The Cybersecurity Association of Maryland is a nonprofit organization that was established in 2015 to help the state’s cybersecurity industry grow. The association helps to connect cybersecurity companies in Maryland with government agencies and businesses that need them. It also works to connect those seeking cybersecurity jobs in the state with agencies and businesses looking for workers. The association has a main goal to make sure Marylanders who are interested in cybersecurity know what education, skills and experience are necessary in order to work in the field. Additionally, the association offers experts to speak to the public on matters of cybersecurity and protecting personal data in the information age.
Maryland is a main player in the cybersecurity arena, due to its proximity to Washington, D.C. and housing many government agencies. Cybersecurity assets that make their home in Maryland include, but are not limited to:
- National Security Agency – Fort Meade
- US Cyber Command – Fort Meade
- Defense Information Systems Agency – Fort Meade
- Sourcefire- Columbia
In fact, 14 companies in Maryland were named to the inaugural Cybersecurity 500 list in 2018, created by Cybersecurity Ventures. They include:
- Lockheed Martin – Bethesda
- ZeroFOX – Baltimore
- Tenable – Columbia
- Arxan – Bethesda
- Cybrary – Greenbelt
- KEYW – Hanover
- Silent Circle – Columbia
- BlueVoyant – College Park
- EnVeil- Fulton
- Sonatype – Fulton
- Terbium Labs – Baltimore
- TrustedKnight – Annapolis
- Protenus – Baltimore
- IronNet Cybersecurity – Fulton
If you would like to become a cybersecurity professional in Maryland, your first step is through getting your bachelor’s degree. Keep reading to find out all about earning a cybersecurity bachelor’s degree in Maryland.
Cybersecurity Law in Maryland
In June 2019, Maryland’s governor Larry Hogan signed an executive order that is focused on strengthening cybersecurity in the state. The order created a new position, Maryland Chief Information Security Officer (John Evans filled this role), and also formed the Office of Security Management and the Maryland Cybersecurity Coordinating Council. All three of these are designed to improve Maryland’s ability to respond to cybersecurity threats and risks. Maryland’s cybersecurity strategy and policy are created to be in alignment with federal guidelines and standards, like those of the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Federal Information Security Modernization Act.
Cybersecurity Education in Maryland
If you would like to join the cybersecurity workforce in Maryland, the first goal you must meet is to attain a bachelor’s degree. There are many well-recognized undergraduate cybersecurity degree programs in Maryland that can help you to attain positions such as these recently advertised ones:
- Cyber Security Analyst – Deloitte, Baltimore
- Cyber Mitigations Engineer/System Vulnerability Analyst – National Security Agency, Fort Meade
- IT Security Analyst – APG Federal Credit Union, Edgewood
- Cyber Network Engineer- General Dynamics Information Technology, Germantown
- Cyber Security Assessor – Artemis Federal, Woodlawn
Titles of Undergraduate Cybersecurity Degrees in Maryland
Colleges call their cybersecurity programs by different names. In Maryland, some of them include:
- Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity
- Bachelor of Science in Cyber Analytics
- Bachelor of Science in Computer Science – Cyber Operations
- Bachelor of Science in Computer Networks & Cybersecurity
- Bachelor of Science in Secure Computing & Information Assurance
Coursework within Bachelor’s in Cybersecurity Degree Programs in Maryland
Although degree programs vary from one Maryland institution to the next, as a student, you can expect to take coursework like:
- Advanced Programming
- Network Security
- Operating Systems Security
- Application Software Security
- Malware Analysis
- Software Engineering
- Data Structures
- Data Communications and Networking
Cybersecurity Bachelor’s Degree Programs in Maryland
Unlike graduate-level cybersecurity programs, undergraduate-level cybersecurity degree programs typically do not have programmatic accreditation. There are a few exceptions, which we will discuss below. Regardless of a program’s accreditation, make sure that the Maryland institution you choose is regionally accredited by an agency listed with the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
Centers of Academic Excellence (CAE)
In 1999, the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) began sponsoring the National Centers of Academic Excellence program. This program recognizes undergraduate and graduate degrees as Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD) and Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations (CAE-CO). In recognizing these institutions, the goal is to promote higher education and research in cybersecurity and cyber defense, producing professionals with the highest expertise in the field.
