WGU and Cybersecurity Diversity Foundation Offer New Scholarship

To help bridge the talent gap in the field of cybersecurity, WGU Missouri and its parent university - Western Governors University - are partnering with the Cybersecurity Diversity Foundation (CDF) to award scholarships for two full years of tuition to two students pursuing their master’s degree in cybersecurity and information assurance at the fully online, nonprofit university. Applications are now being accepted nationwide for the WGU-CDF scholarships, which will cover the full $12,000 tuition for up to four six-month terms at WGU. The university is also waiving the application fee for prospective students who apply by December 31, 2017; the fee can be waived by using the code: CYBER2017.

The need for qualified employees in the field of Cybersecurity is continuing to grow, both locally and nationally. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the field is projected to grow 22 percent by 2020, but there aren’t yet enough qualified workers to fill these positions as they open up. That’s why WGU and the CDF are partnering to encourage those in the IT security field who are interested in furthering their career and education to go ahead and make that leap.

New and enrolling students in WGU Missouri’s Cybersecurity and Information Assurance master’s degree program can apply for these scholarships through Dec. 31, 2017 at http://missouri.wgu.edu/tuition_financial_aid/scholarships.

To be eligible for this scholarship, applicants must be officially admitted to WGU, complete the scholarship application, and be interviewed by a WGU scholarship counselor. Recipients will be selected based on their academic records, financial need, and readiness for online study at WGU, among other considerations.

“We are excited to be able to offer a scholarship of this magnitude to two deserving students,” said Dr. Angie Besendorfer, chancellor of WGU Missouri. “There are thousands of cybersecurity positions currently open in Missouri, and that number will likely grow in the coming years. Encouraging working adults interested in careers in cybersecurity to further their education will not only result in better opportunities for individual students but will but also to help strengthen Missouri’s workforce and overall economy. We encourage anyone interested in obtaining a master’s degree in cybersecurity to apply for this full-ride scholarship WGU is offering in partnership with the CDF.”

The CDF was established to support diversity and inclusion in the field of cybersecurity by welcoming, supporting, and providing opportunity and access to people of all walks of life, from entry level to executive and board positions. The Foundation works to promote actions that will make a difference in the field of cybersecurity – from providing scholarship funds to championing corporate pledges to fostering workforce diversity programming.

CDF founder Mischel Kwon broke new ground in the traditionally male-dominated IT industry by serving in high-level security positions with the U.S. Government, the Department of Justice, and other leading companies in the private sector. Earlier this year, Kwon partnered with WGU when she spoke on cybersecurity at the university’s Sage Talks lecture series in Salt Lake City. In addition to founding the CDF, Kwon is the founder and CEO of MKACyber, a Managed Security Operations Services Provider (MSSP) and security consulting firm with elite SOC expertise.

“In the 35-plus years I’ve been working in technology, we have struggled to encourage and attract a diverse workforce, especially in cybersecurity,” Kwon said. “Good security requires not only good technology, policy, and process, but exceptionally talented people. We are incredibly excited to be partnering with WGU to offer these two scholarships to deserving members of the IT security community.”

WGU Missouri’s programs are online and competency-based, which allows working professionals to study and learn on schedules that fit their lives and apply what they already know to move more quickly through their coursework.