What degree is required to work for IT security?

Hello,

I am new to the forums! What college degree is required for a job in IT security? If it helps I live in the State of Pennsylvania.

Off-topic: Oh, yes, I just joined but the Random Question asking for the year before this one is outdated. We are in 2016 and 2015 is incorrect. It was asking the year before 2015 as we was in 2015. Lol

please read & ignore this off-topic part

thanks!

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Comments

markulous

Look for job postings in your area for infosec and see what they say. If they require a degree it's probably going to ask to be a BS in an IT-related field.

php111

markulous wrote: »

Look for job postings in your area for infosec and see what they say. If they require a degree it's probably going to ask to be a BS in an IT-related field.

Great! Thank you so much! I'll look now.

php111

I am sorry but I do see the infosec section on this forum but I do not see the job postings you are referring too.

pinkydapimp

No degree is required. However, chances are you will have a much more difficult time getting in without a degree.

As for which degree, look at the job boards in your area for security jobs and see what they are asking for. Comp Sci is probably the best one but really any IT degree is usually sufficient.

Also, just note that you typically cant get into infosec with ONLY a degree. infosec usually requires that you have a few years of IT experience prior to get into an infosec role. There arent many entry level roles in the infosec area so understand you will want to get your degree, get some experience and get certs. Then in a few years you should be able find a good way to transition into an infosec role.

Good luck.

php111

Thank you so much! I really do appreciate the info!

The_Expert

I have a BS in Criminal Justice, my co-workers have Psychology, Business and even Geology degrees. Moral of the story - if you have the skills, a College degree, a willingness to learn and the right attitude... then you too can work in IT Security.

OctalDump

If you want specific degrees for maximum impact and flexibility, Bachelor in Computer Science (to get excellent high level, general skills) followed by a Master in Information Security (for the details). Add on to that experience, which should run concurrent with your studies eg playing with technology, capture the flag, reading etc. It's probably a good idea to get some work between the Bachelor and Master degrees.

There are also undergrad programs in Info Sec, but they tend to give a more technical and less flexible focus - which can work well for some people.

TechGuru80

Required? Nothing specific is "required". Generally speaking, anything related to computer science / IT / MIS / CIS / sometimes business, will be fine. Certifications are a big part of this industry for the technical knowledge so the actual degree isn't always necessarily the most important thing (still important though).

Additionally, different degrees will give you different options. For example a computer science degree will lend you more towards developing tools, programming, etc. due to the curriculum one would have faced.

$bvb379

The_Expert wrote: »

I have a BS in Criminal Justice, my co-workers have Psychology, Business and even Geology degrees. Moral of the story - if you have the skills, a College degree, a willingness to learn and the right attitude... then you too can work in IT Security.

This is very true and as Octal said, you can't go wrong with a CS degree.

markulous

php111 wrote: »

I am sorry but I do see the infosec section on this forum but I do not see the job postings you are referring too.

I just meant on a job postings board like Indeed, Snagajob, etc.

TechGromit

pinkydapimp wrote: »

No degree is required. However, chances are you will have a much more difficult time getting in without a degree.

The security job I have now I didn't have a degree or any security certifications. I however had 20 years IT experience and just happened to go to the same defunct technical computer school the IT manager attended.