About the Programs

The National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C) program is managed by the National Cryptologic School at the National Security Agency. Federal partners include the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)/National Initiative on Cybersecurity Education (NICE), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Defense Office of the Chief Information Officer (DoD-CIO), and US Cyber Command (CYBERCOM).

The mission of the NCAE-C program is to create and manage a collaborative cybersecurity educational program with community colleges, colleges, and universities that

• 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,
• Actively engages in solutions to challenges facing cybersecurity education.

Academic institutions may choose from three designations. The designation process is a combination of elements related to the institution focused on outputs for determining academic achievement. This combination assures that the institution meets the desired characteristics of a Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (CAE-C) institution, and that the academic delivery to students is producing the qualified workforce needed by the nation.

CAE-C designated institutions must complete validation of a Program of Study (PoS) which is a series of courses and experiences that a student can reasonably accomplish in the course of attaining a degree or completing a certificate.

• The Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD) designation is awarded to regionally accredited academic institutions offering cybersecurity degrees and/or certificates at the Associates, Bachelors and graduate levels.
• The Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Research (CAE-R) designation is awarded to DoD schools, PhD producing military academies, or regionally accredited, degree granting four-year institutions rated by the Carnegie Foundation Basic Classification system as either a Doctoral University – Highest Research Activity (R1), Doctoral University – Higher Research Activity (R2), or Doctoral University – Moderate Research Activity (R3).
• The Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations (CAE-CO) program is a deeply technical, inter-disciplinary, higher education program firmly grounded in the computer science, computer engineering, and/or electrical engineering disciplines, with extensive opportunities for hands-on applications via labs and exercises.

Institutions wishing to be designated a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD) or Cyber Operations (CAE-CO) for a particular program of study will apply in two parts.

Part 1: Program of Study (PoS) Validation: The process will begin with the submission of elements pertaining to the academic program of study, including curriculum, faculty profiles and qualifications, maturity of the program, and so on. An institution may opt to have multiple programs of study validated before pursuing designation, or may achieve designation with one PoS and return to have additional programs of study validated.

Part 2: CAE-C Designation: Once one program of study has been validated, the institution may pursue a designation. To be eligible for designation, the academic institutions must hold a current regional accreditation as outlined by the Department of Education. While multiple PoS validations per academic institution is allowed, no duplicates of any Institutional designation type is allowed.

Program Development & Application Assistance

Program Development - Applicants who are assessed to require more than one year to be ready for designation will be assigned to Program Development. In this phase, the applicant will have access to workshops, seminars and an advisor to help in their preparation for designation. Schools in this phase will also be invited to programs and events hosted by the CAE in Cybersecurity Community and have access to other resources offered by the NCAE-C Program Management Office only for the CAE-C audience.

Application Assistance - Applicants who are assessed to be within one year of readiness for designation will be placed in Application Assistance and be assigned a mentor. In this phase, the applicant will be invited to programs and events hosted by the CAE in Cybersecurity Community and have access to other resources offered by the NCAE-C Program Management Office only for the CAE-C audience.