Georgia Tech launches cybersecurity school

♦ There is a plentiful supply of cybersecurity jobs in Georgia.

ATLANTA — Georgia Tech, already a leader in undergraduate cybersecurity education, is launching a School of Cybersecurity and Privacy.

The new school will be the first of its kind among top research universities. It will weave together Georgia Tech’s three existing cybersecurity degree programs with other interdisciplinary course offerings.

“The new School of Cybersecurity is a reflection of Georgia Tech’s strengths and commitment to serving the needs of our society and our state,” Georgia Tech President Angel Cabrera said Tuesday. “(It) will focus on applied research collaborations with the fast-growing cybersecurity industry in Georgia and meeting a critical workforce need.”

There is a plentiful supply of cybersecurity jobs in Georgia. Besides the cybersecurity needs of the state’s rapidly growing fintech sector centered around Atlanta, Fort Gordon near Augusta is home to the U.S. Army’s Cyber Command Headquarters.

The Georgia Cyber Center in downtown Augusta opened two years ago and is considering constructing a third building at the complex to keep up with demand.

There are more than 500 cybersecurity researchers spread across Georgia Tech’s Midtown Atlanta campus, who bring in more than $180 million in research awards annually.

“Our excellence in the field is well established,” said Rafael L. Bras, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at Georgia Tech. “The school will create the necessary synergy to multiply our impact and make our national security – and the personal security of individuals – safer from the threat of cyberattacks.”