Whenever you make an online purchase or make a mobile payment, your cybersecurity is at risk.  

Understanding the human element behind these risks is the impetus behind the College of Liberal Arts’ new cybersecurity and human behavior bachelor of arts major, which will be open to students for the first time in fall 2025.

“Cybersecurity is an issue that touches every individual in almost every aspect of their lives,” said Sandra Suárez, professor of political science.  She, along with Hiram Aldarondo, senior associate dean for academic affairs, and Aunshul Rege, professor of criminal justice and an expert on cybersecurity, led the effort to create the major at the request of the dean of the college. 

There is also an accompanying minor and an undergraduate certificate in cybersecurity and human behavior offered by the College of Liberal Arts. 

The introduction of the major is timely as nearly every aspect of daily life relies on computer and internet connection, leaving individuals and organizations prone to financial scams, identity theft and data breaches. The purpose of the degree program is to go beyond the technical aspect of cyberattacks to understand the underlying behavioral nature of human beings and how they make decisions using technology.

“You cannot separate human behavior from our understanding of cybersecurity,” said Suárez. “Studies show that most breaches can be attributed to human behavior. The reasons could be human error or social engineering attacks that exploit human psychology or just weak policies. Thus, we need a deeper understanding of human behavior and human nature to understand the cybersecurity landscape.” 
 
The degree program takes a multidisciplinary approach, with core classes in the College of Liberal Arts and the College of Science and Technology and electives in the Fox School of Business and Klein College of Media and Communication. While some of the required classes are based in computer science, most of the classes are meant to foster the critical thinking and communication skills students need to solve problems related to cybercrime. 
 
“Today, the most effective defense against cyberattacks involves strategic thinkers who can effectively bridge gaps between security policies, information technologies and human behaviors,” said Suárez. “We need people with critical-thinking skills and good writing skills. This major has a course in ethics in the Philosophy Department because it’s important to understand the ethics of artificial intelligence. We have technical writing in the English Department because policies and protocols have to be written.”  
 
Four new three-credit classes were created for the major: Introduction to Cybersecurity; Social Engineering and Cybersecurity; Cybersecurity Governance, Risk, Compliance and Policy; and Community Engagement and Cyber Hygiene.

As one of the first cybersecurity degree programs in the United States to focus on human behavior, it presents a unique opportunity for students.

Levy Morrison, a Class of 2027 student from Basildon Essex, England, chose cybersecurity and human behavior as a major because he loves both computers and sociology. 

“I have a lot of passions and interests, so I chose this major because it includes computer science courses as well as courses in the humanities,” said Morrison.  
 
Since cybersecurity is so pervasive, the major prepares students for a wide range of jobs including those in the fields of information technology, public policy, law enforcement and user experience (UX) research, among others. It’s also a good option for students planning to pursue business at the graduate level or law.  
 
“The degree program prepares students for any kind of career. It gives them the skills to be able to interpret information in an educated way that enables them to think outside the box,” said Suárez.  
 
She notes that it’s also relevant preparation for careers in government. “The federal and state and city governments all have a cybersecurity department, and not everybody in those departments is writing code,” said Suarez.  
 
“There are plenty of people who work in cybersecurity who spend zero time writing code behind a computer,” continued Suárez.