Cybersecurity Program Introduced at Mississippi College

Professor Missy Wiggins

Crimes involving the theft of personal information on computers are occurring worldwide in alarming numbers.

The monetary damage to businesses, governments, and individuals remains a huge problem. Reports estimate at least $1 billion in personal records on computers was stolen in the USA in 2014 alone. The issue isn’t going away anytime soon for nations around the globe.

Mississippi College’s new cybersecurity program offered in Fall 2017 is designed to teach professionals the skills needed to protect information and systems from major threats.

It’s an industry expected to see exponential growth in the years ahead. An estimated 1.8 million cybersecurity jobs will be created by 2022, reports show.

Starting in late August, Mississippi College will offer a cybersecurity certificate. Many of the classes will be taught on-line.

Each on-line class will last 16 weeks and the graduate certificate (six courses) should be spread over 12 months. Students will need to take two more semesters (or 12 academic hours) to earn a master’s in cybersecurity.

An MC computer science and physics professor, Missy Wiggins will teach the classes on the Clinton campus. In the first year, she’s seeking to attract 20 to 50 students.

The extensive training will equip personnel at companies with everything they must know to protect information and stay current on a wide range of cybersecurity topics, she said.

The Baptist-affiliated university’s new programs are well-timed in 2017 and beyond, says MC Graduate School Dean Debbie Norris.

“With so much in the news about the importance of cybersecurity and the issues we are having worldwide with the security of information,” MC programs will prepare professionals to solve key problems, Norris says.

Flexibility will be MC’s approach for prospective students. Both programs can be taken fully online or in a traditional format.

People seeking more information should email Mississippi College officials at cybersecurity@mc.edu or go to www.mc.edu/cybersecurity