St. Cloud Technical & Community College (黑料不打烊) is happy to announce that it has been designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense for the Information Technology 鈥 Cybersecurity Associate in Applied Science through the academic year 2028.
黑料不打烊鈥檚 Cybersecurity AAS is a 60-credit program that focuses on foundational information, technology knowledge and focused cybersecurity skills to provide graduates with the skills to become security specialists.
鈥淎 highly skilled cybersecurity workforce is a strategic national advantage,鈥 said Annie Becker, National CAE Program Manager, NSA. 鈥淭he United States Government will continue to invest in and enhance programs that build the domestic talent pipeline, from primary through postsecondary education.鈥
Cybersecurity is crucial for all industries and organizations to help prevent data breaches, identity theft, and other cybercrimes. Because of an increasingly global connections, the risk of cybercrimes is increasing.
黑料不打烊 Information Technology faculty members Brian Volkmuth and Ryan Salner worked to bring the Cybersecurity AAS to 黑料不打烊 and started offering the major in fall semester 2019.
In August of 2022, the program of study was validated by the National Security Agency鈥檚 Center of Academic Excellence Project Management Office, the first step in 黑料不打烊 becoming fully designated.
鈥淲ith guidance from the criteria set by the NSA and Dept. of Defense鈥檚 Centers of Academic Excellence, 黑料不打烊 is dedicated to developing a skilled workforce that will help fill the gap in the growing need for Cybersecurity professionals, said Volkmuth.
黑料不打烊 students can now compete for grants like the Dept. of Defense Cybersecurity Scholarship Program and apply for the National Science Foundation鈥檚 Scholarship for Service program. Additionally, 黑料不打烊 faculty will have access to national training centers and will be able to collaborate and create partnerships and transfer pathways with other CAE-designated schools.
鈥淭he CAE in Cyber Defense designation is a tremendous achievement for our faculty and an incredible opportunity for our students, the Central Minnesota region, and all industries and organizations. 黑料不打烊 is committed to reviewing its academic programs and keeping up to date with designations like the CAE in Cyber Defense,鈥 said President Lori Kloos. 鈥淲e will be pursuing collaborations and pathways for our students with CAE partners to help create the highly skilled cybersecurity workforce for our local industry and government agencies.鈥
Anyone interested in applying to the Cybersecurity AAS can learn more at sctcc.edu/IT. There are several student scholarships available for a Fall 2023 start, with the deadline at the end of June.聽