About

New for fall 2023 – taught on campus and on-line through a partnership with Rize Education. 

Technology has become an essential part of everyday life in nearly every part of the world, especially when it comes to storing or sharing information. The safety and security of that information has become paramount for individuals, organizations, and governments. It’s why experts in the field of cybersecurity are in such high demand, and why cybersecurity is one of the fastest growing fields today 

Newly offered for fall 2023, the Cybersecurity program at Saint Michael’s College combines the best of foundational courses taught in person on campus with specialized cybersecurity courses taught online by some of the best educators in the field. This combination, supported by a St. Mike’s liberal arts education, prepares students to succeed right out of college and far beyond.  

The Cybersecurity program has two areas of focus:  

  • Cyber threat mitigation. Includes how to identify, neutralize, and stop them from happening at the personal and corporate levels.  
  • Information technology fundamentals. Effective cybersecurity depends on a solid foundation in information technology, especially as responsibilities in these areas often overlap or are combined into one job.  

The program helps students prepare for important industry certifications, such as Certified Computer Forensics Examiner, Certified Ethical Hacker and Certified Information Systems Security Professional certification. Graduates from this program will ultimately have the skills to think like a hacker – to find weaknesses in existing computer networks and to bolster those systems against any potential threats or attacks. 

Best of Both Worlds: A Campus Community combined with Hybrid Flexibility 

This major is part of a new partnership with Rize Education. Some courses will be held in person on Saint Michael’s campus, and others will take place online with students from a selective consortium of schools across the country.  

Students in the Cybersecurity program will have the option of taking online courses either together with other students or on their own. Rize’s optional synchronous format provides flexibility so students can choose what works for their preferred learning styles and their schedules.  

The goal of the program is to help students both enjoy the individualized attention possible at our small, close-knit environment and begin building a national network of people in the cybersecurity industry before they have even graduated. The online learning partnership with Rize allows Saint Michael’s to provide students with the following opportunities: 

  • Collaboration with corporations whose leaders help design course projects and give guest lectures.  
  • Testing out a remote work environment, in which students may spend some of their time post-graduation.   
  • Access to a wider range of industry and academic experts than might be available near a local campus. 

Advisors

Subject Matter Experts

Randy Rovesti – Randy is a professor of IT and Cybersecurity at Penn State, as well as an Engineering Manager at the Naval Nuclear Laboratory, where he focuses on both physical and cyber security systems. His expertise on both the academic and professional side of cybersecurity made him uniquely qualified to be the primary designer of the Cybersecurity program, as he possesses both a strong theoretical foundation, and the day-to-day experience of putting that experience into practice. Randy holds a Masters in IT from Carnegie Mellon University.

Dr. Charles Severance, University of Michigan – Dr. Charles Severance holds a PhD in Computer Science from Michigan State University. He is the former Executive Director of the Sakai Foundation, and one of the world’s leading online CS educators. His contributions and curriculum form the basis of our programming curriculum

Professional Advisors

Alexey Malashkevich – Alexey is a highly respected engineer and engineering manager with strong experience in building cloud-based financial technology systems. His skill in building engineering teams gives him particular insight into the skills most valuable in today’s technology workforce. Furthermore, his experience in cloud-based FinTech provides him with tremendous experience in understanding the cybersecurity needs of organizations which face particularly heavy attack. Alexey is the former CEO of Agile Code – a software development firm – and has 20 years of experience bringing software products to market.

In addition to Alexey, we consulted with two Cybersecurity experts who asked not to be named here due to the highly sensitive and public nature of their roles.

Careers

It has become incredibly cheap to automate constant digital attacks against any individual, Fortune 500 corporation, or government system. As a result, we now live in a world where we can assume that everyone is constantly at risk of attack from advanced cyber threats.

This new paradigm has led to a boom in cybersecurity careers. According to Burning Glass, cybersecurity professionals earn a median salary of $90,757, with entry-level positions starting at $60k. Furthermore, there is virtually zero-percent unemployment within the field of cybersecurity, and approximately 460,000 unfilled positions in the US alone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I really need a degree to work in Cybersecurity?

No, but you may need one to get hired, and having a degree in Cybersecurity provides a massive advantage in earning potential and salary. People with a bachelor’s degree also have a 50% lower rate of unemployment, and on average they make an additional $630,000 to $900,000 over their lifetime, even more in high growth fields like this one. 

What certifications will I get? 

Our program was developed to help you prepare for important industry certifications like the Certified Computer Forensics Examiner, Certified Ethical Hacker, and Certified Information Systems Security Professional certifications. For the CEH and CISSP certifications, additional work experience is required. 

Was this program really created with corporate partners?

Yes! The only way to make sure our program gives you the skills you need to get hired and teaches you to work through real-world problems that actually matter is to partner with the people out there who are actually doing it. Our collaboration with Fortune 500 companies and subject matter experts means that their multi-billion-dollar expertise is reflected in everything you’ll study here. 

What will my career look like?

Cybersecurity is huge, and our graduates can take their coveted skills in any direction they’re interested in. If you favor a more generalist approach, you may focus on information technology. If you’ve always been interested in hacking, you may want to land a job in preventing digital security breaches. As a cybersecurity grad, the high-paying possibilities available to you across industries are essentially endless. 

