Cybersecurity aims to protect sensitive data and information of an organization from being destroyed, altered or deleted by hackers.
Countering such cyber threats can be achieved by Cybersecurity Professionals who can deploy their technical skills and prevent databases from being corrupted by malicious users.
Cybersecurity protocols protect computerized systems and networks and accelerate recovery time after a breach.
Hackers are always looking for loopholes to evade a network’s security infrastructure. Covid-19 has proved to be beneficial for hackers since they are taking advantage of work-from-home systems and remote access tools to install malware.
Thriving in a cyber-threat-challenged world becomes less tedious with enhanced security protocols and network configurations which can only be unveiled with deeper research and studies in the field of cybersecurity.
Reason for choosing The University of Arizona?
Schools and universities participating in the CyberCorps Scholarship for Service (SFS) program are funded to offer generous cyber security scholarships to service-minded students seeking government employment at the Federal, State, Local or other levels.
In exchange for public service, the AZSecure SFS program provides full scholarships to qualified U.S. graduate students with funding from the National Science Foundation.
Students in the UA SFS program are trained to defend America’s cyberspace as critical public defenders.
Using cross-disciplinary and experiential learning as the main means of research and education, we take an innovative approach.
In response to the growing wave of cybercrime, our graduates are well-positioned to serve the government with honor and integrity.
Program Overview:
SFS is a two-year, on-campus program offered by secure. Students graduating from our online NSA-recognized Enterprise Security Certificate program with a UA MIS degree and electives in MIS, Computer Science (CS), and Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) departments acquire the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in the cybersecurity workforce.
SFS students take part in independent studies in addition to their strong information security education, which usually results in a master’s thesis or dissertation, along with publications and extra-curricular activities. Graduating students must serve in government service.
Applicants to the program are eligible for both funding and benefits:
The AZSecure Cybersecurity Fellowship program offers the following benefits to its scholarship students thanks to funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) CyberCorps: Scholarship for Service program:
- Fees and tuition will be charged in full
- Stipend per year:
- PhD and MA students receive $34,000 per year
- Book allowance and professional development opportunities: $6,000 per academic year.
- Independent study research with faculty members that results in a Master’s Paper or Ph.D. dissertation Extracurricular.
- Cohort-specific activities and events
- Help finding a summer internship and post-graduation job through virtual Career Fairs, a real-world Career Fair (held in the DC region), and MIS departmental support
- Budget: $104,770 (based on in-state tuition).
- Living stipends help students avoid working while pursuing their degree, as they relieve them of the burden of supporting themselves. During the academic year, students are prohibited from taking university positions.
- Off-campus positions are discouraged as well. In order to maintain good standing and remain eligible for this program, students must complete the coursework and independent study requirements.
- Working while taking classes can put them at risk of failing to do so.
- Students must remain eligible during their enrollment to receive scholarship funding in order to continue receiving the scholarship.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Applicants must have an undergraduate degree in any major with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 out of 4.0.
- Students with GPAs ranging between 2.75 and 2.9 may be considered for admission under rules set by the Graduate School.
- GMAT(Graduate Management Admission Test) or GRE(Graduate Record Examinations) is not required for admission. However, a candidate may apply with the GMAT or GRE test scores in case their GPA is below 3.0 to increase their admission chances.
- Foreigners who do not speak English naturally must submit a detailed TOEFL or IELTS score. The minimum score requirement for TOEFL is 79 iBT and for IELTS is 6.0 for graduate studies.
- Between the first and second year of scholarship study, successfully complete an internship with the Federal, State, Local or Tribal governments. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM), provides numerous tools to assist students with their job search.
- After graduation, the student will be able to work full-time in the Federal, State, Local or Tribal Government organizations for the length of time that corresponds to the scholarship (2 years for an MS and 3 years for a Ph.D.).
Conclusion:
With the increasing cases of cyber-attacks and systems being prone to disruption by external malicious users, confidentiality and privacy of sensitive data and information are being continuously threatened.
The field of cybersecurity aims at safeguarding systems in real-time from such unprecedented attacks. However, there is a growing need for more individuals to carry out extensive research in this domain.
Getting a degree in cybersecurity from an accredited institution will escalate one’s chances of landing good opportunities hence this field is much sought after by students who wish to get professional hands-on experience.
