FIU Business’ STEM-designated MBA in Cybersecurity Risk Management is designed to prepare professionals for the cybersecurity field, where technical expertise alone is no longer enough to manage ever-evolving cyber risks. Housed in the Department of Information Systems and Business Analytics, the program combines cybersecurity management with business strategy, compliance, risk management and leadership development, an approach program director Yan Chen says reflects how organizations now confront cyber threats.
“For a lot of people, they think cybersecurity is technical stuff,” Chen said. “But in reality, cybersecurity involves organization wide security management. It involves compliance, regulatory requirements, especially privacy compliance.”
That broader lens is also reflected in how the program was developed, said Karlene C. Cousins, chair of the Department of Information Systems and Business Analytics.
“The program was created in partnership with CISOs from South Florida’s leading companies sitting on our advisory board, who recognized the need for a specialized program to help address the shortage of cybersecurity workforce talent, especially in management roles,” Cousins said.
That combination of business and cybersecurity focus is what drew alumnus Joe Alequin to FIU Business. Alequin, now chief information security officer at a nonprofit organization in New York, entered the program with a strong technical background and about two decades of experience in cybersecurity. What he wanted, he said, was a deeper understanding of how business operations shape cyber risk and decision-making.
“I knew that understanding that additional context of the business operations on top of my role as a cybersecurity professional would really be very beneficial and make me a better professional,” Alequin said. “It seemed to bridge the gap between the technical knowledge as a cybersecurity expert with the business processes and understanding how to really manage risks.”
That integration is central to the program’s mission, Chen said. While many cybersecurity programs emphasize technical defense, FIU’s curriculum is built around the reality that cyber risk affects every corner of an organization, from operations and innovation to legal compliance and long-term strategy.
Alequin said one of the program’s most valuable lessons was learning that cybersecurity leaders cannot simply block every risk without considering the business consequences.
“We need to enable the business,” he said. “We can’t be a showstopper. We can’t be a roadblock for business strategies, business initiatives.”
That perspective has shaped how he leads today. In his role as CISO, Alequin oversees the organization’s information security program and said the FIU Business degree helped him communicate more effectively with senior management by translating technical threats into business terms and clarifying the tradeoffs tied to risk decisions.
The need for that kind of leadership is growing as organizations face increasingly complex cyber threats fueled by artificial intelligence, ransomware and geopolitical instability, Chen said. The program includes coursework on AI and cybersecurity, exposing students to how emerging tools can be used both to strengthen defenses and accelerate attacks.
Chen said the program is intended for both technical professionals seeking leadership roles and business professionals looking to enter the cybersecurity field. That flexibility reflects the industry itself, where many leaders arrive with diverse backgrounds.
Alequin believes that combination gives graduates an edge.
“It gives you the tools and almost like a competitive advantage when you’re going into the workforce,” he said. “It definitely puts you in a better position.”
Learn more about the Cybersecurity Risk Management program here.