12 Mastercard employees earn new cybersecurity management graduate certificate
Program co-created by Washington University and Mastercard provides next-level education to address regional cybersecurity skills gap
The Henry Edwin Sever Institute at the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis will hold a graduation ceremony to recognize the first cohort of participants in the Cybersecurity Management Graduate Certificate program, created in partnership with Mastercard. Commencement will take place virtually at 5 p.m. CST Jan. 14 and will recognize 12 graduates of the program, all selected employees of Mastercard.
“The bold ransomware attacks during the pandemic and the recent SolarWinds breach has made it clear that cybersecurity matters now more than ever,” said Joseph Scherrer, executive director of professional education in the Henry Edwin Sever Institute of the McKelvey School of Engineering.
There are more than 6,000 unfilled cybersecurity positions in the St. Louis-area. Cybersecurity Ventures estimates there will be 3.5 million unfilled jobs by 2021. This program improves both the cybersecurity talent and skills gap by helping current practitioners’ skill-up to protect against future threats as well as educate those seeking to incorporate cybersecurity best practices into their daily job.
“We can’t expect all of our cybersecurity hires will come to us in St. Louis. We have to be innovative and work with partners to develop those skills locally,” said Ron Green, chief security officer, Mastercard. “While we have cybersecurity professionals around the world, St. Louis is home to our largest cybersecurity team. Thanks to our longstanding relationship with Washington University, we’re able to upskill our employees to help fill our growing cybersecurity needs and will continue to partner with them to expand our educational offerings so employees can continuously learn.”
“The McKelvey School of Engineering was excited to have the opportunity to co-develop this graduate cybersecurity program in coordination with Mastercard,” said Aaron Bobick, dean of the McKelvey School of Engineering and the James M. McKelvey Professor. “This program provides a uniquely customized, high-quality education that is vital to the industry.”
The Cybersecurity Management Graduate Certificate program included five semesters of applied skills and knowledge on topics like cybersecurity risk management, cyberattack fundamentals, cloud security, systems security and security analytics. Graduates will earn graduate-level certificates in Cybersecurity Management, recognized by Washington University as well as outside industry. Going forward, this program will be open to other participants to help develop critical skills and improve the cyber talent gap in the region and beyond.
For more information about Washington University’s Cybersecurity Management Graduate Certificate program visit here.
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