As cyberattacks become more common and sophisticated, the need for people who know how to prevent, detect and respond to them is soaring. And West Virginia’s two largest universities want the state to be part of that growing industry.
Marshall University and West Virginia University are expanding cybersecurity degree programs, forming partnerships with private companies and creating new facilities where students can gain real-world experience. The goal goes beyond preparing students for good-paying careers. Both universities hope their efforts will attract cybersecurity companies, jobs and economic development to West Virginia.
Both Marshall and WVU are nationally recognized as Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education. They also participate in VICEROY, a federal program designed to prepare college students for careers in cybersecurity and national defense. In addition, the universities partner with TWENTY, a cyber defense company, to expand educational and economic opportunities in cybersecurity and national security.
Through these programs and partnerships, students receive hands-on training, mentorship and opportunities to work on real cybersecurity problems. University leaders believe West Virginia can become an increasingly important player in the nation’s cybersecurity industry.
MARSHALL UNIVERSITY
At Marshall University, that effort will soon have a new home.
Marshall’s 72,000-square-foot Institute for Cybersecurity, scheduled to open in August 2027, will bring students, researchers and private companies together under one roof. Alex Donathan, the institute’s executive director, said the facility is designed to serve the entire university rather
than a single academic department.
“Cyber touches almost everything we do,” Donathan said. “We’re able to partner with every college and find ways to incorporate cybersecurity into their curriculum.”
The building will include specialized computer labs for areas such as digital forensics, but much of the facility will be available to students and researchers from across Marshall.
The institute will be a cornerstone of Marshall and the city of Huntington’s new IDEA District, an area being developed to attract research, technology and private investment.
Companies including IBM and Intuit will have a presence in the institute, giving students opportunities to work alongside professionals in the field. IBM plans to establish a cyber campus for students, while Intuit is developing a student-led security operations center, or SOC — essentially a command center where cybersecurity specialists monitor computer systems for threats and respond when problems occur.
Intuit has already hired two Marshall students to work in its own security operations center.
“They’re seeing real-world data, helping evaluate security alerts and working on actual incidents with Intuit,” Donathan said. “Being able to put that kind of experience on your resume while you’re still in school is a fantastic opportunity.”
Even before opening, about 90% of the institute’s available space has been committed. Among its partners is Virginia-based DroneTrace, which gives students opportunities to research
cybersecurity issues involving drones and other unmanned
systems. West Virginia-based Alpha Innovations will also occupy space in the institute and offer internships and scholarships.
“Alpha has been a fantastic partner since the institute began,” Donathan said. “Having them in the building gives students direct access to people working in the industry.”
Marshall is working with the university’s information technology department to create another student-led security operations center where students will provide affordable cybersecurity assistance to organizations throughout West Virginia.
“These capabilities can be very expensive,” Donathan said. “We want to grow this into an asset for the entire state.”
Marshall currently offers a bachelor’s degree in cyber forensics and security, an online master’s degree in cybersecurity and a Ph.D. in cybersecurity. The undergraduate cyber forensics and security program alone has 225 students.
The job prospects are considerable: CyberSeek reports roughly half a million cybersecurity job openings nationwide. Donathan said recent graduates working in the Huntington area could earn approximately $60,000 to $70,000, while salaries in markets such as Washington, D.C., can begin in the six figures.
The rapid development of artificial intelligence is also changing what employers need from cybersecurity workers. Donathan said the institute will give Marshall the flexibility to respond quickly by offering short-term training, specialized credentials and updated courses developed with industry partners.
But the larger goal isn’t simply to prepare West Virginia students for jobs elsewhere.
Marshall is working to bring cybersecurity companies to Huntington so graduates can build successful careers without leaving the state.
“We are absolutely a regional asset,” Donathan said.
WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY
At West Virginia University, cybersecurity extends far beyond a single degree program.
More than 1,000 students are enrolled in more than 20 cyber-related undergraduate programs, 18 graduate programs and five doctoral programs, according to Bill Walker, executive director of National Security and Cyberspace Programs at WVU and WVU Cyber.
That’s intentional, Walker said, because protecting today’s digital world requires much more than cybersecurity specialists. It also requires software engineers, network experts, artificial intelligence specialists, business professionals, policymakers and others.
“Today’s cyber problems aren’t solved by cybersecurity majors alone,” Walker said. “It takes people with many different skills working together to protect the technology our businesses, communities and economy depend on.”
The demand for those skills is growing rapidly. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment in cyber-related occupations to grow nearly 30% over the next decade — far faster than the overall labor market. Those jobs include security analysts, software engineers, network architects and artificial intelligence and machine learning specialists.
WVU’s strategy for bringing some of those jobs to West Virginia doesn’t depend solely on convincing major corporations to relocate hundreds of employees to the state.
Through WVU’s Cyber-Resilience Resource Center, students work with small and medium-sized businesses, startups, local governments and organizations that operate essential services. They help those organizations strengthen their computer systems and meet federal cybersecurity requirements, which can make West Virginia companies more competitive for government contracts.
Economic growth, Walker said, can happen a few jobs at a time.
“It doesn’t always begin with a company moving 500 employees here,” he said. “A company might initially put five or 10 people here. If the talent is good and the business environment
works, they can win additional contracts that require 20, 50 or 100 people. That’s how a cyber industry grows.”
WVU also wants some students to become entrepreneurs rather than employees. Through WVU’s LaunchLab and other university programs, students are encouraged to turn their ideas into businesses of their own.
“If we educate a student and their only option for a sophisticated cybersecurity career is to move away, we’ve only solved part of the problem,” Walker said. “We want our graduates serving the national mission, but we also want more of that work being done here in West Virginia. Some of our students will fill great cyber jobs. I want others to create them.”
Hands-on experience is a major part of that strategy. WVU students work on cybersecurity challenges involving companies that supply services to the federal government. They also use QuickChain, a cybersecurity platform developed by Iron Ridge Cyber, a company founded by WVU graduates. Students can even test their skills against some of the world’s best cybersecurity professionals by participating in Locked Shields, an annual international cyber defense exercise. Working alongside military, government and industry experts, participants defend simulated computer networks and essential services against large-scale cyberattacks.
“Students need exposure to the actual problems government and industry are solving, not simply theoretical knowledge,” Walker said.
Cybersecurity is also playing a role in one of WVU’s largest regional economic development initiatives.
WVU is leading the National Science Foundation’s Resilient Energy Technology and Infrastructure Consortium Engines Program, known as RETI, in partnership with Carnegie
Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh and more than 60 organizations throughout the region.
The initiative combines approximately $321 million in public and private investment and is projected to help create 21,000 jobs, launch 150 startups and generate more than $1 billion in regional economic growth.
As researchers develop new energy technologies involving artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing, protecting those systems from cyberattacks will be essential.
“A modern energy system built around AI, advanced manufacturing and connected technology also has to be secure and resilient,” Walker said.
For Marshall and WVU, that’s the larger opportunity. Cybersecurity isn’t simply another academic program. It is a rapidly growing industry that could give West Virginia students access to lucrative careers — and give some of those graduates a reason to build those careers at home.
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Amanda Larch Hinchman is a freelance writer and editor living in Hurricane, West Virginia.