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Purdue University Global Offers Degree to Boost Cloud, Security Skills [#Infographic]

The online degree aims to boost the number of workers with desperately needed cloud security and management training.

Eli is Associate Editor for EdTech Magazine Higher Education. When not in the office, Eli is busy scanning the web for the latest podcasts or stepping into the boxing ring for a few rounds.

As cloud computing becomes more common in professional and academic environments, there’s growing demand for skilled workers who are able to navigate and secure the cloud.

At Purdue University, administrators have announced a new online bachelor’s degree program that specializes in cloud computing, which will be open to Purdue University Global’s 30,000 students, according to a press release.

“The new Bachelor in Cloud Computing and Solutions online program prepares our students to master the foundational goals of cloud computing to advance their careers and enable organizations to quickly fill vacant cloud positions,” Jeffrey Buck, dean of Purdue Global’s School Business and IT, tells EdTech. “Many brick-and-mortar colleges do not provide turnkey employees because their programs are very theoretical, and those students need additional training to pass certification tests to work in cloud-related positions. Purdue Global identified the need, expanded an existing cloud program and recently made it available to all Purdue University Global students.”

Students who enter this track will supplement foundational IT instruction with classes that cover data migration to the cloud, cloud services, programming in the cloud and cloud security, says Buck. Purdue University Global is also aligned with the certification programs offered by Cisco, Microsoft and CompTIA, which means students can become certified as they complete their degree.

Overall, says Buck, the goal of the program is to narrow the gap between the availability of skilled IT workers and the exploding demand for their services caused by rapid digital transformation.

To highlight the need for more workers trained in cloud computing and security, Purdue has released an infographic with the latest statistics on the skills shortage.