Earning an information security systems degree can help up-and-coming professionals and industry veterans alike excel in several of the fastest growing occupations in the nation. The industry is becoming increasingly important as computer security specialists deal with more sophisticated cyber attacks and people trying to hack into systems or illegally obtain information. With such a significant need for trained information systems security personnel, degrees have become increasingly valuable over recent years, and now there are both traditional and non-traditional ways to obtain them.
Information Systems Security Online Colleges
Information systems security training programs can result in vendor certification, associate degrees, bachelor's degrees and master's degrees. Bureau of Labor Statistics data suggests that most employers expect job applicants in this field to have at least have a bachelor's degree, while those seeking information systems security administrator jobs are often expected to have a master's degree. Online information systems security programs could lead to degrees such as an Associate of Arts in Information Technology, a Bachelor's of Science in Information Technology Security or a Master's of Science in Information Systems Security. Your classes could focus on topics such as database security, intrusion protection, and networking.
According to data from the BLS, computer systems analysts--including those specializing in security--earned mean annual wages of $81,250 in May of 2010. The field of computer systems analysis is predicted to grow 20 percent during 2008-2018, resulting in more than 100,000 new positions. Additionally, the BLS has projected above-average growth in a number of IT-related occupations. Of these, security training could have the most diverse opportunities over the next decade. Industry information backs this up: the tech-career website Dice.com recently surveyed nearly 400 IT executives and predicted that systems security jobs should increase by at least 17 percent in 2012 alone. That growth is phenomenal, but if you are not entirely interested in the information systems security field, there are a number of related occupations that you could pursue. According to the BLS, these include management analysis, operations research analysis and statistics.