You might not think of Florida as a hotbed of technology. However, in a recent study of 50 metropolitan areas across the United States, Orlando and Tampa both ranked among the best cities to work in technology. In fact, the Orlando/Kissimmee/Sanford metropolitan area garnered the number one spot in terms of best technology cities in which to work. The study, conducted by SmartAsset in 2020, noted that tech workers in the Orlando metro area earned an average salary that is 1.82 times the average salary across all industries, at $93,310 annually. Additionally, Orlando had the eighth-highest percentage on the list of U.S. metropolitan areas with technology job openings requiring a bachelor’s degree.
The Florida Center for Cybersecurity published its State of Cybersecurity in Florida 2017 report. The report projects that cybercrime will continue to rise in Florida due to the state’s hearty economy. Existing security measures will continue to be challenged through technological innovations and digital business practices. Florida’s senior citizen population is much more likely to be taken advantage of and victimized by cyber criminals and those committing fraud. The report also found that Florida was a bit behind other states in security maturity, due to a lack of security investment and an emphasis on compliance versus security. Finally, the report noted that there was a scarcity of trained cybersecurity professionals in Florida. The supply of workers in cybersecurity, at that time, did not meet the demand.
If you would like to work in Florida’s lucrative cybersecurity field, you are most definitely needed! Your first step towards achieving this goal is to obtain a bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity. Keep reading to find out how you can get started on your journey to becoming a Florida cybersecurity professional.
Florida’s Cybersecurity Organizations
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement launched the SecureFlorida.org website to protect Florida’s citizens and businesses from cyberattacks. This initiative creates partnerships between citizens, academia, businesses, government agencies and law enforcement. It fosters awareness of information security issues in the Florida community. It works to educate citizens, agencies and businesses on potential cyber threats and how to prevent them from occurring. It also provides businesses, citizens and agencies resources to protect their information system, including best practices, steps to take after an incident occurs, and alerts when an incident is threatened to occur. SecureFlorida.org publishes two periodicals, one a twice-weekly newsletter called The FIPC Dispatch, and the other a quarterly publication called The Secure Florida Beacon.
The Florida Center for Cybersecurity is a state-funded organization that works to promote cybersecurity in Florida through education, workforce development, interdisciplinary research, innovation, and community outreach. The Center is housed at the University of South Florida but works with all twelve of Florida’s state system institutions, as well as businesses and government entities, to build defense partnerships and develop programs to grow and strengthen the cybersecurity industry in Florida. They host camps, conferences and symposiums as well.
Cybersecurity Degree in Florida
As mentioned above, Florida is experiencing a lack of trained cybersecurity professionals to fill its many cybersecurity jobs. Once you have a bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity, you will become eligible to fill one of the many cybersecurity positions available statewide, such as:
- Information Security Specialist – U.S. Navy, Tampa and Jacksonville
- Cyber Security Analyst – UDT, Miramar
- Information Security Specialist – US Department of Defense, Miami
- IT Cyber Security Engineer – Lockheed Martin, Orlando
- Cyber Security Engineer- DISYS, Sarasota
- Special Agent: Cybersecurity/Technology – Federal Bureau of Investigation, Jacksonville
- SOC-Cyber Analyst – AT&T, Melbourne
- Junior Information Security Analyst – Sayres & Associates Corporation, Orlando
- IT Security Analyst – Consultis, Boca Raton
- Cyber Security Analyst II – Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa
Titles of Florida’s Cybersecurity Degree Programs
Bachelor’s degree programs in cybersecurity go by different names. In Florida, they include:
- Bachelor of Science in Computer Science – Concentration in Cyber Security Engineering
- Bachelor of Science in Cyber Security
- Bachelor of Science in Information Technology
- Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity
Florida Cybersecurity Bachelor’s Degree Programs
Bachelor’s in cybersecurity programs are usually not accredited at the program level. Rather, the institutions in which they are housed are accredited by regional accreditation agencies that are recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). There are some programmatically accredited cybersecurity bachelor’s degree programs in Florida, noted below.
