Cybersecurity, being an interdisciplinary study, relates to a lot of other majors that are offered at ODU. Below I’m going to list four majors specifically that relate to cybersecurity and are also offered here at ODU.

1. Criminal Justice: This major covers both “substantive and procedural law related to the definitions, investigations, processing and punishment of crimes.” This relates to cybersecurity very closely because a lot of issues that are dealt with recently have some sort of digital footprint. Just as a crime can be committed in the physical world, most often, that same crime can be replicated in the digital world. This requires an understanding of law to punish those who commit these same crimes online or even different types of crimes. This concept is known as “cybercriminology.”
2. Sociology: This major covers the study of social life and investigates why people interact with each other the way that they do. This is important in the cyber realm because cyber experts need to understand how different social groups interact online and also how these different social groups influence each other. These influences can shape cyber offending along with the new technologies that come out. When someone understands why someone, or even how, would do something, it helps root out the source of the offense.
3. Computer Science: This major is exclusively the “study of phenomena related to computers.” When looking closely at this major at ODU, the student is expected to thrive in software development. This includes being fluent in different coding languages. This relates to cybersecurity very closely because cybersecurity is a phenomenon related to computers and without understanding the software, there is no real understanding of how to secure computers and different systems. Understanding computer science allows a cybersecurity specialist to harden software and different systems all within the cyber world.
4. Engineering: The subject of engineering is broken down into a variety of different majors. This includes computer engineers, electrical engineers, system engineers, engineering management, and many more. All of these majors have a role in cybersecurity due to the nature of the growing technological world. Any engineering system that is connected to the cyber world is at risk for a cyber attack. Some examples include energy systems, telecommunications, transportation systems, and different critical manufacturers. All of these different systems are subject to increased risk of cyber threats including malware, phishing, deregulating critical systems, and physical damage. It is important that all of these engineering roles understand the cyber impact that is present within their field.