NLC recognized by the NSA as the San Antonio area’s newest Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education
September 27, 2023
Northeast Lakeview College is proud to announce that its Cyber Defense program has been recognized by the National Security Agency (NSA) as the area’s newest Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education.
In 2019, Northeast Lakeview College (NLC) began re-designing the existing cybersecurity curriculum within Alamo Community Colleges. The Cyber Defense degree created a technical skill pathway from Network Operations Specialist to Cyber Defense Infrastructure Specialist to Cyber Defense Analyst, Incident Responders, and Forensic analyst. More than 150 hands-on projects are embedded in the coursework, developing technical skills that allow Northeast Lakeview College students to excel in national cyber competitions, the cyber workforce, internships, and universities. Last year, following an extensive review, the NSA recognized the redesigned curriculum as a Program of Excellence in the US.
After reviewing the integration of our Cyber Defense program and instructional methods into other IT programs offered at Northeast Lakeview and into non-technical programs like Criminal Justice studies, Northeast Lakeview College has been recognized as a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense by the NSA.
When asked about the differences between Northeast Lakeview’s Cyber Defense and other cybersecurity programs, Cyber Defense Professor Chip Thornsburg replied, “NLC programs lean heavily into developing technical skill competency over simple book study. Our students demonstrate their technical skills by outperforming graduates of other programs from across the country.”
In the Spring, NLC students placed 23rd in the National Cyber League’s OSINT Challenge among 3,593 teams from US colleges, universities, and graduate schools.
Learn more about NLC’s Cyber defense program online https://www.alamo.edu/nlc/cyberdefense