The Cybersecurity Master’s Degree Program at CCNY's Grove School of Engineering is designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense.
The City College of New York has been designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD) by the National Security Agency (NSA) for the Cybersecurity Master’s Degree Program in City College’s Grove School of Engineering. This designation will run through 2028.
The NSA awards CAE-C designations to institutions that commit to producing cybersecurity professionals that will reduce vulnerabilities in the national infrastructure. While the NSA does not provide funding to CAE-C designated institutions, once a school obtains a designation, it can compete for grants like the Department of Defense Cybersecurity Scholarship Program and can apply for the National Science Foundation’s Scholarship for Service program.
“This validation by the National Security Agency affirms CCNY commitment for offering this Cybersecurity Master’s Degree Program as a standards of cybersecurity curriculum and academic excellence, and its pursuit to integrate cybersecurity practice within the institution across academic disciplines,” said Tarek Saadawi, co-founder of the Cybersecurity Master’s Degree Program and director of the Center for Information Networking and Telecommunications (CINT).
Through seed funding from the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), City College built the Cybersecurity Master’s Degree Program in collaboration with private sector and government partners. The master’s program is part of a broader initiative designed to stimulate the cybersecurity ecosystem and establish New York City as the global leader in cybersecurity.
The goal of the program is to develop an industry-informed curriculum providing students with the practical skills required for professional success, and to integrate classroom learning with internships and other industry-supported events. The curriculum has been validated by the NSA as part of its National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity program.
This past summer, City College collaborated with the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) to pilot the Cyber NYC Internship Program linking students to paid internships offering hands-on training, networking, and real word experience with the goal of converting the opportunities into full-time jobs. CCNY has partnered with Cyber NYC since 2018.
About The City College of New York
Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided a high-quality and affordable education to generations of New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. CCNY embraces its position at the forefront of social change. It is ranked #1 by the Harvard-based Opportunity Insights out of 369 selective public colleges in the United States on the overall mobility index. This measure reflects both access and outcomes, representing the likelihood that a student at CCNY can move up two or more income quintiles. Education research organization Degree Choices ranks CCNY #1 nationally among universities for economic return on investment. In addition, the Center for World University Rankings places CCNY in the top 1.8% of universities worldwide in terms of academic excellence. Labor analytics firm Emsi (now Lightcast) puts at $1.9 billion CCNY’s annual economic impact on the regional economy (5 boroughs and 5 adjacent counties) and quantifies the “for dollar” return on investment to students, taxpayers and society. At City College, more than 15,000 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in eight schools and divisions, driven by significant funded research, creativity and scholarship. This year, CCNY launched its most expansive fundraising campaign, ever. The campaign, titled “Doing Remarkable Things Together” seeks to bring the College’s Foundation to more than $1 billion in total assets in support of the College mission. CCNY is as diverse, dynamic and visionary as New York City itself. View CCNY Media Kit.