosophy, and psychology.
Training within the major will give students skills needed to protect computer systems, networks and electronic data from online and cyber attacks.
"If you ask businesses what capabilities they need from graduates, they will tell you that they need someone with strong cyber security skills," Al-Nashif said.
A minor is also offered in cyber security, and a few seniors are extending their graduation by a year just to complete the minor, Al-Nashif said.
Additionally, the center aims to provide training and research to the military with specific focus on homeland security and infrastructure topics.
It will serve as a clearinghouse for cyber security academic programming, research, training and prevention tools.
This article originally appeared in Inside Business.