Monash University has announced a partnership with CyberCX, part of Accenture, to co-design and co-deliver a new undergraduate degree focused on cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.
The three-year Bachelor of CyberAI (Industry Co-Lab) was launched by Monash University Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Sharon Pickering and CyberCX CEO and founder John Paitaridis. The university said the course is intended to build skills needed to protect AI systems and respond to cyber attacks, aligning with the Australian Government’s National AI Plan.
Monash said the degree will be available to domestic students from Semester 1, 2027. It is positioned as a workforce pipeline initiative aimed at addressing cybersecurity skills shortages, particularly in roles that require expertise across both AI and cyber security.
According to Monash, the course includes an “industry immersion” model, connecting students with partner organisations for industry-immersed learning during the second and third years. Students will engage in supervised, curriculum-aligned activities with CyberCX as part of that experience.
CyberCX will also create a pathway for students into the CyberCX Academy, with up to 15 positions available each year “subject to suitability and workforce needs”, Monash said. Students will also receive preparation seminars and feedback on academy applications.
Professor Pickering said: “As a top 40 world ranked and Australia’s most industry-connected university, Monash is uniquely positioned to lead the development of the highly specialised cyber security workforce Australia urgently needs to thrive in an AI-enabled economy and society.”
She added: “This degree will see Australian students learning from leading researchers and industry professionals as they apply cutting edge knowledge directly into the cybersecurity industry.”
Paitaridis said: “Developing skilled talent has never been more important in cyber security with the rapid adoption of frontier AI models accelerating the cyber challenges facing our industry and economy.”
He cited Accenture research claiming that “almost half of all cyber security roles remain unfulfilled globally” due to skills gaps in cyber and AI. “Filling these roles through the training of an AI-ready cyber workforce is our best defence as we face a deteriorating cyber threat landscape,” he said.
Monash said the first year of the degree will focus on foundational capabilities in secure systems, cybersecurity operations and AI-enabled technologies, before moving to designing, implementing and managing intelligent and secure solutions in partner organisations. The university also said the course will include an online Secure AI Lab learning environment jointly developed by Monash and CyberCX, and will emphasise responsible and secure AI practice, including ethics, privacy, governance and risk management.
Monash Faculty of Information Technology interim dean Professor Ian Burnett said: “The CyberAI course offering provides a unique opportunity for students to apply their learnings in real contexts through their industry immersion, and be in complete lock step with the rapidly-evolving sector by the time they graduate.”
The university said the CyberAI degree complements other new AI-focused offerings from its Faculty of Information Technology, including a Bachelor of AI, a Bachelor Agentic Software Engineering degree, and an ‘AI for Everyone’ elective available across the university.