Centers of Academic Excellence (CAE)
The National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) set up the National Centers of Academic Excellence program to give special recognition to outstanding undergraduate cybersecurity degree programs in the United States. These programs have been given the credentials of Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD).
Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education in Florida
These Florida programs have been named as Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CD):
- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona Beach – Bachelor of Science in Computer Science – Concentration in Cyber Security Engineering
College of Engineering-Electrical, Computer, Software & Systems Engineering Dept.
1 Aerospace Blvd.
Daytona Beach, FL 32114-3900
CAE- Cyber Defense Education- Accredited through 2021
Dr. Radu F. Babiceanu, Chair
(386) 226-7375; [email protected]
- Saint Leo University – Bachelor of Science in Cyber Security (on campus and online)
33701 State Road 52
Saint Leo, FL 33574
CAE- Cyber Defense Education- Accredited through 2021
Dr. Derek Mohammed, Chair
(877) 622-2009; [email protected]
- St. Petersburg College – Bachelor of Applied Science in Cybersecurity (online)
College of Computer & Information Technology’s Center for Cybersecurity
P.O. Box 13489
St. Petersburg, FL 33733-3489
CAE- Cyber Defense Education- Accredited through 2024
Laura Malave, Academic Chair
(727) 398-8285; [email protected]
- University of North Florida – Bachelor of Science in Information Technology
Center for Cybersecurity; College of Computing, Engineering & Construction
1 UNF Drive
Skinner – Jones Hall, Bldg. 4, Ste. 4201
Jacksonville, FL 32224
CAE- Cyber Defense Education- Accredited through 2024
Dr. Swapnoneel Roy, Director
(904) 620-2182; [email protected]
- University of South Florida – Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity
College of Engineering, Dept. of Computer Science & Engineering
4202 E. Fowler Ave., ENG 030
Tampa, FL 33620
CAE- Cyber Defense Education- Accredited through 2022
John Morgan, Dept. Undergraduate Advisor
(813) 974-3652; [email protected]
- University of West Florida – Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity (Hybrid)
Hal Marcus College of Science & Engineering, Dept. of Computer Science
Bldg. 4, Room 223
11000 University Parkway
Pensacola, FL 32514
CAE- Cyber Defense Education- Accredited through 2021
Dr. Eman El-Sheikh, Chair
(850) 474-3074; [email protected]
Courses Contained Within Florida’s CAE-CD Programs
The NSA and DHS have identified certain courses that must be contained within a CAE-CD program. These required knowledge units include:
- Foundational Knowledge Units:
- Cybersecurity Foundations
- Cybersecurity Principles
- IT Systems Components
- Technical Core Knowledge Units:
- Basic Cryptography
- Basic Networking
- Basic Scripting and Programming
- Network Defense
- Operating Systems Concepts
- Non-Technical Core Knowledge Units:
- Cyber Threats
- Cybersecurity Planning & Management
- Policy, Legal, Ethics and Compliance
- Security Program Management
- Security Risk Analysis
Florida Cybersecurity Certifications
In addition to obtaining your bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity in Florida, you should consider examining a number of different professional cybersecurity certifications available. These are often necessary for cybersecurity jobs within the state, and include:
- CompTIA Security+
- EC Council Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)
- CertNexus CyberSec First Responder (CFR)
- ISACA Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC)
- NIST Cybersecurity Framework (NCSF)
Cybersecurity Employment Projections in Florida
According to the Florida Research and Economic Information Database Application (FREIDA), jobs in the computer and mathematical category of occupations across the state of Florida are expected to increase by 14.46 percent from 2019 to 2027. Jobs for information security analysts, which are also known as cybersecurity analysts, are expected to increase even more – by 26.9 percent – from 2019 to 2027. If you were looking for another excellent reason to embark upon a journey to obtain a bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity in Florida, this reason most definitely qualifies!