October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, an event born out of a collaborative effort led by the US Department of Homeland Security and the National Cyber Security Alliance to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity.
The month-long campaign reminds us to adopt safe online practices, stay informed about cyber threats, and take proactive steps to protect their digital information against increasing cyber risks.
Did you know that the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, or IC3, received an average of 836,000 complaints per year from 2020 through 2024? That totals 4.2 million complaints, and more than $50 billion in losses. The problem isn’t getting smaller, either. According to Statistica, cybercrime could cost businesses as much as $15.6 trillion by 2029.
At Boston University’s Metropolitan College (MET), National Cybersecurity Awareness Month is the perfect opportunity to draw focus on the opportunities available to those in the field.
Ian Hill, a graduate of the MS in Computer Information Systems at BU MET, completed his concentration in cybersecurity. “My job is extremely diverse, it involves risk management, security policy and procedure development, vendor reviews, network security, and enterprise security as a whole,” he says. “These are all subjects that I took directly at BU MET with professors who are experienced and elevated within their fields. I was not only able to gain more knowledge, but my security insight matured to a level that I thought unachievable prior to entering my master’s program. All of the topics covered in my program I used in my job interviews, and in my job. Best choice I made.”
A Leader in Cybersecurity Education
BU MET has offered criminal justice education since 1973 and has been a leader in the cross-disciplinary field of information security since 2004. Our trailblazing graduate programs in these areas range from Cybercrime Investigation & Cybersecurity to Digital Forensics, to Cybersecurity and Information Security.
Explore Metropolitan College Cybersecurity Programs.
An Intellectual Hub of Cybersecurity
BU MET is the host of the International White Hat Conference, an annual gathering of law enforcement, academia, and industry practitioners dedicated to addressing an emerging cyber-threat. This year’s White Hat Conference, held in León, Spain, focused on the impact of artificial intelligence and cybercrime.
BU MET also has fielded teams for the annual Cyber Games Competition, put on by the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity. This education-oriented competition entails both a capture the flag-style exercise, which is customary to cybersecurity events, and a second exercise that involves defending an infrastructure from an invading team. These events reflect the career opportunities in the cybersecurity field, most of which fall into “defend” categories. In 2025, BU MET’s team placed second in their region.
A National Center of Academic Excellence
Boston University is a National Security Agency (NSA)-designated Center of Academic Excellence (CAE) in Cyber Defense and Research for its MS in Computer Information Systems concentration in Cybersecurity.
Grant-Supported Curriculum
BU MET’s Cybercrime Investigation & Cybersecurity program is the recipient of a grant from the US Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) supporting the Student Computer Forensics and Digital Evidence Educational Opportunities Program—designed to enhance current capacities of law enforcement agencies in the areas of computer forensics and digital evidence.
#6 in 2025, and top 6 since 2015MET’s online master’s degree in criminal justice is ranked #6 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report for 2025.
#10, Best Online Master’s in Computer Information Technology ProgramsMET’s online master’s degrees in computer information technology are ranked #10 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report for 2025.
