Eastern launches new cybersecurity minor

In-demand program is open to students of all majors

Willimantic, CT (11/19/2025) — Eastern Connecticut State University launched a new cybersecurity minor in the fall 2025 semester. Spurred by broad interest and increasing workforce demands, the 15-credit minor is available to students of all majors.

The minor was developed in response to projected growth in jobs in the cybersecurity industry, as well as high base salaries and interest in the field among prospective students. As such, the minor will be available to students beyond the computer science major.

"Students who want to (attend) Eastern frequently ask, 'Do you have a cybersecurity minor?'" said computer science Professor Atef Bondok, who helped create the minor with Department Chair Garrett Dancik. "So, we started to think of how to make this minor accessible for students in all majors."

To this end, several of the courses in the minor will also be offered as electives for other majors, enabling more students to explore cybersecurity topics and providing opportunities to add the minor. According to Bondok, an introductory course in the minor called "Cybersecurity and Society" will be available in the Eastern Liberal Arts Core (ELAC) curriculum, an interdisciplinary course load required of all students.

In addition to addressing the societal impact of cybersecurity, coursework in the minor will also focus on networking, programming in software apps such as Python, software network security, and cryptography - the practice of writing and solving codes.

The minor was also designed to alleviate a common concern: mathematics prerequisites. Bondok explained that students do not need a preexisting background in mathematics to start the minor.

"The mathematical foundation will be [covered] within the courses of the cybersecurity minor," said Bondok. "The math required for cybersecurity is already in the courses taught in the program."

Bondok began working to develop the program in fall 2024. During this process, he attended weekly meetings with Dancik and the University's other computer science faculty members.

According to Bondok, these meetings helped the department develop "the basic knowledge that students in this minor should learn about" and "the programming knowledge" that students should gain, leading to the construction of courses involving Python, cryptography, networking, and software network security.

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Eastern Connecticut State University is the state of Connecticut's public liberal arts university, serving upwards of 4,000 students annually on its Willimantic campus. A residential campus offering 41 majors and 68 minors, Eastern offers students a strong liberal arts foundation grounded in a variety of applied learning opportunities. Ranked among the top 25 public institutions in the North by U.S. News & World Report in its 2025-26 Best Colleges ratings, Eastern has also been awarded 'Green Campus' status by the Princeton Review 15 years in a row. For more information, visit www.easternct.edu.

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Eastern Connecticut State University

Eastern launches new cybersecurity minor

In-demand program is open to students of all majors

Media Attachments

Eastern Connecticut State University

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