New Mexico State University initiated its Bachelor of Science in cybersecurity in 2020 and last year graduated its first cohort. The program is cross-disciplinary, including courses in information technology and electrical engineering as well as computer science.
The BS in cybersecurity has a new certification to add to its value.
Recently, NMSU’s cybersecurity degree program received the National Security Center for Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NSA CAE CD) certification, which is valid through 2030. The certification establishes standards for cybersecurity curriculum and academic excellence, includes competency development among students and faculty, values community outreach and leadership in professional development, integrates cybersecurity practice within the institution across academic disciplines and actively engages in solutions to challenges facing cybersecurity education.
“We had to validate our cybersecurity degree program by providing a lot of information such as the number of students graduated, number of students enrolled, all the opportunities that our students have, educational as well as extracurricular opportunities and our faculty profiles,” said Roopa Vishwanathan, NMSU computer science associate professor. “But now, we are officially designated a National Security Agency Center of Excellence in Cyber Defense for our BS in cybersecurity.”
There are three designations available: Cyber Defense, Cyber Research and Cyber Operations.
NMSU’s designation is Cyber Defense. This certification will add credibility to graduates’ resumes when they apply for jobs. It also provides undergraduate scholarship opportunities only available to students enrolled at NSA CAE CD-certified institutions. In addition, the certification may attract more cybersecurity faculty to NMSU’s computer science department.
Vishwanathan’s next step is to aim for a certification as a National Security Center for Academic Excellence in Research, which comes with grant opportunities for faculty research and for undergraduate research programs.
“We hope the certification will incentivize undergraduate students to consider doing a double major if they are already doing a major in computer science,” Vishwanathan said. “They can take a few extra courses and get a double major in cybersecurity, which also comes with the certification. This also applies to students in interdisciplinary programs.”
“We also have a master’s accelerated program, where eligible undergraduate students can get a master’s and bachelor’s degree in five years,” she added. “That, along with the certification, will incentivize more undergraduates to go to grad school and consider research.”
NMSU is among 474 colleges and universities across the United States that have been selected for this certification.
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CUTLINE: Front row (L to R): Kartick Kolachala, computer science Ph.D. student; Santosh Adhikari, computer science Ph.D.; Manuel Mares Solano, computer science master’s student; Roopa Vishwanathan, NMSU computer science associate professor; Casey Tran, computer science Ph.D. student; Christian Garcia Rivero and Horacio Gonzalez, both computer science students earning bachelor’s in cybersecurity. Dog’s name is Lucky. Back row (L to R): Miguel Guirao, computer science Ph.D. student; Sharad Shrestha, computer science Ph.D. student; Christopher Ian Timms, computer science postdoctoral fellow; Jacob Rydecki, computer science master’s student; Gaurav Panwar, NMSU computer science assistant professor. (Courtesy photo)