Student Resources

DoD Cyber Scholarship Opportunity

Because Marquette University has been designated as a Center for Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE) for the track Master of Science in Computing with a specialization in Information Assurance and Cyber Defense, we are eligible to seek scholarships for students in the program. This includes students in the Advanced Degree Program (5-yr BS/MS), who can be covered for their senior year and the MS degree, students seeking our 2-year Career Change specialization, designed for those without prerequisite coursework, or the traditional 2-year MS degree. The specialization is available in all of these options. The DoD scholarships are offered through grants to the university as part of the DoD Cyber Scholarship Program (CySP).

The Application Background and Requirements documentation for the CySP describes the program as follows:

"Cybersecurity is considered so important to our national defense that a formal DoD CySP was established by the National Defense Authorization Act for 2001 (Public Law 106- 398). The DoD is seeking ... graduate/ doctoral students who are interested in full-ride scholarships for concentrated studies in cybersecurity and other cyber-related disciplines. Students selected for the program will receive full scholarships. This requires the student to agree to serve one year of service to the DoD, upon graduation, for each year or partial year of scholarship received, in addition to the internship identified ...

During breaks in their academic studies, Cyber Scholars will receive progressive, hands-on experience in information security internships. In return, scholars must agree to some restrictions and obligations regarding curriculum, GPA, and pre- and post- program employment. If all conditions are met, Cyber Scholars will receive full-time conditional/permanent positions in Components of the DoD upon program completion."

Follow this link for more details about the scholarship opportunity.

 

The Cybersecurity Jobs Heat Map and Career Pathways

The national heat map showing cybersecurity jobs has been updated with new data and other features to align with the NICE workforce framework. The the CyberSeek portal provides access to the heat map and additional information about career pathways.

Education Programs

There are a number of academic programs in Wisconsin offering education and training for cyber defense. Examples include the specialization in our master's degree, undergraduate concentrations within baccalaureate programs, two-year degrees, and technical certificate programs. Due to the growing interest in cyber defense the list of program is expanding. Examples of programs include the following:

  • Marquette University offers a Specialization in Information Assurance and Cyber Defense within the master's in computing program. This curriculum path is associated with the designation of Marquette University as a Center for Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education by DHS and NSA.
  • Madison Area Technical College offers an IT–Network Security Specialist Associate Degree in Applied Science and an IT-Information Security certificate program
  • Milwaukee Area Technical College offers several programs. an associate degree and an accelerated associate degree in IT - Information Systems Security Specialist. They also offer a Digital Forensic Analyst Technical Degree and certificates in Information Security Fundamentals, Infrastructure Security; IT-Security Auditing,and System Administration and Security.
  • University of Wisconsin–Parkside offers a 9-credit certificate in Cyber Security It is the first computer science certificate offered by a four-year university in Wisconsin that meets the Committee on National Security Systems National Training Standard for Information Systems Security (INFOSEC) Professionals, NSTISSI No. 4011.
  • Waukesha County Technical College (WCTC) received designation as one of the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense 2-Year Education (CAE-2Y) in recognition of campus activities and the curriculum in the IT - Network Security Specialist Associate of Applied Science degree. It is the only technical program in the State of Wisconsin to receives such recognition from the National IA Education & Training Program (NIETP). WCTC also offers a 16-credit Technical Certificate as a Cyber Security Specialist.
  • University of Wisconsin–Stout, Wisconsin's Polytechnic University, offers a Cyber Security concentration within its bachelor's degree in applied mathematics and computer science degree.
  • Moraine Park Technical Collegeoffers a 12-credit Information Technology – Information Security certificate at its Fond du Lac campus.
  • University of Wisconsin–Whitewater offers an emphasis on networking and security within its information technology and supply chain management department.

Certifications

There are professional training programs leading to professional certification. These include: