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U. North Texas to offer degrees in cybersecurity, GIS

Beginning in fall 2021, UNT students will be able to earn degrees in the growing fields of cybersecurity and geographic information systems.
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The University of North Texas on Wednesday announced new degree programs in cybersecurity and geographic information systems to meet the growing demands of the technology industry.

To help strengthen the pipeline for cybersecurity and GIS talent, UNT students will be able to earn bachelor’s or master’s degrees in cybersecurity and bachelor’s degrees in geographic information systems, with a focus on computer science, beginning in the fall 2021 semester.

“We want to equip our students to become leaders in the rapidly changing and often unchartered environment that cybersecurity operates in,” UNT Provost Jennifer Cowley said in a press release. “That means not only giving them the knowledge they need to thrive today, but also instilling a valuable skillset that encourages innovative thinking for solving the needs of tomorrow.”

The new bachelor of science in geographic information systems and computer science will teach students how cloud computing, big data and the “internet of things” has impacted geospatial data and how to use use remote sensing, enterprise geographic information systems, computer networks, security, data mining, graphics and artificial intelligence to analyze GIS data and solve complex business problems.

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Students in the cybersecurity program will learn about defensive and offensive cybersecurity, artificial intelligence-based security analysis, machine learning, data security, vulnerability analysis and activities in evaluating the trustworthiness of systems.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, the United States currently has 300,000 unfilled cybersecurity jobs, and fields like health care, education and transportation are increasingly using data and GIS to communicate, perform analysis, share information and solve complex problems.

Betsy Foresman

Written by Betsy Foresman

Betsy Foresman was an education reporter for EdScoop from 2018 through early 2021, where she wrote about the virtues and challenges of innovative technology solutions used in higher education and K-12 spaces. Foresman also covered local government IT for StateScoop, on occasion. Foresman graduated from Texas Christian University in 2018 — go Frogs! — with a BA in journalism and psychology. During her senior year, she worked as an intern at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., and moved back to the capital after completing her degree because, like Shrek, she feels most at home in the swamp. Foresman previously worked at Scoop News Group as an editorial fellow.

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