In order to be recognized as a CAE-CD, an institution must:
- Show program collaboration and outreach
- Show student development
- Demonstrate cyber defense center establishment/maintenance
- Show how their cyber defense program is multidisciplinary
- Practice cyber defense within the institution
- Have cyber defense faculty specially trained
- Show a cyber defense student curriculum path and recognition
To be recognized as a CAE-CO, an institution must:
- Meet academic content requirements
- Have cyber operations as an explicitly recognized focus area or degree
- Advantage given to institutions with program accreditation
- Treat cyber operations as an interdisciplinary science
- Have a robust cyber operations program
- Have faculty and student involvement in cyber operations research
- Have students participate in cyber service-learning
- Be committed to supporting the CAE-CO program
- Have at least two active faculty teaching cyber operations courses
Maryland Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education
The following Maryland cybersecurity bachelor’s degree programs have been designated Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE):
- Bowie State University – Bachelor of Science in Computer Technology
Department of Computer Science
14000 Jericho Park Rd.
Bowie, MD 20715-9465
CAE- Cyber Defense Education- Accredited through 2020
Dr. Rosemary Shumba, Chair
(301)-860-3960; [email protected]
- Capitol Technology University –
– Bachelor of Science in Construction Information Technology & Cybersecurity
—Bachelor of Science in Cyber Analytics
—Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity (on-campus and online options)
—Bachelor of Science in Management of Cyber and Information Technology (on-campus and online options)
11301 Springfield Road
Laurel, MD 20708
CAE- Cyber Defense Education- Accredited through 2021
(301) 369-2800/(800) 950-1992
- Morgan State University – Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering – Cyber Track
Electrical and Computer Engineering Department
1700 East Cold Spring Lane
Baltimore, MD 21251
CAE- Cyber Defense Education- Accredited through 2021
Dr. Craig Scott, Dean of School of Engineering
(443) 885-3073; [email protected]
- Towson University –Bachelor of Science in Computer Science- Track in Cyber Operations (also CAE-CO accredited and ABET accredited – see below)
Department of Computer and Information Sciences
8000 York Road
Towson, MD 21252
CAE- Cyber Defense- Accredited through 2021
Dr. Sidd Kaza, Director
(410) 704-2633; [email protected]
- United States Naval Academy –Bachelor of Science in Cyber Operations (also ABET accredited – see below)
121 Blake Road
Annapolis, MD 21402
CAE- Cyber Defense- Accredited through 2022
Paul Tortora, Director
(410) 293-0933; [email protected]
- University of Maryland Global Campus –
—Bachelor of Science in Computer Networks & Cybersecurity (online)
—Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity Management and Policy (online)
—Bachelor of Science in Software Development & Security (online)
1616 McCormick Drive
Largo, MD 20774
CAE- Cyber Defense- Accredited through 2021
Bruce deGrazia, Director
(855) 655-8682; [email protected]
- University of Maryland College Park–
—Bachelor of Science in Computer Science- Cybersecurity specialization
—Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering – Cybersecurity specialization
College of Computer, Mathematical & Natural Sciences
2300 Symons Hall
College Park, MD 20742
CAE- Cyber Defense- Accredited through 2024
(301) 405-2030
Maryland Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations
A Maryland bachelor’s degree cybersecurity program has been given the designation of Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations (CAE-CO):
- Towson University –Bachelor of Science in Computer Science- Track in Cyber Operations (also CAE-CD accredited – see above; and ABET accredited – see below)
Department of Computer and Information Sciences
8000 York Road
Towson, MD 21252
CAE- Cyber Operations- Accredited through 2024
Dr. Sidd Kaza, Director
(410) 704-2633; [email protected]
ABET-Accredited Cybersecurity Bachelor’s Degree Programs in Maryland
The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc. of ABET has a Computing Accreditation Commission. This commission also recognizes some cybersecurity bachelor’s degree programs (in Maryland’s case, both of the following ABET- accredited institutions are also already accredited as CAE-CDEs or CAE-COs as well):
- Towson University –Bachelor of Science in Computer Science- Track in Cyber Operations (also CAE-CD and CAE-CO accredited – see above)
Department of Computer and Information Sciences
8000 York Road
Towson, MD 21252
CAE- Cyber Operations- Accredited through 2024
Dr. Sidd Kaza, Director
(410) 704-2633; [email protected]
- United States Naval Academy –Bachelor of Science in Cyber Operations (also CAE-CD accredited – see above)
121 Blake Road
Annapolis, MD 21402
CAE- Cyber Defense- Accredited through 2022
Paul Tortora, Director
(410) 293-0933; [email protected]
Other Noteworthy Cybersecurity Bachelor’s Degree Programs in Maryland
Cybersecurity programs in Maryland that are not ABET-accredited nor CAEs but are still notable include:
- Frostburg State University – Bachelor of Science in Secure Computing & Information Assurance
Accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
Department of Computer Science & Information Technology
274D Gira Center
Frostburg, MD 21532-2303
Dr. Brad Rinard, Chair
(301) 687-4719; [email protected]
- Stevenson University – Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity & Digital Forensics (online)
Accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
Owings Mills, MD 21117-7804
(877) 531-7118; [email protected]
According to the Maryland Department of Labor, an increase of 7.56 percent is projected in the amount of jobs expected to be available in the state for computer systems analysts from 2016 to 2026. This encompasses cyber security analyst jobs as well. Maryland is a great state in which to work if you have a bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity. Many opportunities currently exist, and will continue to exist, at the government, business, and consulting levels.