The National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C) program is managed by NSA’s National Cryptologic School. 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 U.S. Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM).
Texas A&M University currently holds the following CAE designations:
- CAE in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD) – indicates that an institution is helping reduce threats to our national infrastructure by promoting higher education and research in cyber defense as well as provide the nation with a pipeline of qualified cybersecurity professionals.
- CAE in Cyber Defense Research (CAE-R) – indicates that an institution increases the understanding of robust cyber defense technology, policy, and practices that will enable our Nation to prevent and respond to a catastrophic event.
- CAE in Cyber Operations (CAE-CO) – supports the President’s National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE): Building a Digital Nation. It furthers the goal to broaden the pool of skilled workers capable of supporting a cyber-secure nation. The CAE-CO program is a deeply technical, inter-disciplinary, higher education program with a particular emphasis on technologies and techniques related to specialized cyber operations (e.g., collection, exploitation, and response), critical to intelligence, military, and law enforcement organizations authorized to perform these specialized operations.
Texas A&M CAE Programs of Study
Institutions that receive a CAE-C designation have met the rigorous requirements set forth by the sponsor of the program, the National Security Agency (NSA). The NSA awards CAE-C designations to institutions that have committed to producing cybersecurity professionals that will reduce vulnerabilities in our national infrastructure. Upon graduation, students who successfully complete all requirements for the NSA validated Cyber Defense (CD) and Cyber Operations (CO) Programs of Study can request a certificate of completion** for their records.
The Program of Study (POS) supporting Texas A&M’s CAE Cyber Defense designation
Students will have completed all requirements for and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science with a Minor in Cybersecurity (Engineering Track). The student’s transcript will denote both the Computer Science major and Cybersecurity minor.
- Bachelor of Science Computer Science
- Cybersecurity Minor
- Completed these classes with a grade of “C” or higher: CSCE 121, 221, 222, 312, 313, 315, 410, and 465 (Engineering Track)
- All requirements must be denoted on student’s transcript
- Student must submit an application to cybersecurity@tamu.edu, with “CAE Cyber Defense Certificate” in the subject line
The Program of Study (POS) supporting Texas A&M CAE Cyber Operations designation
Students will have completed all requirements for and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science with a Cyber Operations Certificate. The student’s transcript will denote both the Computer Science major and Cyber Operations Certificate.
- Bachelor of Science Computer Science
- Cyber Operations Certificate
(The Cyber Operations Certificate will be available for Texas A&M students beginning with the Fall 2024-2025 catalog. Courses required are CSCE 402 Law and Policy in Cybersecurity, CSCE 451 Software Reverse Engineering, CSCE 464 Wireless and Mobile Systems, CSCE 465 Computer and Network Security.)
- All requirements must be denoted on student’s transcript.
- Student must submit an application to cybersecurity@tamu.edu, with “CAE Cyber Operations Certificate” in the subject line
Dr. Drew Hamilton serves as the NCAEC POC for Texas A&M and also serves as the co-lead for the Cyber Operations Community of Practice.