Capitol lauded for integrating cyber into business courses

Want to be a savvy business leader? Increasingly, you’ll need to be cybersecurity-literate.

“If leaders don’t understand the need to protect data, or how to protect it, then we have a critical flaw in the organization," says Dr. Helen G. Barker, vice president of academic affairs at Capitol Technology University. "At the bare minimum, leaders need to be trained in the language of cybersecurity so they can properly contract these services and manage projects.”

The university has been at the forefront of efforts to incorporate a cybersecurity dimension within academic programs designed to train and educate the next generation of entrepreneurs, managers, and executives.

“We have an entire program – a bachelor’s degree in Management of Cyber and Information Technology – that is designed specifically to accomplish this," Barker notes. “We’ve had it for years, well ahead of what everyone else has been doing."

Last month, Capitol’s efforts were officially recognized by the International Accreditation Council for Business Education(IACBE).

The accreditor’s board of commissioners “commends Capitol Technology University for the integration of cyber technology throughout the business program,” the IACBE said in a letter addressed to the university on April 27.

Commendations are awarded by the board in recognition of areas in which a school is demonstrating excellent performance, the letter said.

Capitol founded one of the nation’s first degree programs in cybersecurity and was the first to offer a doctorate in the field, starting in 2010.

“Our strong track record in the field is a resource that positions us well to add a cybersecurity dimension to other fields of study, “ Barker says. “We’re doing this in our astronautical engineering program, for instance – systems engineers need to be able to protect their satellites from being commandeered by others. The need is no less acute in business.”

“Unless we prepare our students to go out fully equipped in these areas, they are not going to be effective leaders,” she said.

Capitol, originally founded in 1927, specializes in business, computer science, engineering, and information technology. The university offers a wide variety of degree programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Want to learn more? Contact the admissions office at admissions@captechu.edu or phone 800-950-1992.