Assumption cybersecurity program receives validation from NSA

Photo | Courtesy Assumption University Professor Raymond Albert, director of Assumption University’s Cybersecurity Program, works with students in the school’s cyber security lab.

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By Timothy Doyle

As cyberattacks increase in frequency and sophistication, the cybersecurity program at Assumption University in Worcester has been recognized by the National Security Agency.

The “Program of Study” validation, awarded by the NSA’s National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity program, means the University’s cybersecurity curricula and its B.S. in Cybersecurity degree meets or exceeds NSA standards, according to a Tuesday press release from Assumption.

As a result, Assumption University is on path to becoming only the third NSA-recognized Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense in Massachusetts, joining Bay Path University in Longmeadow and Boston University.

“With this validation, Assumption students graduating with a B.S. in cybersecurity will receive a certificate that shows they completed the requirements of a validated Center of Academic Excellence Program of Study,” said Raymond Albert, professor of practice, mathematics, and computer science; and director of the cybersecurity program and university’s Center for Cybersecurity. “This credential will further enhance their professional prospects.”

Elsewhere in the city, Worcester Polytechnic Institute is recognized by the NSA as a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Research.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics information security analysts in 2021 had a median salary of $102,600 per year. Demand for the job is expected to grow by 35% by 2031 as compared to the average growth rate of all occupations, which is 5%.