(ISC)²®, UT Agreement Aims to Bridge Cybersecurity Workforce Gap

The University of Tampa and (ISC)² ®, the largest not-for-profit membership body of certified cyber, information, software and infrastructure security professionals, today announced an agreement naming UT as a new member of the (ISC)² Global Academic Program (GAP).

Through the agreement, (ISC)² will provide UT students with the opportunity to gain the knowledge, skills and industry certification they need to enter the high-demand, high-paying cybersecurity workforce. This collaborative initiative is an important part of the GAP’s aim to establish a joint framework for industry-academic cooperation to bridge the workforce gap between the increasing demand for qualified cybersecurity professionals and the amount of skilled professionals entering the industry.

UT offers an undergraduate major and minor in cybersecurity. The program, which is offered in the AACSB-accredited Sykes College of Business, is built to provide hands-on experience in a modern, dedicated cybersecurity lab while preparing students for globally recognized professional certifications such as the SSCP® and CISSP®.

Frank Ghannadian, dean of the Sykes College of Business, said that UT cybersecurity students receive a state-of-the-art cybersecurity education as well as a strong business background, and that the partnership with (ISC)² will help to sustain that vision.

“We are preparing our students to be leaders who know how to effectively secure information and enterprise systems in today’s business environment,” Ghannadian said.

Jo Portillo, manager of (ISC)²’s GAP, added that this agreement with UT will allow (ISC)² to advance their vision to inspire a safe and secure cyber world by incorporating their CBK directly into the global academic community.

To learn more about the UT cybersecurity program, visit www.ut.edu/cybersecurity or contact Kenneth Knapp, director of UT cybersecurity programs, at kknapp@ut.edu.

For more information about the (ISC)² GAP, visit www.isc2.org/academic/Default.aspx.