>>Centers of Academic Excellence

Criteria for Measurement

The National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education Program is open to nationally or regionally accredited 4-year colleges and graduate-level universities. Applications must be submitted electronically via the on-line application process. Applications are assessed against ten criteria, listed below, which are intended to measure the depth and maturity of programs of instruction in information assurance (IA) at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Applicants must clearly demonstrate how they meet each of the ten criteria. Minimum requirements for each of the ten criteria must be met in order to obtain designation. Successful applicants are designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education for a period of 3 academic years, after which they must successfully reapply in order to retain the designation. The criteria is reviewed annually and strengthened as appropriate to keep pace with the evolving nature of IA. (Designation as a National Center of Academic Excellence in IA Education does not carry a commitment of funding from the National Security Agency or from the Department of Homeland Security.)

Prerequisite: Prior to submitting an application for the CAEIAE Program, IA courseware must be certified under the IA Courseware Evaluation Program as meeting National Security Telecommunications and Information Systems Security Standards and the certification must be current. Specifically, certification of NSTISSC Training Standard 4011 is required, and certification of at least one additional NSTISSC Training Standard (4012, 4013, 4014, 4015 or subsequent standards) is required.