The University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) is developing a robust graduate degree program in Cyber Operations (CO). The program was designed from the beginning to ultimately obtain an NSA/DHS CAE-CO designation. With this in mind, the subject matter experts and curriculum designers focused on the required knowledge units and built in the artifacts to meet other CAE criterion like explicit focus on CO, integration of CO into the foundational courses, and content currency. This session will also review the faculty and student involvement as well as research concerns required for the designation and how the institution approached these concerns. While the UMGC program has not yet been designated as a CAE-CO, this session is valuable to those who are considering a program and for those who may face re-designation hurdles.