Cybersecurity Degrees Surge 271% as Computer Science Applications Decline

According to a report from the Cybersecurity Workforce Data Initiative (CWDI), the number of degrees and certificates awarded in Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance grew by 271% from 2012 to 2022.

This growth shows no signs of slowing. National University reports that enrollment in U.S. cybersecurity programs has increased over 35% in recent years, with total enrollment growing on average 15% annually across all award levels from fall 2018 to fall 2022.

The clear winners within Computer and Information Sciences are Data Science and Analytics and Cybersecurity—fields with strong hiring, clear career paths, and salaries that justify the educational investment.

The shift reflects rational career calculation. Students see three clear advantages in cybersecurity over general computer science:

1. Job Security — 4.8 million unfilled cybersecurity positions globally means employers compete for talent, not vice versa
2. Salary Premium — Information security analysts earn $124,910 median salary (BLS, May 2024), with specialists in AI security and cloud earning 30-40% premiums
3. AI Resistance — Security work requires human judgment, threat assessment, and contextual reasoning that AI augments rather than replaces
4. Clear Career Path — Progression from analyst → engineer → architect → CISO is well-defined with corresponding salary increases

Meanwhile, prospective students are seeing troubling signals from the traditional CS job market. According to Lightcast, from March 2024 to April 2025, total U.S. computer science job postings dropped to just over 900,000—a 35% decline from the 1.3 million posted between March 2019 and April 2020.

As EAB notes, 'The rise of artificial intelligence automation has created uncertainty among prospective graduate and adult computer science students surrounding job security and availability. Prospective students are now reading headlines about layoffs, automation, and hiring freezes, and many are questioning whether a traditional computer science degree still leads to the return on investment they expect.'

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 33% increase in information security analyst jobs from 2023 to 2033—much faster than average. The cybersecurity field offers several structural advantages:

• Regulatory tailwinds — GDPR, CCPA, SEC cyber rules, and industry mandates create permanent demand for security professionals
• Threat escalation — As attacks grow more sophisticated, defensive capabilities must scale accordingly
• Digital transformation — Every cloud migration, IoT deployment, and AI system creates new attack surfaces requiring protection
• Compliance requirements — Organizations must employ security staff to maintain certifications and pass audits
• Insurance mandates — Cyber insurance increasingly requires dedicated security personnel

Despite the growth, only about 3% of U.S. bachelor's degree graduates have cybersecurity-related skills, and only 74% of cybersecurity roles have qualified professionals to fill them. This supply-demand imbalance will persist for years.

Both paths have merit, and the choice depends on your interests and goals:

• Choose Cybersecurity if: You want job security, enjoy detective/analytical work, are comfortable with continuous learning (threats evolve constantly), and want a clear path to six-figure salaries
• Choose CS if: You want to build products, enjoy algorithmic problem-solving, are interested in research/academia, or want maximum career flexibility across tech domains
• Consider combining: A CS foundation with cybersecurity specialization creates a powerful profile for application security, security engineering, and security architecture roles