Professor Aaron Jones on Studying Cyber Security at UAT

University of Advancing Technology (UAT) offers one of the longest-running Cyber Security degrees in the Southwest with a complete continuum of undergraduate and graduate degrees. A degree from the University trains students to be some of the best in the field of cyber security, while giving them the freedom to explore other technology disciplines. Professor Aaron Jones explains how mentorship plays a part in this.

“My name is Aaron Jones and I'm the Program Champion here for the University of Advancing
Technology for our cyber security group of majors. I have been here for a couple of years now and in addition to that, I also work in the industry as a cyber security analyst for a local law
enforcement organization. Here at the University of Advancing Technology, you can earn a degree in Technology Forensics, Network Security and Network Engineering or a master's degree in Cyber Security."

“Every single student is a cyber security ambassador, and it's their responsibility on day
one to step into the shoes of a cyber security student and eventually cyber security expert. What
I find with a lot of my students is that there's an overlapping interest. You can explore in a very
safe environment, so I have students who, while pursuing a cybersecurity-related degree, will
interact with our game development professors. While not necessarily directly connected to their
degrees, there are things that interest them and inspire them."

“What we encourage and what we build on here is developing both that internal network and that internal relationship building of working with your peers. Here within the University of Advancing Technology, mentorship is incredibly important. What I like to do is work with industry partners to make sure that our students are able to go out and participate in things like internships and externships. What I’ve found is that industry partners love that. That's the beauty of the program itself; it's designed for you to come in at any skill level and still learn something, still build, still develop and then still set you on a trajectory in the direction that you want to go.”

Should You Major in Cyber Security? 

UAT is a designated Center of Academic Excellence - Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE) institution through the National Information Assurance Education Training Program (NIETP). Sponsored by the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), NIETP operates under national authority as the national manager for cyber defense education and training relating to national security systems.

If you a natural problem solver, fascinated by information technology (IT) and the protection of privacy, data and more, a cyber security degree might be right for you. Request more information to find out more about the network security degree curriculum, potential outcomes and more. If you're ready to take the next step, apply for acceptance today! 

Watch Professor Aaron Jones' full video here: