There are many majors offered by ODU that are related in some way to cybersecurity, but the one I think is the most similar would be a major in computer science. Many people working in the field of cybersecurity don’t have a cybersecurity degree, but many of those people have a computer science degree. Completing a computer science major can definitely help you start a career in the cybersecurity field, and completing a cybersecurity major can definitely get you a career in computer science. While cybersecurity and computer science are completely different majors many jobs in their respective fields can be a bit similar, not to mention that cybersecurity is severely lacking in workers, so having any experience with technology gives you an edge in the workforce and increases your odds of being hired.

The next major isn’t as related to cybersecurity as computer science, but I think a computer engineering major is at least tangentially related to the field of cybersecurity. After all, the security of computers isn’t all based on coding, but also on the physical properties of the computers themselves. Computer hardware specifically refers to the physical structure of a computer and is an important thing to know about as a cybersecurity analyst. I think a major in mathematics could also be considered related, since cybersecurity is related to code, and coding requires a strong understanding of mathematics.

I also believe that a criminology major can be considered related to cybersecurity, since criminology is all about preventing crime and figuring out how and why criminals commit. Cybersecurity too has a strong emphasis on understanding hackers and how they operate, and since cybercrime is as crime, I think the two majors have a lot in common. They may even have more in common than cybersecurity and computer science.