Bachelor of Science (BS) in Cybersecurity
Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity
Western's BS in Cybersecurity degree is a unique joint academic program between Western Washington University and Washington State community colleges, culminating in a baccalaureate degree in cybersecurity. It is a "2+2" program:
- The first 2 years- Students earn a specific cybersecurity transfer degree from one of our partner colleges.
- The last 2 years- Students earn their Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity from WWU from one of our 3 locations: Bellingham, Poulsbo, or Kirkland.
Learn more about Western's Cybersecurity Degree curriculum by visiting the BS in Cybersecurity Catalog Page.
Cybersecurity Transfer Pathways
Visit the following links to learn more about the cybersecurity transfer pathways for our current partner colleges:
- Bates Technical College
- Bellingham Technical College
- Cascadia College
- Clark College
- Edmonds College
- Green River College
- Highline College
- Lake Washington Institute of Technology
- North Seattle College
- Olympic College
- Peninsula College
- Renton Technical College
- South Puget Sound Community College
- Whatcom Community College
Benefits & Career Outlook
A Cybersecurity degree provides graduates:
- A competitive edge in the job market
- Greater employment security
- Increased earning potential
- Career advancement
Graduates receive training for high-demand jobs in the following roles:
- Information Systems Security Developer- Designs, develops, tests, and evaluates information system security throughout the systems development life cycle.
- Secure Software Assessor- Analyzes the security of new or existing computer applications, software, or specialized utility programs and provides actionable results.
- Cyber Defense Analyst- Uses data collected from a variety of cyber defense tools (e.g., IDS alerts, firewalls, network traffic logs) to analyze events that occur within their environments for the purposes of mitigating threats.
- Vulnerability Assessment Analyst- Performs assessments of systems and networks within the network environment or enclave and identifies where those systems/networks deviate from acceptable configurations, enclave policy, or local policy. Measures effectiveness of defense-in-depth architecture against known vulnerabilities.
- Systems Security Analyst- Responsible for the analysis and development of the integration, testing, operations, and maintenance of systems security.
- Cyber Security Manager- Leads, coordinates, communicates, integrates, and is accountable for the overall success of the program, ensuring alignment with agency or enterprise priorities.
(Job descriptions provided by The National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) Cybersecurity Workforce Framework, published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST))