Cybersecurity education in European higher education institutions

Abstract

This research paper presents some of the findings of an ongoing Cyber Citizen Initiative project (2022-24), which benchmarked civic cybersecurity education and training in all European Union (EU) member states. The research paper focuses on cybersecurity education in higher education. The study concluded that cybersecurity education varies across the EU. Whereas some countries have dozens of higher education institutes providing education in cybersecurity, some others have only a few institutions and educational programmes for the topic. In general, the educational programmes tend to be specific and focus on technical skills. A wider understanding of cybersecurity as a societal concern, civic cybersecurity skills, and discipline geared cybersecurity competence building may be lacking from the curricula.