Farid Shirazi, who teaches the research and capstone aspect of the program, said the program was created due to demand.
Launched in January, the enterprise information security, privacy and data protection program offers four courses which will be taught by top researchers and industry experts from the TRSM and the department of computer science.
The courses are designed to teach the fundamentals of information security, as well as how to anticipate online risks and develop procedures to manage issues as they arise.
“We need a new generation of managers to understand the new threats happening right now,” Shirazi said. “If they are aware of these issues they can train to be more proactive.”
Companies are increasingly at risk for identity theft, security breaches and data security leaks every time they share information on the internet. Banks, businesses, and education, government and health care sectors are being targeted, and according to the program manager Susan Calahan, “Many companies don’t have good governance structures in place to handle any kind of data security breach effectively,” she said in a press release.
“This is a global issue. We are globally connected and more and more businesses are connected to a global network,” Shirazi said. “In Canada, we are not very up to date. We need to fill the gap by offering a high level program.”
As previously reported by The Ryersonian, more students have taken an interest in graduate programs in an attempt to become more employable as an increasing number of people obtain bachelor degrees.
“It’s great that Ted Rogers and Ryerson are branching out with non-typical degrees and diplomas,” said Jonathan Munian, student at TRSM. “It creates opportunities for students who are especially interested in the ‘specifically tailored’ diploma.”
After completing the program, students will be qualified to work as information security officers, technicians and analysts.
“Where there is a growing concern there are usually expanding jobs,” Munian said. “Being in the technology generation that we live in this is great for future students.”
Shirazi said that though the program received the number of students that was hoped for, the results of the pilot program are still being analyzed—at this stage the program is flexible based on students’ needs.
“We are in close contact with our students to understand what they need, and in case we need to upgrade our program we are ready to do so,” he said.