Opportunities Grow for Careers in IT, Internet Security

CONTACT:
Mike Lurie
Office: 410-455-6380
Cellphone: 443-695-0262
mlurie@umbc.edu

February 18, 2009

BALTIMORE -- A recently published Baltimore Sun education supplement profiled prominent programs at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) in information technology (IT) and cyber security that will position students for future job opportunities.

The Sun reported that IT positions "remain in demand. Most careers in the field are considered 'recession-proof.' " Andrew Sears, professor and chair of the UMBC information systems department, told the Sun that organizations "still need people to keep systems running and upgrade systems to continue to meet the demands of being in business."

UMBC offers a B.S. in Information Systems and a B.A. in Business Technology Administration. These programs provide students with fundamental skills in business and IT, Sears told the Sun.

The paper's education supplement (published February 15) described the growing popularity of cyber security, or information assurance. Alan Sherman, associate professor of computer science and electrical engineering, discussed UMBC's Cyber Defense Lab. The lab engages students in leading research on electronic voting systems, the security of virtual computing and enhancing computer security.

Students who seek to learn how to defend computers from security breaches must also learn how computers are vulnerable to attack, Sherman said.