Discover B.S. in Cybersecurity Analytics and Operations
Protecting What Matters
The Cybersecurity Analytics and Operations bachelor's degree program will teach you the skills that could help ensure the safety of critical information and assets. As a student, you will learn how to:
protect information from hackers
discover security vulnerabilities
investigate and communicate cyberthreats and attacks
“The cybersecurity program is much more hands on and much more focused. That’s what really sets Penn state apart—we are on the cutting edge.”
Finding Your Fit
Cybersecurity Analytics and Operations might be the right program for you if:
you enjoy working with and on computers, as well as with their operating systems and applications
you want to protect digital information, data stores, and computer networks from threats
you want to learn the defense strategies used to anticipate, recognize, and defend against cyberattacks
you're passionate about keeping sensitive information out of the hands of cybercriminals, terrorist organizations, and malicious agents
you enjoy working on a team to solve technical problems for organizations
you are interested in business, computer programming, and mathematics
Developing Your Skills
In the Cybersecurity Analytics and Operations program, you will take hands-on courses based around technical cyber defense strategies, risk management, and data-driven cybersecurity analytics. Teamwork, project management, and collaboration also play vital roles in your IST experience. You will have opportunities to apply your newfound knowledge and skills through semester-long projects with your peers.
Within the Cybersecurity Analytics and Operations program, you’ll learn to apply cybersecurity concepts to a specific domain by choosing one of the application focus areas below or working with faculty and advisers to create your own:
Application Development
Economics
Geopolitics
Healthcare
Law and Policy
Custom Application Focus
Discovering Your Path
At the College of IST, every undergraduate student is required to complete at least one internship before graduating. With more than 300 organizations actively recruiting students and a dedicated Career Solutions team, you’ll have the resources and opportunities to get your career off to a strong start.
Examples of the work done in past cybersecurity internships held by our students include:
conducting vulnerability research and assessments
monitoring networks to ensure that they are secure
designing, developing, and implementing solutions and technologies to enhance the security and resilience of technology infrastructure
growing expertise in the security of emerging technologies
creating security metrics, reports, and dashboards
writing information security policies and procedures
Recent Graduate Positions
Examples of positions our graduates have recently accepted include:
Cybersecurity Analyst
Cyberthreat Advisor
Digital Network Exploitation Analyst
Forensic Analyst
Incident Responder
Infrastructure Analyst
Penetration Tester
“Cyber is the new frontier, where cyberattacks get more complex and more frequent day to day. At the federal government level, highly classified information could be leaked if cybersecurity wasn’t a thing. It has a universal application, and I’m excited to be a part of this adventure.”
