Developing and enhancing a computer and network security curriculum
Kevin Streff, Zehai Zhou · 2006
Little doubt remains that information security protection is paramount to business success. Computer and network security has come to the forefront as denial of service attacks and malware challenge the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of distributed computing environments. Look no further than recent headlines to understand the prominence of identity theft and phishing, evidence that protecting information assets is not only good security but good business. This paper describes the computer and network security undergraduate curriculum at a Liberal Arts and Science University in the upper Midwest Region, a national Center of Excellence in Information Assurance Education (CAE) as designated by the National Security Agency and The Department of Homeland Security. As the only CAE in the six-state upper Midwest, the University is often looked to for computer and network security education and research solutions. This paper describes the educational component of the University’s nationally-recognized program and provides an overall description of the program, including how it evolved from no security class to a comprehensive undergraduate computer and network security program.