The University of Guelph is launching a cybersecurity and threat intelligence masters program for the coming school year to meet the increasing demand for skilled cybersecurity experts.
The program will train students on threat intelligence, threat hunting, digital forensics, intrusion prevention, privacy and crypto-analysis.
A $2 million state-of-the-art isolated lab funded by industry partners such as McAfee Canada, Cisco Systems, IBM and Co-operators with cutting edge software will be available for students to combat real security threats by learning techniques used by real-world attacks.
A final project will allow students to work with one of the corporate partners to utilize their new skills.
With cybersecurity threats growing in the country, 21 per cent of Canadian businesses reported an impact which had a direct effect on their operations in 2017 according to Statistics Canada.
A whopping 54 per cent of businesses reported that cybersecurity incidents hindered employees’ daily work and 30 percent of businesses reported the need for repair costs that resulted in a 10 per cent loss of their business's revenue.
Director of the new master's program, Ali Dehghantanha, says there's a need to train people in a masters level to address the targeted attacks on critical infrastructure.
“This new program will be unique in Canada because it offers a hands-on approach to cybersecurity training. Students will be learning by doing and this integration is what makes this program different,” says Dehghantanha.
McAfee Canada’s vice president and country manager Bryan Rutledge says that the two significant challenges facing the cybersecurity industry today are the expanding threat landscape and the shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals.
“With these challenges in mind, it was an easy decision for McAfee to become a founding partner with the University of Guelph in support of this new master cybersecurity program,” says Rutledge.
“The program is unlike any other in higher ed and we are thrilled to be a part of it.”
Applications for the program are limited and will be accepted until Aug. 1 for the 2019-2020 school year.
