OSU Institute of Technology's Bachelor of Technology in Information Technologies - Cybersecurity & Digital Forensics has been ranked No. 3 on Study.com's 2021 list of Best Bachelor Degrees in Cyber Security, the only Oklahoma institution in the ranking.

"Being ranked in a nationwide selection process is in itself is quite a task," said Eileen Dewey, assistant dean of the School of Creative & Information Technologies. "To be given a No. 3 rank out of 100s of other schools not only says something for OSUIT but what a compliment for Oklahoma."

Study.com, a website with over 40 million visitors per month, is a resource to research potential schools, degrees and careers. To compile the ranking list, Study.com considered hundreds of universities across the country. OSUIT was selected based on academic and career resources, the quality of education, faculty and more.

The Cybersecurity & Digital Forensics program at OSUIT provides rigorous coursework to help students gain a holistic understanding of the fundamentals of cybersecurity and develop essential skills in protecting digital data from potential attacks.

Dewey believes that the applied aspect of the curriculum and close connections with industry partners make OSUIT's program stand out from others.

"By having an IT company located right here in our building, along with our extremely active advisory board members, we can keep up with industry demand and teach that in the classroom," said Dewey. "In addition, the required internship in our BT degree also allows for our students to gain industry experience before even graduating from college."

The program is 100% online, allowing students the flexibility to learn from anywhere.

"During a pandemic, when other colleges were suffering, we were able to do the opposite and have a thriving program," said Dewey. "Being able to offer the program online allowed us to continue offering the same degree we always have. Because of that, we have had a record-breaking increase in enrollment over the last year and a half."

Dewey pointed out how much has changed within the past year due. The COVID-19 pandemic created an increased need for IT professionals. During the pandemic, organizations worldwide saw about a two-thirds increase in ransomware and phishing attacks, according to the 2021 state of Phish annual report from Proof Point.

"This only validates the need for all businesses to have a cyber protection program of some sort within their organization," said Dewey. "If you are interested in our program, I encourage you to apply," said Dewey. "With our extremely low cost, small class sizes and applied aspect to our classes, you will gain a ton of experience to set you apart in the industry from other degrees."