An interview with Ayad Barsoum | St. Mary's University
Cybersecurity Guide12 Helmi

An interview with Ayad Barsoum | St. Mary's University

Dr. Ayad Barsoum is the interim chair of computer science and graduate programs director for cybersecurity at St. Mary's University in San Antonio.

In this episode, Barsoum discusses how the school’s NSA/DHS Center of Academic Excellence designation translates into real value for students, rigorous standards, shared resources, grants, and internship opportunities, while preparing graduates for both private-sector and government roles.

Barsoum describes building a comprehensive cybersecurity master’s program with a strong technical core plus business/management and law/ethics, and explains the stackable pathway: a 12-credit graduate certificate (four courses) that can be tailored to goals (e.g., cloud, wireless, cryptography, forensics, risk, policy, AI/cyber, CISSP prep) and then fully applied toward the 33-credit MS.

He also outlines prerequisites for non-tech majors, the MS capstone choice between project or research thesis (especially for PhD-bound students), and how the curriculum emphasizes hands-on competence through course projects, demos/defenses, and career supports like internships-for-credit, career fairs, and industry seminars.

More details on Cybersecurity Guide.

Jaksot(72)

Douglas Rausch | Bellevue University

Douglas Rausch | Bellevue University

Douglas Rausch is and associate professor and program director of cybersecurity at Bellevue University.Rausch shared his nontraditional path from software and military communications into Air Force cy...

2 Helmi 48min

Lance Fiondella | University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

Lance Fiondella | University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

Dr. Lance Fiondella is a professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and the director of the UMass Dartmouth Cybersecurity Center.Fiondella says cyber...

20 Tammi 47min

Todd R Andel | University of South Alabama

Todd R Andel | University of South Alabama

Dr. Todd R. Andel is the Dean of the School of Computing at the University of South Alabama, a former U.S. Air Force officer with 23 years of service.In this episode he explains how industry and gover...

6 Tammi 45min

Fan Wu | Tuskegee University

Fan Wu | Tuskegee University

Dr. Fan Wu is the head of Computer Science at Tuskegee University and director of the National Center of Information Assurance Education, with a WPI PhD and over 20 years of leadership advancing hands...

11 Joulu 202529min

Rick Lopez | Northeast Lakeview College

Rick Lopez | Northeast Lakeview College

Rick Lopez, an Associate Professor at Northeast Lakeview College (NLC) and former IT consultant.Lopez explains he moved from industry to academia to “transfer skills,” using his Fortune 500 consulting...

19 Marras 202541min

Justin Williams | Mount Aloysius College

Justin Williams | Mount Aloysius College

Justin Williams, is an instructor and chairperson of the Information Technology Department at Mount Aloysius College.Williams shares his personal journey into cybersecurity, starting as a student pass...

24 Loka 202538min

Shane Allen | OSU-OKC

Shane Allen | OSU-OKC

Shane Allen, an assistant professor of Information Systems and Technologies at Oklahoma State University, Oklahoma City.Shane discussed his academic and professional journey, including his early exper...

2 Loka 202535min