Program of Study

For an institution to receive a CAE Cyber Defense designation, one or more academic programs at the institution must be validated as a "Program of Study." A Program of Study is defined as a set of courses that are designed to develop program-level learning outcomes in the student population over time. It is possible to have multiple cybersecurity Programs of Study at the same academic institution, in different departments, producing students with different knowledge and skills. It is also possible to have a Program of Study that can be achieved by multiple paths or sets of elective options. The academic institution must show its curriculum path and must demonstrate that students are enrolled and are successfully completing the path and receiving recognition. Although a single academic institution may have multiple validated Programs of Study, only one is needed to obtain a CAE Cyber Defense designation.

The Bachelor's of Science in Computer Science is UIUC's CAE Cyber Defense Program of Study. It was validated as a Program of Study by the NSA and a committee of academic peers on December 8, 2022, and the validation is good through Spring 2027.