Computing Science

Jacksonville University Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity

JU's computer science program has prepared me for the real world by giving me the opportunity to explore, to fail and to grow. And I've done this through leading projects in class, collaborating with faculty outside of class and also competing in national competitions outside of the classroom. Through these experiences, I've learned not to memorize certain things, but to learn these things and apply them to different scenarios. And I think that's super valuable, because that's how the real world is. 

So, whenever I came to JU, I noticed there was three top tier professors that are here that are kind of overseeing the program. I said to myself, if I can pick all their brains and collectively gather all the information that I can from each of these professors, I'll be a successful student here.  

Davis College of Business and Technology offers two standalone bachelor of science program. The BS in computer science and the BS in cyber security program. 

My courses will always have a practical and hands-on exercises, real case scenarios, virtual attack simulation or actually building a physical system. So, for example, in my introduction to cyber security courses, student can learn how to integrate software and hardware together. If you code it this way, this is how you see the output.  

Our BS in cyber security has been designated as a NCAE program, National Excellence in Cyber Security. With the support of our advisor board members like Florida Blue, we have JU cyber ranch um platform our students are using right now. This is an enterprise level platform, and our students could be able to do the blue team red team computation by using this platform. 

I benefit from the small class sizes, because I'm not just another face. I get that one-on-one connection with my professors. I'm able to ask questions freely, and classroom discussions always feel like collaboration and not so much competition. So, I really value that. 

The most rewarding aspect of teaching for me personally is the aha moment: “Yes, I figured it out!” 

My favorite part of the cyber security program is probably the labs and the instructors. 

I would have to say the flexibility and the freedom. I'm able to carve my own path. For myself, I'm interested in the intersection between machine learning and cyber security, which is so new, but at JU professors have made it possible for me to explore that and learn that and get that hands-on practice.  

I always listen to my students and learn from them what are their goals, what they are trying to do in the future, and help them to build the way that leads them to their dreams.  

I've had a lot of instructors in my life, and the ones here genuinely, actually care about your education.  

For high school students who are considering computing and cyber security, I would encourage them to be curious. Before joining the school or even considering the program, dive into coding, learn a new language like Python, for example. Generally, if you like to fix broken things, then cyber security is a good field for you, because there’s going to be always, always a broken system that needs someone to fix it.