Southern Utah University is taking aim at a problem that could have implications well beyond the classroom: Utah has a growing need for cybersecurity professionals, but very few of its teachers are currently qualified to teach students how to enter the field.
A new agreement between SUU and the Utah State Board of Education is designed to help change that. Under the agreement, Utah-licensed educators who complete SUU’s Master of Science in Cybersecurity Information Assurance will automatically meet the requirements for the state’s Career and Technical Education Cybersecurity Professional Endorsement.
The change removes what could be a significant obstacle for teachers interested in entering the field. Previously, educators seeking the endorsement had to work through a six-criterion checklist established by the state. Now, the requirements are incorporated into SUU’s graduate program, allowing teachers to earn an advanced degree while also qualifying to lead cybersecurity programs in Utah high schools.
Only 11 Hold Professional Cybersecurity Endorsement
The need for those teachers is perhaps the most telling part of the story. According to SUU, only 11 educators across the state currently hold a professional cybersecurity endorsement.
Eleven.
For a state increasingly dependent on technology, artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure, that is a remarkably small number of people available to teach Utah teenagers about protecting all of it.
Dr. Shalini Kesar, director of SUU’s cybersecurity master’s program, said in a press release the university’s effort grew from listening to students and finding ways to turn their frustrations into opportunities. The goal, she said, is to create a stronger pipeline for cybersecurity and AI education while addressing workforce shortages.
That pipeline is particularly important because cybersecurity education is not simply about producing future computer experts. It is about giving students an early introduction to a field that is becoming increasingly important to businesses, government agencies and virtually every organization that relies on computers and networks.
Read More: SUU Seeks To Empower High School Girls In Cybersecurity
For Southern Utah, there is another reason to pay attention. A program that helps prepare qualified teachers could make specialized cybersecurity education more accessible to students outside Utah’s largest metropolitan areas. Instead of having to leave Southern Utah to encounter these opportunities, more students could potentially find them in their own high schools.
SUU’s agreement with the state is therefore more than a credentialing change. It represents an attempt to move cybersecurity education farther down the educational pipeline, putting qualified instructors in front of students before they reach college.
With only 11 Utah educators currently holding the professional endorsement, there is clearly plenty of room for that pipeline to grow.
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Gallery Credit: Conor Walsh
