Education and qualification degree: PROFESSIONAL BACHELOR
Form of education: FULL-TIME, PART-TIME, DISTANCE
Duration of study: 3 years
Area of higher education: 5. TECHNICAL SCIENCES
Professional Field: 5.3. COMMUNICATION AND COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY
Qualification: PROFESSIONAL BACHELOR OF HIGH-TECH CYBER SECURITY
Credits according to ECTS: 180
I. MAJOR PROFILE
The bachelor’s program in the major “Cybersecurity of High Technologies” corresponds to professional direction 5.3. “Communication and Computer Engineering”.
The program is offered in full-time and part-time forms of study. The subjects in the curriculum are divided into three areas – mandatory, mandatory elective and optional. Professional bachelors are trained according to the credit system, which allows for quality of training, in accordance with EU requirements and directives. The training is based on theoretical training and practice in the field of developing protection of information and communication systems, Internet and web technologies, modern high-tech systems, etc. The major is consistent with international standards in cybersecurity and provides basic broad-profile training for design, auditing and maintenance of the security of electronic data, communication networks and server services. The training aims to prepare qualified specialists for the IT sector.
II. GOALS AND TASKS OF THE MAJOR
Objectives of the major
The goal of the major “Cybersecurity of High Technologies” for the “Professional Bachelor” is to respond to global challenges in the IT field by acquiring knowledge about modern IT technologies and building practical skills for independent or team-based problem solving in the field of electronic data protection, communications and server services.
The goal of the major “Cybersecurity of High Technologies” for EQL (educational and qualification level) “professional bachelor” is to respond to global challenges in the IT field by acquiring knowledge about modern IT technologies and building practical skills for independent or team-based problem solving in the field of electronic data protection, communications and server services.
Main goal
The main goal of the major “Cybersecurity of High Technologies” is to create appropriate conditions for the professional training of specialists in the field of cybersecurity, contributing to the acquisition of competencies that will allow students to achieve successful professional realization in maintaining the security of IT infrastructures, delivering secure online services, and offering solutions for secure communications.
Additional goals
Additional goals of the training in the major “Cybersecurity of High Technologies” are building skills for creative thinking, independence in solving problems, and the ability to work in a team.
Tasks:
1. Acquisition of modern knowledge, skills and competencies that are relevant to new trends in the field of cybersecurity.
2. Creation of appropriate conditions for an educational environment that motivates students to develop skills for independent problem-solving through research and application of scientific methods, tools and platforms.
3. Stimulating a creative attitude to the tasks set by tolerating non-standard thinking and using alternative approaches.
4. Supporting the development of teamwork skills by stimulating the implementation of joint projects based on roles.
5. Building skills for independent acquisition of knowledge and skills in accordance with the rapidly changing requirements of the labor market.
III. QUALIFICATION STANDARD
III.1. Structure and organization of the learning process
The curriculum is structured in blocks in semesters based on mandatory, mandatory elective and optional subjects.
The curriculum is structured in blocks in semesters based on mandatory, mandatory elective and optional courses.
The compulsory block includes the disciplines that build the theoretical preparation of the students and the knowledge and competencies acquired in them in the professional field. There are three main groups of compulsory disciplines providing: general educational knowledge of the scientific field; fundamental knowledge of the scientific field; specialized knowledge and skills in the subject area of the major “Cybersecurity of High Technologies”.
Compulsory elective courses enrich the preparation of students in the major by allowing them to deepen their knowledge and skills in a chosen branch of cybersecurity or to acquire additional competencies in related areas such as communication and presentation skills, management competencies, etc., facilitating their career realization.
Facultative courses provide students with general knowledge in accordance with their interests, goals and needs. These subjects in the curriculum play a supporting role in the educational process, and their list is updated according to trends in the scientific and social spheres, students’ preferences and the specifics of their education.
The mandatory and elective subjects include hours for extracurricular work, during which students develop their skills in independent problem-solving, develop their initiative and creativity.
