Rose State College in Midwest City offers bachelor's degree through

Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City), Sep 25, 2006 by David Page

Rose State College students will be able to get a bachelor's degree in technology in information assurance and forensics without leaving Midwest City through a new partnership with Oklahoma State University-Okmulgee.

Students will receive an associate's degree in networking/cyber- security from Rose State and then transfer to OSU-Okmulgee for upper- level courses.

"Courses needed for a bachelor's degree that are not offered at Rose State can be taken online," said Ken Dewey, director and professor of networking/cyber-security at Rose State.

This fall 19 students at Rose State are enrolled in 45 classes through OSU-Okmulgee.

"It is critical that higher education institutions work together to address emerging industry needs," said Scott Newman, OSU- Okmulgee's Information Technology Division chair.

Students can earn up to five national cyber-security certifications in addition to degrees at Rose State, Dewey said.

Federal certification will aid students seeking government jobs

Dewey expected to have about eight students when Rose State began offering the national certification programs in the fall of 2004. About 45 students enrolled, and the program has continued to grow.

About 145 students are in the program this fall.

"This is way above what we expected," he said.

Many of the early students in the program were already in the work force, including employees at Tinker Air Force Base.

Being able to complete their associate degree and bachelor's degree programs on the Rose State campus is important to Tinker employees, Dewey said.

"They can't just up and leave so this is perfect for them," he said.

The program is now attracting more students straight from high school through career technology programs.

Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation background checks are required for cyber-security students, he said.

Classes in the program include digital forensics, information assurance and network security.

Digital forensics includes identification, examination and documentation of computer evidence for the investigation of prohibited and criminal activities. Information assurance ensures that an organization's critical information and information technology systems are reliable and secure.

"We are extremely excited about this new opportunity for the graduates of our program," said Eileen Dewey, professor of networking/cyber-security and Ken Dewey's wife. "A large number of our networking/cyber-security graduates want to continue their education and now they'll be able to."