Information Assurance and Cyber Security Degrees in Mississippi

Affordable schooling and a rock-bottom cost of living index makes Mississippi a great place for budget-friendly cyber security work and study. Mississippi State University is highly-regarded for its cyber security degree programs; Universities.com recently ranked it 5th in the nation for “Ten Best Cyber Security Grad Programs.” Mississippi’s state government has been forward-thinking in its cyber security policies and programs. The state has funneled money into public university cyber security programs and computer laboratories. A recent study by the Brookings institute also found that, at the state level, Mississippi and Idaho had the nation’s strongest cyber security programs, with Mississippi implementing the framework of the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Mississippi Cyber Security Jobs

Mississippi has one of the nation’s lowest levels of employment in for cyber security careers, with just 310 working cyber security jobs statewide. In a state of almost 3 million, that makes for a low density, and cyber security job postings can be infrequent. Those that pop up tend to be found in the cities of Jackson or Vicksburg. Employers include Booz Allen Hamilton, a government-services company,Proofpoint, a California-based enterprise security company, and Leidos, a defense company. The Bureau of Labor Statistics gives a mean wage of just $69,800 for cyber security analysts employed in the state of Mississippi. While this number may seem shockingly low at first, it translates to an excellent figure in a state with the lowest cost of living index in the entire nation. While numerically small, a salary of almost $70,000 can buy a very high standard of living in this state.

Cyber Security Degrees in Mississippi

Associate’s Degrees in cyber security are awarded by Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. The college confers an Associate in Applied Science Degree in Network Security Technology.

Bachelor’s Degrees in cyber security are offered by just one of the state’s four schools with programs in the field. The University of Southern Mississippi offers an Information Security Minor to students enrolled in its undergraduate School of Computing.

Master’s Degrees in cyber security are available through a total of two institutes. Mississippi College awards a Master of Science in Cyber Security and Information Assurance. Mississippi State University awards a Master of Science in Computer Science with a Computer Security Concentration. This school is designated by the NSA as a “National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Security” (CAE).

Certificates and Doctoral Degrees in cyber security are offered by two schools state wide. Mississippi College offers a Certificate in Cyber Security and Information Assurance. Mississippi State University has an Information Assurance Professional Certificate program as well as a Ph.D. program in Computer Science with a Computer Security Concentration. The school is considered a CAE by the NSA.

Cyber Security Resources in Mississippi

Cyber Security Degree Providers in Mississippi

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.