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As other universities begin to implement their
own cybersecurity programs, Southeast has
plans to be sure that its program continues to
stay relevant in this ever changing field. This
will be accomplished by obtaining an ABET
accreditation and an NSA certification for the
program. When asked, Dr. Anand believes that
these will be attained by as early as 2018. He
said that the accreditation and certification will
provide proof of the program’s legitimacy and
will aid students who are pursuing Master’s or
PhDs to get into graduate programs all around
the country. Dr. Anand also mentioned his plans
for the future are adding a Master’s program
at Southeast and to hire more faculty into the
program.
The Cybersecurity program does not just end
with the classroom. The program also consists
of a Cyber Defense Club and a Collegiate
Cyber Defense Competition (CCDC) team. The
Cyber Defense Club is run by the students
and compliments what is learned in class by
diving deeper into the subjects and completing
some hands on projects. Students in the Cyber
Defense Club can also be selected to join the
CCDC team. The CCDC team competes in a
competition on an annual basis. The competition
tests the student’s skills in creating a secure
computing environment. This year the team
took first in the 2016 Midwest Collegiate Cyber
Defense Qualification Competition and second
in the 2016 Erich J. Spengler Midwest Regional
CCDC. The team’s achievements reflect the
quality of the students’ knowledge as they go
through the program.
An interview with Dr. Vijay Anand,
Assistant Professor
- Joseph Marks, Student
Southeast Missouri State’s
Cyber Security Program
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