Information Assurance and Cyber Security Degrees in South Carolina

South Carolina’s $210 billion GDP is founded on a diverse economy of agriculture, manufacturing, leisure and hospitality, healthcare, and trade, transportation, and utilities. The last few decades have seen South Carolina pivot to a tech-intensive, business-focused workforce, which fosters opportunities for well-trained cyber security professionals. To meet demand, at least eight South Carolina colleges and universities offer degrees in cyber security, including several with CAE designation.

Cyber Security Jobs in South Carolina

Information security analysts earn between $45-80k per year, which is below the national average but expected to increase with demand. (IT security specialists, a slightly higher role, earn about $94k.) Charleston is the state’s major employment hub for IS professionals, offering about a third of the job openings, followed by Columbia, Greenville, Spartanburg, and Myrtle Beach; Shaw Air Force base, located just outside of Sumter, is a major employer for cyber defense. Eighty-percent of job openings are entry- and mid-level positions, which makes South Carolina a great place to start a career in cyber security. Employers include a range of well-known and local businesses: CACI International, Scientific Research Corporation, Allied Universal, Interim HealthCare, KEYW Corporation, and Booz Allen Hamilton, among others.

Cyber Security Degrees in South Carolina

Certificates in cyber security are a available at a half-dozen schools, including University of South Carolina – Columbia, Trident Technical College, Piedmont Technical College, and Horry-Georgetown Technical College.

University of South Carolina – Upstate and Limestone College each offer bachelor’s specializations in cyber security, including BS tracks in Network & Information Security and Computer and Information Systems Security, respectively.

Master’s degrees in cybersecurity are available from College of Charleston, which offers an MS in Computer and Information Sciences with a specialization in Cybersecurity, and Citadel Military College of South Carolina, which offers two programs: an MA in Intelligence and Security Studies – Cybersecurity Concentration, or MS in Computer and Information Sciences – Cybersecurity Specialization.

Cyber Security Resources in South Carolina

Cyber Security Degree Providers in South Carolina

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.