TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa Community College just launched a new Associate of Applied Science degree program focused on cybersecurity.

“Cybersecurity, we can think of as an art form, so it’s the art of protecting devices, networks, and data against unauthorized use,” said TCC Dean Of Business and Information Technology Travis White.

White said cyber threats are on the rise and are becoming more advanced and believes the new degree program will help grow the field and provide career paths to diverse communities.

“Our student body is diverse, so we want to offer opportunities for students that are looking to upscale in their current role, maybe looking to change careers, or maybe just returning to the workforce, or as a number of our students are also just starting out,” White said.

To support the new degree program, construction is underway on a new classroom with an isolated network.

“It doesn’t look like much now, but in this corner, will be a very sophisticated, fully-functional data center,” White said. “And that data center will have an operating network, and that’s the network where students will be able to attempt intrusions, and then also defend against those attempted intrusions.”

White said the new cybersecurity classroom was made possible by federal and state funding as well as a partnership with Dell and Intel to help develop artificial intelligence.

“I can think of very few of my peers across the nation that will have something of this size and caliber,” White said.

He thinks it’s a huge opportunity for students in the region to get into a career field that’s projected to keep growing.