South Carolina State University was recently designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education by the National Security Agency and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
South Carolina State is the first and only historically black institution in South Carolina to receive this designation. The designation is for the university’s bachelor’s degree in computer science and cybersecurity. The designation is valid through the year 2024.
Institutions designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education are recognized by the U.S. government for their effective cyber defense programs and curricula. The programs must be a top choice for students who want to learn the necessary knowledge and skills to succeed in the cybersecurity workforce.
Dr. Nikunja Swain, South Carolina State’s interim chair of the mathematics and computer science department and professor of computer science stated that “this [designation] helps our computer science program. It helps us with recruitment, retention, getting external funding and training students in cybersecurity, which is a very important field with a huge shortage of workers.”