How do I know if I’m interested in this major?

If you enjoy creative problem solving, if you like working on the cutting edge of technology, if you are looking for a degree that opens a ton of doors to different high-growth careers, if you are curious about how things work, and if you’re looking for a way to take part in bringing about a more secure future, you should consider this major.  

What does optional synchronous mean? 

Flexibility. Optional Synchronous means our Cybersecurity courses can be attended together at one time with other students, or on your own schedule. Many students prefer the learning that comes with live interactions, while other students love the flexibility of doing them whenever they fit into their schedule. 

Who will be in my class?

This major is part of an exclusive partnership between Saint Michael’s and Rize Education, which means you’ll be learning with students from your campus, as well as students from a selective consortium of schools across the country. The goal is to help you begin building a national network of people in your industry before you’ve even graduated. 

Do I need to be a math whiz to study Cybersecurity?

Not at all! In fact, recent research shows our “language brain” is more important to programming ability than our “math brain.” So rest assured that, no matter how good (or bad) you are with math, cybersecurity could be the subject for you to earn an incredible salary. 

Advisors

Subject Matter Experts

Randy Rovesti – Randy is a professor of IT and Cybersecurity at Penn State, as well as an Engineering Manager at the Naval Nuclear Laboratory, where he focuses on both physical and cyber security systems. His expertise on both the academic and professional side of cybersecurity made him uniquely qualified to be the primary designer of the Cybersecurity program, as he possesses both a strong theoretical foundation, and the day-to-day experience of putting that experience into practice. Randy holds a Masters in IT from Carnegie Mellon University.

Dr. Charles Severance, University of Michigan – Dr. Charles Severance holds a PhD in Computer Science from Michigan State University. He is the former Executive Director of the Sakai Foundation, and one of the world’s leading online CS educators. His contributions and curriculum form the basis of our programming curriculum

Professional Advisors

Alexey Malashkevich – Alexey is a highly respected engineer and engineering manager with strong experience in building cloud-based financial technology systems. His skill in building engineering teams gives him particular insight into the skills most valuable in today’s technology workforce. Furthermore, his experience in cloud-based FinTech provides him with tremendous experience in understanding the cybersecurity needs of organizations which face particularly heavy attack. Alexey is the former CEO of Agile Code – a software development firm – and has 20 years of experience bringing software products to market.

In addition to Alexey, we consulted with two Cybersecurity experts who asked not to be named here due to the highly sensitive and public nature of their roles.

Careers

It has become incredibly cheap to automate constant digital attacks against any individual, Fortune 500 corporation, or government system. As a result, we now live in a world where we can assume that everyone is constantly at risk of attack from advanced cyber threats.

This new paradigm has led to a boom in cybersecurity careers. According to Burning Glass, cybersecurity professionals earn a median salary of $90,757, with entry-level positions starting at $60k. Furthermore, there is virtually zero-percent unemployment within the field of cybersecurity, and approximately 460,000 unfilled positions in the US alone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I really need a degree to work in Cybersecurity?

No, but you may need one to get hired, and having a degree in Cybersecurity provides a massive advantage in earning potential and salary. People with a bachelor’s degree also have a 50% lower rate of unemployment, and on average they make an additional $630,000 to $900,000 over their lifetime, even more in high growth fields like this one. 

What certifications will I get? 

Our program was developed to help you prepare for important industry certifications like the Certified Computer Forensics Examiner, Certified Ethical Hacker, and Certified Information Systems Security Professional certifications. For the CEH and CISSP certifications, additional work experience is required. 

Was this program really created with corporate partners?

Yes! The only way to make sure our program gives you the skills you need to get hired and teaches you to work through real-world problems that actually matter is to partner with the people out there who are actually doing it. Our collaboration with Fortune 500 companies and subject matter experts means that their multi-billion-dollar expertise is reflected in everything you’ll study here. 

What will my career look like?

Cybersecurity is huge, and our graduates can take their coveted skills in any direction they’re interested in. If you favor a more generalist approach, you may focus on information technology. If you’ve always been interested in hacking, you may want to land a job in preventing digital security breaches. As a cybersecurity grad, the high-paying possibilities available to you across industries are essentially endless. 

How do I know if I’m interested in this major?

If you enjoy creative problem solving, if you like working on the cutting edge of technology, if you are looking for a degree that opens a ton of doors to different high-growth careers, if you are curious about how things work, and if you’re looking for a way to take part in bringing about a more secure future, you should consider this major.  

What does optional synchronous mean? 

Flexibility. Optional Synchronous means our Cybersecurity courses can be attended together at one time with other students, or on your own schedule. Many students prefer the learning that comes with live interactions, while other students love the flexibility of doing them whenever they fit into their schedule. 

Who will be in my class?

This major is part of an exclusive partnership between Saint Michael’s and Rize Education, which means you’ll be learning with students from your campus, as well as students from a selective consortium of schools across the country. The goal is to help you begin building a national network of people in your industry before you’ve even graduated. 

Do I need to be a math whiz to study Cybersecurity?

Not at all! In fact, recent research shows our “language brain” is more important to programming ability than our “math brain.” So rest assured that, no matter how good (or bad) you are with math, cybersecurity could be the subject for you to earn an incredible salary.