The methodology of teaching, training and assessment is in line with the European forms and directives for quality education and lifelong learning. The major applies cutting-edge and effective forms of training, combining theory and practice. Multimedia technologies, use of web-based platforms for e-learning, assignment of individual and group tasks are widely used. Various forms are used in assessment to improve student motivation and minimize the subjective factor. Current and final electronic and paper tests, project development, solving tasks and cases are applied.
II.2. Acquired knowledge, skills and competencies
Area and scope of knowledge
The graduate of the “Cybersecurity of High Technologies” major possesses:
• general knowledge of: presentation and communication skills, organizational behavior; fundamentals of economics, digital economics, fundamentals of management, corporate social responsibility;
• basic knowledge of: electrical engineering, electronics, computer architectures; programming languages and approaches; databases;
• in-depth knowledge of: operating systems, networks and protocols, firewalls, cloud technologies, cryptography, information security standards, cyber threats and cyber crises, monitoring and auditing of networks and services, hacker attacks and tools, e-commerce protection, e-crisis management.
Area and scope of skills
A graduate of the “Cybersecurity of High Technologies” major has the skills to:
• configuring and administering operating systems;
• designing and managing software applications and databases;
• designing secure networks;
• monitoring, tracking and detecting network intrusions
• designing and managing information security;
• independently acquiring new knowledge;
• working independently and in a team.
Competencies:
○ Communicative and social competences:
• communicative and empathetic skills for working with people;
• management of software projects, including their teams and resources;
• correct vocabulary for communicating with colleagues, partners and stakeholders, including the use of a foreign language at a good level;
• accurate and accessible presentation of ideas for solving professional problems;
○ Professional competencies:
• decisiveness in making decisions in complex conditions, under the influence of various interacting and difficult to predict factors;
• countering cyber crises, cyber attacks and cyber threats;
• tracking and eliminating security problems;
• ensuring electronic security;
• implementing intelligent security systems;
• applying acquired knowledge and skills in new or unfamiliar conditions;
• using new strategic approaches to solving unforeseen problems arising in the work process.
IV. MAIN LEARNING OUTCOMES
Graduates of the “Cybersecurity of High Technologies” major possess the necessary knowledge, skills and competencies for successful professional realization in the field of designing secure networks and secure network services, monitoring and auditing of network security, e-commerce management, e-government, expert and consulting services, etc. They have a solid theoretical base that allows them to continue their education at a higher educational and qualification level in the direction (master) 5.3. “Communication and Computer Engineering”.
V. STANDARD CONDITIONS AND REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION AND PROCEDURE FOR RECOGNITION OF PREVIOUS EDUCATION
During the study (after successfully passing exams), students of the major may transfer to another higher education institution or be accepted by one in the country and abroad, as the disciplines in which they were trained:
– are equated as mandatory (or are similar), according to the curriculum;
– are recognized as elective, if they correspond to the professional field;
– are accepted as optional, if they correspond to those set out in the curriculum.
The conditions and requirements for admission and the procedure for recognizing previous education are regulated based on national regulatory bases and European directives, internal regulatory acts of the University of Telecommunications and Post, Regulations on the organization and activities of the University of Telecommunications and Post, Regulations on the educational activities of the University of Telecommunications and Post.
VI. GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
The entire course of study ends with the defense of a thesis or a comprehensive state exam in the major. Students who complete the full course of study in the major “Cybersecurity of High Technologies” receive the educational and qualification degree “Professional Bachelor” in professional field 5.3. “Communication and Computer Engineering”, professional qualification “Professional Bachelor in Cybersecurity of High Technologies” in accordance with the National Classifier of Higher Education Fields and Professional Fields, and in accordance with the state requirements for acquiring higher education in the Republic of Bulgaria.
VII. STUDENTS’ REALIZATION OPPORTUNITIES
Graduates of the “Cybersecurity of Communication Technologies” major find career opportunities as:
• specialists in signal security and notification systems;
• programmers and designers of software applications in security systems;
• professionals in applied cryptography;
• experts and consultants in the field of computer networks and communication systems, used in industry, science, education, public and private business, etc.;
• specialists in countering cyber threats, cyber attacks and cyber crises;
• specialists in the protection of communication and computer networks;
• employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Defense, etc.