New Bachelor of Arts in Cybersecurity Degree Is One of the First-of-Its-Kind

To prepare students for an ever-evolving workplace and demand for skilled IT professionals, the University of North Texas at Dallas (UNT Dallas) is launching a new cybersecurity degree program for the 2026–27 academic year. Classes start August 24, 2026, and the last day to apply for the Fall semester is August 10, 2026.

Texas is among a handful of states with the highest demand for cybersecurity professionals, with more than 42,000 job openings, according to CyberSeek, which tracks hiring in the field.

The Bachelor of Arts in Cybersecurity is one of the first of its kind in the U.S. – unique because of the Arts part of the degree. Most commonly, an undergraduate degree in this major would be a Bachelor of Science. During the development process, the university asked a panel of cybersecurity experts, "What would our graduates need to not only get a first job, but to prepare them to get their first promotion sooner?" The response was teamwork, communication, and leadership skills, best learned through a Bachelor of Arts program.

“Our goal is to differentiate cybersecurity education and offer an undergraduate degree that ensures students are career-ready for the opportunities ahead,” said Dr. Jason Garrett, Dean of the College of Business and Technology. “UNT Dallas has partnered with industry leaders who shaped our curriculum – and will continue to – so that graduates will meet or exceed employers’ requirements.”

The Bachelor of Arts in Cybersecurity joins a growing list of degrees offered by the UNT Dallas College of Business and Technology (formerly the School of Business), the fastest-growing college at the university.

With at least 54 Fortune 500 companies headquartered in Texas, including AT&T, ExxonMobil, Texas Instruments, Dell, Kimberly-Clark and American Airlines, demand for cybersecurity professionals is certain to grow. Texas ranks first in financial services hiring in the U.S., fueled by the new “Y’all Street” in Dallas that is home to the Texas Stock Exchange (TXSE), along with NYSE Texas and a new regional headquarters for Nasdaq.

The UNT Dallas Bachelor of Arts in Cybersecurity program embraces innovation and goes beyond classroom instruction to include hands-on experiential education. One important distinction will be a state-of-the-art Cybersecurity Teaching and Learning Lab, a controlled environment where students can install tools, configure systems, analyze security events, conduct hardware- and software-based experiments, and perform controlled simulations.

“UNT Dallas is building exactly what the cybersecurity industry needs — a world-class lab and truly modern curriculum shaped by real-world challenges and informed by today’s leading cybersecurity experts,” said JD Harris, CEO of Argent Reach, a cybersecurity firm. Harris advises the College of Business and Technology, serving on its executive council. “Their commitment to developing thinkers, builders and problem solvers ensures graduates won’t just be ready for the workforce — they’ll be the kind of cyber professionals that employers actively compete for.”

Just as cybersecurity employment opportunities are on the rise in Texas, so are cyberthreats. The Texas Legislature recently created Texas Cyber Command, a centralized authority for the state’s cybersecurity functions. It is a first-of-its-kind agency created to protect Texans from cyberattacks and other technology-related risks. And it is hiring.

From cyber careers to cybercrimes, the growth in Texas is expected to create thousands more well-paying cybersecurity-related jobs in the coming years.

A report by the World Economic Forum said a shortage of qualified workers is leaving millions of cybersecurity jobs unfilled worldwide. The report noted that the field could attract more talent by improving public understanding of what cybersecurity professionals do, removing barriers to entry and improving workforce diversity, and it called for better education and training to equip students and professionals with the essential skills for a career in the field.

It’s exactly that need for education and training that the UNT Dallas Bachelor of Arts in Cybersecurity will address. “Through a unique curriculum, cutting-edge lab and instructors with real-world experience, UNT Dallas will provide the next generation of cybersecurity leaders,” said Garrett.

Applications are now being accepted for Fall 2026. Prospective students should go to applytexas.org for information on how to apply to the program.