NEW FOUR YEAR CYBERSECURITY DEGREE COMING TO MHCC

Signing of the HB2049 cybersecurity bill by Oregon Governor Tina Kotek on Wednesday, Sept. 27

There are two exciting developments that could attract more students into Mt. Hood’s fast-evolving cybersecurity courses.

A new degree program is coming to Mt Hood Community College, the Bachelor of Applied Science in Cybersecurity. It’s the first four-year degree of its kind offered in the state of Oregon, set to start in Fall Term 2024.

Currently MHCC has two associate degree programs in cybersecurity. It isn’t known yet if the new degree will build off those degrees, but it appears likely. Wayne Machuca, veteran faculty member in the cybersecurity program, told The Advocate the degree plan for this new program will be announced early next year. Key details such as tuition and specific courses have yet to be ironed out.

Machuca said the B.F.A. students can plan to learn “advanced and practical application (skills), including managerial and leadership skills.”

This was just part of the great news for the Cybersecurity department at Mt. Hood.

No longer will students have to worry about paying for pricey industry certifications, such as that for the existing cybersecurity degrees. A part of Oregon House Bill 2049 approved this year adds funds to a scholarship fund that allows MHCC students to have their certifications paid for.

A presentation delivered by Katrina McNeal – full-time MHCC faculty member in the Business and Information Systems department – to the Oregon Legislature’s Joint Commission on Information Management and Technology noted that over 90% of surveyed students said not

having the money needed kept them from taking these certification exams. The problem is that these exams and certifications are what is needed to land a high-paying job in cybersecurity or other IT fields.

The new legislation and resulting scholarship funds help Mt. Hood students, as well as those at five other community colleges.

All told, this news makes a career in cybersecurity more accessible within the Mt. Hood community. Students here can get a full, four-year bachelor’s degree at community college prices, and also get help paying their certification exams.

Cybersecurity as a job field isn’t going anywhere but up. The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics is projecting a 32% increase for jobs in cybersecurity in the 10 years from 2022 to 2032. The pay for this type of work isn’t anything to scoff at, with the median annual pay currently standing at about $112,000.

This makes sense as more and more of our lives are revolving around computers and the internet. We need people to make sure that the services we rely on everyday are safe and protected from hacks and spamming attacks.