Three University of Tennessee at Chattanooga students spent the past year inside Unum, seeing how cybersecurity functions at one of the city’s largest employers and a Fortune 500 insurance company.
They’re part of UTC’s accelerated Bachelor of Applied Science in Information Technology in Cybersecurity degree program (BAS-IT CyS), which combines intensive coursework with yearlong placements on information security teams at Chattanooga-area companies. The 12-month, three-semester program is designed for transfer and adult learners with prior college credit who want a faster, applied route into IT and cybersecurity.
“We want interns to see cybersecurity in action, taking the concepts they’ve learned and applying them to protect people and systems across a complex enterprise,” said Ben Murphy, senior vice president and global chief information security officer at Unum. “That’s exactly what these BAS-IT students are doing with us.”
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Unum is part of a growing network of BAS-IT employer partners, which also includes companies such as EPB, PlayCore, and Miller Industries.
Eric Meadows
A second career—and the right fit
Eric Meadows didn’t expect to start over. The Chattanooga native already held a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and a master’s in engineering management, both from UTC, when he realized his interests had shifted.
“I always wished I had chosen that path,” he said of working with computers.
Through BAS-IT CyS, Meadows joined Unum’s identity and access management team—what he calls “the front line of trust.”
“I’m the permissions police,” he said with a laugh. “I make sure the right people have the right access at the right time.”
The work immediately felt natural.
“It’s logical, but it’s also about people,” he said. “That’s what makes it interesting.”
Brennan Fugate
Finally clicking on cybersecurity
Brennan Fugate didn’t start college aiming to pursue a career in cybersecurity. He arrived at UTC from Kingsport, Tennessee, planning to study civil engineering and worked weekends in a pharmacy to pay his way. A few semesters in, nothing had “clicked” for him.
“I studied civil engineering for two years,” he said. “I didn’t hate it, but I wasn’t good at it.”
He stepped away from school, completed several tech certificates and eventually found UTC’s BAS-IT program. It was a route that made the IT field feel accessible.
“This program gave me what I was missing—real experience,” he said. “In the morning, you might see a new vulnerability out in the wild. Our job is to figure out what’s affected and get it patched.”
At Unum, Fugate worked with the attack surface management team, helping monitor and respond to potential weaknesses across a large technology footprint.
“Interns assist with hands-on work like tracking vulnerability remediation dates, assessing potential risks, and reviewing and updating our team’s processes and procedures,” Murphy said. “These experiences give them a practical understanding of the types of activities that strengthen enterprise security.”
For Fugate, the scale was an adjustment.
“Unum is huge, but it’s a softer landing because there are so many people and resources,” he said. “It took until June or July before everything really clicked.”
Ben Craig
Seeing the big picture
Technology always called Chattanooga native Ben Craig, a graduate of STEM School Chattanooga. He started studying computer engineering at UT Knoxville, but the isolation of COVID-19 disrupted his plans.
“I stepped back, worked for a bit, and then I found this program,” he said. “It felt like the bus was about to leave and I needed to hop on.”
One credit shy of an associate degree at Chattanooga State Community College, Craig transferred into the BAS-IT program and soon joined Unum’s attack surface management team.
There, he learned that cybersecurity is as much about communication as it is about code.
“Attack surface management is really about finding holes and relaying that information to the right people,” Craig said. “For every challenge, I felt equally accomplished. I proved to myself I could learn something I once had no clue how to do.”
More than an internship
At Unum, the students weren’t treated like short-term help; they were part of the team. They attended meetings, took ownership of projects, and saw how decisions within a major company ripple through systems that protect millions of customers.
UTC launched the BAS-IT cybersecurity degree in 2023 to address a regional and national shortage of cybersecurity professionals. The accelerated format mixes compressed seven-week courses with embedded industry experience, and students spend the year switching between classroom work and applied tasks with local employers.
“Working with UTC/BAS-IT connects us to future cybersecurity leaders and strengthens our commitment to developing local talent,” Murphy said. “It’s a partnership that helps students gain real-world experience while building a pipeline of skilled professionals for our industry. We also value the opportunity to help shape curriculum, ensuring graduates enter the workforce with the most current and relevant skills.”
Unum was one of the earliest partners to host a BAS-IT cohort, placing students on its identity and access management and attack surface management teams and pairing them with mentors across the information security organization.
The three students graduated from the program in December 2025, bringing their year at Unum and UTC to a close.
They entered the program looking for a path into cybersecurity. They left with something most new graduates don’t have: a year of experience inside a mature enterprise security operation and a clearer sense of how they want to contribute.
For Meadows, Fugate and Craig, the work at Unum and the BAS-IT degree add up to more than a line on a résumé. They walk away able to step into a cybersecurity team, follow the conversation and keep learning.
Learn more
College of Engineering and Computer Science
Bachelor of Applied Science: Information Technology in Cybersecurity
