Academic Cybersecurity Disciplinary Foundations and Accreditation

Abstract

This session is designed to attract participants with an interest in post-secondary academic cybersecurity programs. Despite the extraordinary interest in cybersecurity due to the job market, relatively little consensus exists on how to design academic programs. Divergence on issues such as degree title, program objectives and outcomes, program scope, whether only one distinct discipline of cybersecurity exists or several, whether a separate academic unit is needed to offer such degrees, and what role other (non-computing) disciplines should play in cybersecurity programs. Prior efforts in defining cybersecurity at the collegiate level include the US Department of Homeland Security and the US National Security Agency's Centers for Academic Excellence (CAE) programs, NIST's National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE), the Cyber Education Project, the Joint Task Force's CSEC 2017 draft curricular guidelines, and ABET accreditation criteria for cybersecurity programs. The audience is expected to consist of college faculty and administrators who are either in the process of starting cybersecurity programs or are seeking guidance for developing security content for other computing programs that must now teach security. This session will allow participants to share ideas regarding how to develop and teach cybersecurity in four-year, post-secondary academic programs.