UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — For the third time, Penn State has been designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD). The designated program of study is the security and risk analysis major, information and cyber security option, in the College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST).

The designation, which is in place through the 2028 academic year, recognizes Penn State’s ability to bolster the nation’s efforts to address the critical shortage of professionals with cybersecurity skills. Michael Hills, teaching professor and coordinator of the undergraduate security and risk analysis program in the College of IST, accepted the designation at the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education Conference and Expo. The conference, held June 3-5 in Dallas, brought together community members and thought leaders from education, government, industry and nonprofits to explore ways of developing a skilled cybersecurity workforce ready to meet the challenges of the future, according to its website.

“Higher education is an important component in defending America’s cyberspace,” Hills said. “The U.S. government continues to invest in programs that grow the nation’s cybersecurity workforce as a strategic national security advantage.”

IST’s security and risk analysis program examines how to design systems that are secure, how to measure risk and how to ensure that proper levels of privacy are maintained for individual technology users, businesses, government agencies and other organizations. The major is based on an interdisciplinary curriculum that integrates areas of study in information assurance, intelligence analysis, cyber forensics and law and policy.

The program features an interdisciplinary curriculum that provides a combination of theory, experience with cybersecurity tools and consideration of law and policy. Students can develop a thorough knowledge of the strategic and tactical levels of intelligence collection, analysis and decision-making in various security and risk domains. The program also includes a solid research component. Further, the program is available online through Penn State World Campus, making it readily available for active members of the U.S. military.

The certification provides advantages for Penn State students in the security and risk analysis program. Students who complete the required courses that satisfy the designated knowledge units earn a letter of recognition and a certificate of achievement from the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security. This certifies that the student graduated from an institution whose security-related faculty, resources, curricula and commitment were found to be of high quality.

The CAE-CD is designed to support the development and cybersecurity skills and excellence so that the nation can maintain its competitive edge in cybersecurity, according to the National Security Agency. 

“In our next steps, we will review the program of study validations for IST’s undergraduate and graduate programs in cybersecurity analytics and operations,” said Nick Giacobe, associate teaching professor and coordinator of the undergraduate cybersecurity analytics and operations program in the College of IST.