Career Compass

Careers in Cybersecurity and Cybersecurity Jobs

Cybersecurity Career and Cyber Engineering

HCU graduates gain a vital career edge with a bachelor’s degree in cyber engineering.

In its annual Cyberstates 2018 report, industry expert CompTIA presents a strong and dynamic picture of the digital economy:

  • Tech employment in the United States: 11.5 million workers
  • Number of new jobs added in tech in the past year: 194,000
  • Tech job openings posted in 2017 reach 2.8 million, with more than 200,000 in emerging tech areas
  • Average annual wages for US industry tech workers is $112,890, which is more than double average national wages

Graduates with a Bachelor of Science in Cyber Engineering from Houston Christian University receive a unique, comprehensive education that goes beyond what cybersecurity degrees at other schools largely focus on, which is software/data/information components. If hardware or devices are involved in cybersecurity attacks, HCU-trained cyber engineers have the skills to address these more complex cybersecurity risks and vulnerabilities in systems, networks and devices.

However, graduates of our Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity degree can also work as information security analysts, cybersecurity analysts, security operations operators, IT auditors, or cybersecurity consultants.

No university in Texas offers a comparable program to the Bachelor of Science in Cyber Engineering at HCU. HCU engineering programs focus on using math and science to solve practical problems or design solutions. The demand for graduates from cyber engineering programs and for related jobs in many industries is very large.

Cyber Engineering graduates will work in security operations, process control, network security, threat reduction and incident response, and other cybersecurity-related positions. Some graduates will work to design the next generation of connected devices, so that better security measures can be built into the devices during design and production, before utilization and operation begins.

Wide Range of Cybersecurity Jobs

Employment of computer and information technology occupations is projected to grow 13 percent through 2026, faster than the average for all occupations. These occupations are projected to add about 557,100 new jobs. Demand for these workers will stem from a greater emphasis on cloud computing, the collection and storage of big data, and information security.

The median annual wage for computer and information technology occupations was $84,580 in May 2017, which was higher than the median annual wage for all occupations of $37,690. Cyber engineering jobs are on the higher end of IT salaries.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports there are more than 200,000 jobs in cybersecurity available in the United States. CyberSeek shows a national demand for approximately 300,000 cybersecurity professionals, with demand for more than 20,000 cybersecurity professionals for the State of Texas.

Job prospects in cybersecurity are excellent, says CompTIA. “In the current, complicated cybersecurity landscape, there’s no one solution or platform that can keep an enterprise or institution safe on its own. Preventing cyber attacks takes knowledgeable, talented IT security staff.”

Among the top five key positions in this field, identified by CompTIA, is Senior Cybersecurity Engineer/Architect. Cybersecurity threats have grown not just in number, but in sophistication, says CompTIA. “To keep invaders out, a business needs people who understand what’s happening on networks, servers and databases at the most sophisticated levels and can secure every facet accordingly. This is the role of the engineer/architect.” Other positions on the cybersecurity teams would likely include: Security Administrator, Security Specialist, Information Assurance Technician/Specialist, and Security Analyst. Jobs that require cybersecurity know-how will usually have a range of titles, says CompTIA. The most common titles, according to the SANS Institute Cybersecurity Professional Trends survey, are:

  • Security Analyst
  • Security Engineer or Architect
  • Security/IT Director or Manager
  • CISO/CSO
  • Systems Administrator
  • Network Architect or Engineer
  • Forensics Investigator
  • Auditor
  • Systems Engineer or Integrator

Based on the SANS survey, the top five industries for cybersecurity professionals are banking/finance/insurance, information technology/management, government (defense), government (non-defense), and consulting/professional services. The survey reports that the top locations for cybersecurity jobs are the Washington metropolitan area, New York and the San Francisco-San Jose metro area.