Emporia State University is excited to announce plans to open a state-of-the-art Cybersecurity Research and Outreach Center! Emporia State University received a grant for $1.5 million from the FY 2022 Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations bill; these funds have been used to create a Cybersecurity Research and Outreach Center. The center’s hardware and software will be housed on the Emporia State University campus within the School of Business and Technology with an adjacent classroom.

The work of the center will occur both on-campus and off. Classes leading to degrees in Computer Science, Information Systems and Business Data Analytics are currently being taught, but will be expanded with additional opportunities for students to earn industry-recognized concentrations, certifications and credentials. The Cybersecurity Research and Outreach Center will also be used to raise awareness of the importance of cybersecurity, host seminars and camps, and encourage research. Some of these activities will include cybersecurity competitions for high school and university students, high-impact partnerships with businesses concerned about cybersecurity, relevant training and certifications for faculty and staff, and partnerships between faculty and students for joint research and internship partnerships.

A career in Cybersecurity is a great choice!

Here’s why:

• According to cyberseek.org, in 2023 there are approximately 663,434 cybersecurity related job openings nationwide and 1,129,659 employed in the cybersecurity workforce.
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the occupation of Information Security Analyst will average 35% growth in 2023.
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports Kansas's cybersecurity jobs have a mean annual wage of $91,940 as of May 2021.
• U.S. Department of Labor's long-term projection (2020–2030) shows 38.7% and short-term projection (2021–2023) shows 6.7% growth rate for cybersecurity jobs in Kansas.

Leading Cybersecurity Careers:

• Cybersecurity Analyst
• Software Developer
• Penetration & Vulnerability Tester
• Cybersecurity Consultant
• Network Engineer
• Cybersecurity Manager
• Systems Engineer
• Senior Software Developer
• Systems Administrator
• Cyber Defense Analyst
• Cyber Defense Forensics Analyst
• Technical Director
• Cloud Security Analyst
• Chief Information Security Officer