NSA Designates UNO as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations

The Cybersecurity program at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) College of Information Science and Technology (IS&T) has been designated as a National Center for Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations (CAE-Cyber Operations) by the National Security Agency (NSA), at the undergraduate level. The award will be in effect from 2017 – 2022.

UNO joins just 16 other institutions who hold the designation. The CAE-Cyber Operations classification is awarded to four-year colleges and graduate-level universities that meet the NSA’s rigorous criteria that treats cyber operations as an interdisciplinary science, has a robust and active academic program, extensive hands-on research and lab work, as well as supports service learning activities. UNO’s undergraduate degree in Cybersecurity was the curriculum the NSA specifically reviewed and approved for this designation.

“It is an honor to be recognized as a National Center for Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations by the National Security Agency. At only 10 years old, our Cybersecurity program has quickly become a true example of how our multidisciplinary, collaborative and student-focused curriculum works,” said Hesham Ali, dean of the College of IS&T. “Our Cybersecurity faculty, who received several educational and research awards, our industry and government partners, and our enthusiastic students truly make our program one of the best in the country. We’re thrilled that the NSA recognizes this as well.”

UNO has long been a recipient of the NSA’s Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense. The Cybersecurity program was also recently recognized as one of the “Military Times 10 Best Cybersecurity Programs.” Military Times, the leading publication of military-related news for service members and their families, ranked UNO as the nation's top cybersecurity program from a public university, ranked second overall in the country, and the best program in the Midwest.

Additional coursework will be required to sustain the designation. Students who graduate from the undergraduate cybersecurity program will receive a special designation stating that they have completed the CAE-Cyber Operations track in the degree program. You can see the curriculum updates to the Cyber Operations track here.