University of North Carolina Wilmington

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Launched in April 2018, the Center for Cyber Defense Education (CCDE) at UNCW is dedicated to raising awareness of cybersecurity issues and supporting the development of cyber defense expertise. Our mission is to graduate qualified cyber defense professionals who rigorously adhere to the fundamental concepts of cybersecurity and possess the skills necessary for thinking critically about cybersecurity issues and effectively solving programs in the cyberspace domain.

What Sets UNCW's Cybersecurity Program Apart?

The B.S. in Cybersecurity program is interdisciplinary between the Computer Science department and the Cameron School of Business. Most other universities' programs only come from the Computer Science department focusing on the technical side of cybersecurity. UNCW's program teaches not only technical skills but also risk management, frameworks, policy, and other managerial aspects of cybersecurity. UNCW's cybersecurity faculty includes professors and seasoned cybersecurity professionals who each have more than ten years of experience in the cybersecurity field. Ulku Clark, Director of UNCW's Center for Cyber Defense Education, was named one of "Wilmington's Top 100 Innovators" by the Greater Wilmington Business Journal.

Two Tracks: Applied Cybersecurity and Cyber Operations

All students complete the core courses which offer both technical and managerial foundational knowledge. After this, students pick between two tracks: applied cybersecurity and cyber operations.

Applied cybersecurity is focused more on the managerial side. Courses include risk management, supply chain cybersecurity, and the CISSP common body of knowledge.

The cyber operations track is more focused on technical skills and includes courses such as secure programming, cyber operations, and malware analysis.

Each track requires students to complete nine courses (3 core and 6 elective). Students can take up to three courses from the other track if they wish to do so. The program teaches both technical and managerial skills using the full range of education techniques: theory-based instruction, partial hands-on guided practice, and full hands-on open-problem-solving cyber ranges.

From Practice to Practitioner

The program encourages students to secure an internship starting their sophomore year to get on-the-job experience while at school. This enables them to graduate as workforce ready candidates upon completion of the program. Some courses include involvement of industry professionals as mentors in classroom discussions throughout the semester. This relationship helps the industry professionals get to know the students and observe their skills for eight to ten weeks. This usually leads to internships or full-time employment.

Industry-Certified

Some of the courses are mapped into industry certifications such as: Security+, Network+, Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) and CISSP. Upon completion of these courses, students are encouraged to take the certification exams. Through grants and donations from regional cybersecurity companies, UNCW offers vouchers to students to take the exams either at no cost or at 25% of the exam fee.

Support From Outside the Classroom

UNCW's Cyber Defense Club is very active and participates in various cybersecurity competitions such as Hivestorm, CyberForce, TracerFIRE, NCCDC, and various CTs throughout the year. Cybersecurity students are encouraged to join the club and practice the skills they learned in the classroom at these competitions.

The Cybersecurity Program has a strong advisory board. Through the relationships with industry partners, the program offers numerous internship and apprenticeship programs.

Fast-Track for the Future

UNCW's Cyber Security program was projected to have 30 students in its first year and 120 by the fourth year. At the end of the first year there were 90 students – far surpassing all projections.

UNCW is designated as a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CD) by the National Security Agency (NSA) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS).