Marquette University officials say they have big plans for a new information assurance and cyber defense program, which has gained the attention of two federal agencies.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. National Security Agency cited the program, currently in its third year of availability on the campus, for offering a program that has an eye toward careers of the future.
In November, representatives within the pair of federal agencies announced they were naming the program as a Center for Academic Excellence in Cyber Education.
To date, Marquette is the only university in Wisconsin to offer a master’s degree with a cybersecurity specialization focus — a fact not lost on DHS and NSA representatives, as noted in a letter they sent to officials, formalizing the academic excellence designation.
The letter, in part, read, “Your ability to meet the increasing demands of the program criteria will serve the nation well in contributing to the protection of the national information infrastructure.”
Thomas Kaczmarek, director of Marquette’s Center for Cyber Security Awareness and Cyber Defense, said the recognition has spurred renewed energy and focus into growing the program, which currently is available only to graduate students as a specialization.
“It attests to the fact that Marquette is serious about cybersecurity,” Kaczmarek said in an interview with Wisconsin Inno.
While the nod of approval from federal officials is a feather in Marquette’s cap, Kaczmarek said workforce development has been the overarching goal of the program’s establishment and the quest for certification.
In Wisconsin, Kaczmarek said there is a shortage of skilled workers for the number of positions currently available within the state.
“Employers seem to put a lot of emphasis on not just being book smart, but having that practical experience as well,” Kaczmarek said.
Prior to attaining the certification from the two federal agencies, Marquette officials had to go through a 500-point inspection process that examined the program’s various facets.
“One of the important aspects of this specialization is that students get some hands-on experience,” Kaczmarek said. “We call that a practicum or a professional project.”
The program currently functions as a specialization within Marquette’s computing department. About 70 students are working toward a master’s degree in computing at Marquette at the moment, Kaczmarek said, and a sliver — 10 percent — are working toward the cybersecurity specialization.
“We’re actively recruiting people for this,” Kaczmarek said. “We have plenty of space available.”
Kaczmarek said he envisions the program broadening to a wider mix of students — including undergraduates — in the years ahead.
“I like to look at this as a 4-year journey,” Kaczmarek said of the seed that was planted before the program took flight at the start of the 2016-17 school year.
Refinements have been, and likely will continue to, occur as the program gains its footing within Marquette’s broader curricular landscape, Kaczmarek said.
