Alum is First to Earn Business and Cyber Degrees
Kyle Grisamore was a bit skeptical.
He was just finishing an intensive course load in the Master of Science in Cybersecurity (MS Cyber) program when a representative for Georgia Tech’s Master of Business Administration (MBA) program spoke to him about earning a second degree.
Would it really be worth it?
It turned out to be the right choice. Grisamore became the first person at Georgia Tech to earn both an MBA and an MS Cyber degrees.
“People thought I was crazy, but I seriously loved it,” he said. “You’re learning from professors who have gone and done the things you want to do.”
Grisamore jumped feet first into his second degree after confirming that his credits would carry over. However, he quickly noticed the difference between his computer science and business courses.
It was, he said, almost like attending “two different universities.”
“On one hand, cybersecurity students are concerned with the technical aspect of a company’s technology, while MBA students are focused on how that technology will impact things such as the stock price and overall strategy of an organization,” he said.
Between the two programs, two courses stood out to him:
- CS 6726: Privacy, Technology, Policy, and Law, taught by Peter Swire, J.Z. Liang Chair in the School of Cybersecurity and Privacy
- MGT 6532: MBA Japan International Practicum, with Jim Hoadley, associate director of the Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER)
“Privacy wasn’t something I thought I would be interested in, but Professor Swire made it really engaging, and we did a lot of self-studies,” said Grisamore.
“For the international practicum, we studied the Japanese culture and how it affects their business environment. Then we took a trip to Japan with my class over spring break. I’m not exaggerating, it might have been the most fun trip of my life.”
His journey toward earning dual MBA and MS Cyber degrees began during his undergraduate studies at the University of Georgia. It was there he took his first information security class and cybersecurity piqued his interest.
Despite the Covid-19 pandemic upending his senior year, Grisamore jumped right back into academics. He started Georgia Tech’s MS Cyber program in Fall 2020. He only took two summers off while completing both master’s degrees.
“I loved every minute of it,” he said. “I loved learning at Georgia Tech so much I wanted to continue.”
Now a twice-over Georgia Tech alum, Grisamore said he feels immense school pride watching cybersecurity students compete in and win events like the NSA Codebreaker Challenge and the DARPA AI Cyber Challenge.
Today, he keeps busy as a Senior Security Consultant at cybersecurity company Coalfire and as an Information Professional Officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve. Looking ahead, he hopes to become a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at a Fortune 100 company.
