ST. LEO – Saint Leo University (www.saintleo.edu) has two new online technology-related degree programs, one that will equip people for entry-level jobs in computer security and the other at the graduate level, for managers and executives seeking the data-analysis skills that are highly sought in the 21st century business world.
Both programs are developed by the faculty of the Donald R. Tapia Business School, which is the academic home of traditional business curricula, computer science, and cybersecurity programs.
Associate of Arts
The Associate of Arts degree in cybersecurity will prepare students for entry-level positions in the emerging cybersecurity and information assurance/security fields. The overall goal of the program is to provide students with the background knowledge and tools to understand cybersecurity threats and countermeasures.
Saint Leo University is a designated Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense education by National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security. The curriculum of the AA degree is mapped to NSA knowledge units. In addition, graduates of this program are well prepared for industry certifications in cybersecurity.
Core major requirements include statistics, business law, computer systems, systems administration, networking, programming, cybersecurity fundamentals, and penetration testing and countermeasures.
Students who complete the AA degree and decide they want further education can easily continue with Saint Leo’s Bachelor of Science degree in cybersecurity, noted Dr. Balbir Bal, dean of the Tapia School of Business. The bachelor’s degree will enhance employability even more.
Both the 60-credit hour AA curriculum and the 120-credit hour BS curriculum include coursework from the university’s liberal arts foundation to ensure that graduates are academically well-rounded as well as technically proficient.
The tuition rate for online undergraduate courses for the 2017-2018 academic year is $360 per credit. Thus, students interested in the AA degree can anticipate tuition of $21,600, based on current rates. That figure does not include books.
Those interested can email admissions@saintleo.edu.
Master of Business Administration, Data Analytics concentration
This new 36-hour online program prepares graduates for careers in business intelligence, which can span multiple disciplines.
Students complete the 21 MBA credit hours that provide the fundamentals of business operations. These include courses in economics, marketing, finance, accounting, human resource management, strategic management, and global business.
The data analytics concentration includes another 15 credit hours that will teach students how to approach the world of “Big Data” to retrieve, understand, and apply information to make sophisticated and strategic business decisions. As students learn to use modern analytical tools, combined with their knowledge of statistics and business strategy, they will be more equipped to detect patterns that were previously too subtle to find, and to respond with highly informed recommendations for products, service, advertising, staffing, or procurement, to name a few areas.
The tuition for the 2017-2018 academic year for this MBA program is $555 per credit hour, so students can anticipate tuition of $20,000 or more over the course of the program. This does not include books.
Those interested can email grad.admissions@saintleo.edu.
About Saint Leo University
Saint Leo University (www.saintleo.edu) is a modern Catholic teaching university that is firmly grounded in the liberal arts tradition and the timeless Benedictine wisdom that seeks balanced growth of mind, body, and spirit. The Saint Leo University of today is a private, nonprofit institution that creates hospitable learning communities wherever our students want to be or need to be, whether that is a campus classroom, a web-based environment, an employer’s worksite, a military base, or an office park. We welcome people of all faiths and of no religious affiliation, and encourage learners of all generations. We are committed to providing educational opportunities to our nation’s armed forces, our veterans, and their families. We are regionally accredited to award degrees ranging from the associate to the doctorate, and we guide all our students to develop their capacities for critical thinking, moral reflection, and lifelong learning and leadership.
We remain the faithful stewards of the beautiful lakeside University Campus in the Tampa Bay region of Florida, where our founding monks created the first Catholic college in the state in 1889. Serving nearly 15,000 students, we have expanded to downtown Tampa, to other sites in Florida and beyond, and maintain a physical presence in seven states. We provide highly respected online learning programs to students nationally and internationally. More than 82,000 alumni reside in all 50 states, in Washington, DC, in three U.S. territories, and in 76 countries.