CAE-CO Program Checklist

Current Program of Study / CAE Designation Checklist
Centers of Academic Excellence (CAE) in Cyber Operations (CO)
Program of Study Knowledge Unit (KU) Requirements
Program of Study (PoS) Requirements
CAE Designation Requirements
Complete

Program of Study / CAE Designation Checklist

NSA's CAE in Cyber Operations (CAE-CO) program supports the President's National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE): Building a Digital Nation, and furthers the goal to broaden the pool of skilled workers capable of supporting a cyber-secure nation.

The CAE-CO program is a deeply technical, inter-disciplinary, higher education program firmly grounded in the computer science, computer engineering, and/or electrical engineering disciplines, with extensive opportunities for hands-on applications via labs and exercises.

The CAE-CO program complements the existing CAE in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD) programs, providing a particular emphasis on technologies and techniques related to specialized cyber operations (e.g., collection, exploitation, and response), to enhance the national security posture of our Nation. These technologies and techniques are critical to intelligence, military and law enforcement organizations authorized to perform these specialized operations.

By completing the CAE-CO checklist you are affirming your institution’s readiness to apply for the Program of Study (PoS) validation and the Center of Academic Excellence (CAE) designation. Completing the checklist is the first step in this process and does not guarantee your institution’s final approval for the PoS validation or CAE designation. This checklist is for new CO schools only and is not for currently designated CAE-CO schools seeking redesignation.

Institutions wishing to earn the Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations (CAE-CO) Designation for a particular program of study will apply in two parts.

Part 1: Program of Study (PoS) Review: The process will begin with the submission of elements pertaining to the academic program of study, including curriculum, faculty profiles and qualifications, maturity of the program, and so on. Prospective CAE-CO Institutions must proceed to Part 2 after completing Part 1.

Part 2: CAE Designation: Once the program of study has been reviewed, the institution may pursue CAE designation. To be eligible for designation, the academic institutions must hold a current regional accreditation as outlined by the Department of Education (https://www.ed.gov/accreditation).

Centers of Academic Excellence (CAE) Information

Is your institution pursuing re-designation?

Yes

Please list the re-designating program name below

Is your institution validating an additional program of study?

Yes

Please list all current PoS validations and CAE designations below

Have you previously earned the Cyber Operations program of study validation/CAE designation at your institution? If you are unsure, refer to the CAE Map at https://caecommunity.org/cae-map.

Yes

You must verify that you have contacted the current POC to inform of your intent to pursue validation and/or designation. The current POC will serve as your mentor. Have you communicated your intent to apply to the CAE designated POC?

Yes

College Information

Institution Name

Institution Address

Street Address

City

State

Zip Code

Name of Regional Accreditation Agency

Name of chosen program of study (PoS)

Department that houses the program of study

Program of Study type

Program of Study Webpage Link

Program of Study Online Course Catalog Link

If the proposed PoS is ABET accredited, please list the accreditation type (e.g., Computer Science, Cybersecurity, etc.)

If the proposed PoS resides within an ABET accredited program, please list the accreditation type (e.g., Computer Science, Cybersecurity, etc.)

Point of Contact (POC) Information

Note: The POC must be a full-time faculty member of the institution directly involved with the representative academic program. This will be the person who will be contacted by the PMO and/or the National Centers for all NCAE-C program updates, grants and scholarship opportunities, upcoming events, and other administrative communications. This person is responsible for the Annual Report, Re-designation, and any other important milestones in the institution’s NCAE-C participation.

Title

First

Last

Phone

Email (must be .edu)

Secondary Point of Contact (POC) Information

Note: The Alternate POC must be a full-time employee of the institution associated with the Designation and PoS.