MSU cybersecurity program receives ABET accreditation
Contact: Chris Whitaker
STARKVILLE, Miss. —Mississippi State continues its national reputation in cybersecurity education and training with its recent accreditation through the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET, the standard in accrediting computing, engineering and related programs.
Launched in 2021, the MSU Bagley College of Engineering’s cybersecurity bachelor’s degree program in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering has received retroactive accreditation back to October 2023, confirming previous graduating classes.
“I am very pleased with the outcome of the process, which takes considerable faculty effort over many months,” said Dave Ford, Bagley College dean. “This accreditation demonstrates that our bachelor’s program in cybersecurity meets the highest standards of quality and relevance.”
As a designated National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education, Cyber Defense Research and Cyber Operations, MSU uses a multidisciplinary approach that provides students with a focused education for evaluating, understanding and solving cybersecurity problems. The designation is awarded by the National Security Agency.
Designed specifically to help students meet the challenges posed by increasing cyber threats, common careers include cybersecurity analyst, threat systems engineer, information systems security officer and penetration tester/ethical hacker.
Cybersecurity is one of four bachelor’s degrees offered by the department, in addition to artificial intelligence, computer science and software engineering.
“Thanks to our excellent faculty, many of whom have industry and government experience prior to joining our faculty, and our industry partners, our program can provide our students with real-world problems that are solved using state-of-the-art techniques and equipment,” said Andy Perkins, computer science and engineering professor and head and the Gloria and Douglas J. Marchant Endowed Chair. “ABET accreditation is a testament to the hard work of our faculty in ensuring our programs meet the needs of the nation and are always being assessed and modified to address current threats in an ever-changing environment.”
Eligibility for ABET accreditation begins when a program produces its first graduate. The accreditation process involves a thorough faculty self-assessment reviewed by the ABET evaluation team in a site visit with students, faculty, staff and administrators. The evaluators’ report is reviewed at several stages and serves as the basis for a vote of the relevant ABET commission. More information about ABET, its member societies and the accreditation criteria can be found at www.abet.org.
To learn more about the cybersecurity program, visit www.cse.msstate.edu/cyber-security/. The Department of Computer Science and Engineering is online at www.cse.msstate.edu/ and can be found on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn.
The Bagley College of Engineering is online at www.bagley.msstate.edu/ and can be found on Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube at @msuengineering.
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