COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF STRATEGIES FOR BUILDING SECOND AND THIRD LEVEL OF 125 “CYBER SECURITY” EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS

Abstract

The article analyzes the global market for the provision of educational services in the field of information security and cybersecurity. The study aims to compare strategies for building curricula for the second and third levels of education for specialties related to information technology, information, and cybersecurity, as well as to formulate recommendations for harmonizing the learning process and international standards. Cybersecurity training programs are becoming outdated too quickly. ISO standards are updated approximately every four years. Also, the standard for the specialty 125 “Cybersecurity” for the third educational level still needs to be finalized. There is a problem of forming a consistent process of introducing the latest approaches and practices into the curriculum. The growth of the information technology market is leading to an increase in the need for cybersecurity specialists. Two processes are taking place simultaneously: the transition from practical skills to fundamental knowledge and vice versa. The most successful higher education institutions are those that can combine both approaches simultaneously. But this requires an experimental base, practical training laboratories, and a staff of teachers and researchers. Only large institutions can perform this task. Since cybersecurity challenges are constantly changing, higher education institutions are required to improve their programs annually. Simultaneously with the process of updating teaching approaches, the body of international and industry standards, as well as various best practices and frameworks, are being improved. Rapid change requires not only continuous improvement from educators but also from cybersecurity practitioners. Thus, the process of continuous learning should continue after the formal completion of a master's or Ph.D. program. The results of this study show that only a comprehensive development of information security skills allows for high-quality training of specialists. Based on this, the requirements for the educational standard for training specialists and scientists are presented.