National security agency backs NHTI’s cybersecurity program

NHTI-Concord’s Community College has been designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD) through a prestigious program managed by the National Security Agency. This affiliation ensures that graduates of the college’s cybersecurity associate degree program are equipped with the skills they need to perform at a high level in the field.

“NHTI is deeply committed to meeting the evolving demands of today’s workforce,” said Chad Johnson, NHTI’s program coordinator for information technology. “And few fields are growing as rapidly or as critically as cybersecurity.”

This fact was echoed in NHTI’s designation letter, which cites the National Cyber Strategy: “A highly skilled cybersecurity workforce is a strategic national security advantage.”

The National Security Agency manages the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity program alongside federal partners, including the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)/National Initiative on Cybersecurity Education (NICE), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Defense Office of the Chief Information Officer (DoD-CIO), and US Cyber Command (CYBERCOM).

Johnson explained that this important designation validates the quality, rigor, and relevance of the education students receive in NHTI’s Networking and Cybersecurity Operations program. To earn the designation, the college’s curriculum met specific learning outcomes and includes hands-on lab exercises that allow students to practice their skills in realistic environments.

The intense qualification process extended beyond the cybersecurity classroom, requiring NHTI to prove its institutional cybersecurity measures met national standards. The college also had to report that cybersecurity principles were included in other relevant areas of study, including how its healthcare programs teach students to secure patient medical files.

This cybersecurity designation opens the door to a wide range of opportunities for both the college and its students, including access to competitive grants, specialized scholarships, and strengthened connections with cybersecurity professionals and industry partners.

To learn more about NHTI’s Information Technology programs, visit nhti.edu.