August 20, 1999 Web posted at: 2:48 p.m. EDT (1848 GMT) by Mary Lisbeth D'Amico

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MUNICH (IDG) -- Addressing a shortfall of qualified IT personnel, a German university in the city of Bochum plans to begin offering what it says is Europe's first degree in Internet security.

The Ruhr University Bochum has unveiled plans to open a Center of Excellence for Internet Security (EURUBITS), where students can earn a "master for IT security," a degree which draws from the fields of computer science, mathematics and economics.

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Although other universities may cover some of the same material in their computer science degrees, the Ruhr University Bochum believes its curriculum will be one of the broadest-ranging studies of IT security issues, according to Elmar Szhalük, a member of the University project team.

"It will include the whole view of security -- everything from cabling to software to legal issues," he said.

One goal of the new IT security center is to help Germany produce more qualified personnel, according to a report issued by the university. In Germany alone, some 8,000 professionals are still needed in the field of IT security, the university said yesterday, and Europe-wide, some 500,000 IT jobs remain unfilled.

The center will also offer adults continuing education courses, and will carry out research on behalf of IT companies.

EURUBITS is slated to begin offering its first two classes for the University's upcoming winter semester, which starts in October. A full curriculum is expected to be on offer by October 2000.

Two interim professors have been hired, and the long-term plan is to have three permanent professors and three guest professors from outside of Germany, Szhalük said. The program will accept between 50 and 100 students, he said, and some courses will also be offered in English.

EURUBITS has received initial donations of 7.5 million marks (US$4.0 million) from German foundations, which will be used to pay professors and begin construction on a building.

Mary Lisbeth D'Amico is a Munich correspondent for the IDG News Service.