Information Assurance and Cyber Security Degrees in Nevada

To the surprise of nobody, Nevada’s biggest opportunities for cyber security professionals are in gaming, lodging, leisure and hospitality, entertainment, and tourism in general. Still, as anyone who lives there will tell you, Nevada is more than casinos and the Vegas Strip. Healthcare is a major employer in the state, and several tech and commerce giants host large campuses. In short, Nevada cyber security professionals have many career options, plus the educational centers to back them up, including associate and certificate programs in cyber security.

Cyber Security Jobs in Nevada

Following statewide employment trends, about 75% of available cyber security jobs in Nevada are located in Las Vegas. From there, Reno and the Nellis Air Force Base are the second- and third-largest employment hubs for cyber security professionals. High-paying roles are available at all of the major casinos – MGM Resorts, Las Vegas Sands, etc. – and government organizations offer excellent career opportunities, as well. Less well known is the commercial giants that call Nevada home: Amazon, Wal-Mart, Target, and Zappos all have significant operations and, of course, are always in need of talented cyber security workers to fill positions in security forensics, vulnerability assessing, and data protection. About half of currently available jobs are in mid-level roles and a third offer salaries over $80k. The average salary for IT security specialists in Nevada is $91k, which aligns with national statistics.

Cyber Security Degrees in Nevada

A graduate certificate in cyber security is available from University of Nevada-Reno that requires two core courses in Integrated Computer Security and Computer Security, Controls, and Information Assurance, plus two social science classes in Crime and Criminal Justice and Problems in American Public Policy.

Associate degrees in cyber security are offered by Truckee Meadows Community College and College of Southern Nevada. The former is an AAS in Computer Information Technology with an emphasis in Cyber Security. Southern Nevada offers two associates with emphases in Network Security and Digital Forensics, plus a certificate in Digital Forensics.

Cyber Security Resources in Nevada

Cyber Security Degree Providers in Nevada

Below we’ve included some of the most pertinent information for choosing a cyber security degree program. Affordability looked at the average in-state tuition rate (where applicable) and divided the range of tuition rates into five bins. Each bin contains a roughly $8,000 jump in tuition. So one $ contains schools from roughly $1,000 in in-state tuition to $9,000, $$’s contains schools from >$9,000 to $17,000, and so forth. Retention rate is one of the best predictors of undergraduate education quality. While the NSA/CAE designation marks programs deemed excellent by the NSA.