The Center for Security Studies at University of Maryland Global Campus provides educational resources, networking, and career training opportunities for students pursuing security studies—and works with industry and government to meet the cybersecurity and homeland security needs of our nation. Members of CSS include distinguished faculty members, chairs, program directors, academic directors, and other experts. They participate in national-level efforts to educate leaders and make significant progress in the information assurance and homeland security fields by
- Conducting applied research
- Providing advisory and consulting services
- Assembling and delivering specialized courses
- Developing innovative teaching tools such as remote access laboratories, network testbeds, interactive learning objects, and simulations
- Hosting conferences, colloquia, workshops, and webcasts on the cutting edge of cybersecurity and homeland security topics
- Partnering with industry and government to develop new programs and deliveries in the areas of information assurance and homeland security
- Establishing and administering scholarships and fellowships supported by individuals and public and private-sector organizations
About the Center for Security Studies
The NSA CAE-C PMO has designated UMGC's MS in cybersecurity technology and MS in cybersecurity management and policy programs as approved academic programs of study, which includes its curriculum, student-related information, faculty profiles and qualifications, continuous improvement information, and NICE Framework crosswalk alignment.
For more information, please contact Dr. Loyce Best Pailen, UMGC's CAE point-of-contact, at css@umgc.edu.
What We Offer
Learn about the Center for Security Studies faculty, staff, events, programs, and more.
Upcoming UMGC Cybersecurity Webinars
Date: Thursday, July 23, 2026
Time: 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m.
Presenter: Sateesh Nutulapati, Director of AI & Hosting at New Target, Inc.
Moderators: Phillip Chan and Jimmy Roberson
About the Webinar:
As online threats continue, cybersecurity reaches for more technology to solve emerging challenges. The costliest failures still trace back to human cognition when it’s under pressure—missed signals, biased judgments, or decisions made while exhausted. The narrative that humans are the weakest link is wrong, however. Instead, we must acknowledge that we don’t account for human capability and intricacies of our own cognition.
Beyond the Tech in Cybersecurity — Cognitive Science for the Systems we Build and the People Who Defend Them will argue that cognitive science belongs at the center of cybersecurity on two fronts. The first, which is underway, includes designing systems, tools, alerts, and dashboards around how people think. The second is largely missing however—giving cybersecurity professionals the cognitive and psychological skills they need such as cognitive flexibility, situational awareness, and resilience against burnout.
Drawing on neuroscience and peer-reviewed research, this talk maps eight core cognitive skills to real security roles and shares practical, evidence-based protocols professionals can build on. Attendees will leave with a clearer model of human-centered security and a concrete toolkit for protecting both their systems and themselves.
“The First AI-native, patent-pending Linux security OS—engineered from the kernel”
Date: August 12, 2026
Time: 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m.
Presenter: Steven Handy, M.S. founder of AsanteOS Inc.
About the Webinar:
In this session, UMGC alumnus Steven Handy, (M.S. ’24), shares the technical journey, setbacks, and breakthroughs behind building AsanteOS—a security-hardened Linux OS featuring patent pending kernel architecture, eBPF runtime threat detection, air-gapped AI inference, and Zero Trust access control built for federal, defense, and healthcare environments from scratch.
Steven will discuss how his UMGC education shaped his architectural thinking, what it means to protect systems at the hardware level, and how aspiring cybersecurity professionals can think bigger about what they build.
Attendees will walk away with a deeper understanding of kernel-level security, zero trust architecture, and what it looks to take an original cybersecurity innovation from idea to USPTO provisional patent—while working full time.
This session is for students, staff, and cybersecurity professionals who believe the field deserves more than incremental improvements—and that the next generation of defenders should be building, not just configuring.
Date: August 20, 2026
Time: 12:00 p.m.
Presenter: Kieran Human, Lead Cybersecurity Engineer, ThreatLocker
About the Webinar:
AllowListing is a central tenet of Zero Trust based security, but rumor has it, it’s hard to implement. Join Kieran Human for a demonstration of the controls that make it possible to harden security and simplify operations, from AllowListing and beyond.
Cybersecurity Designations
UMGC has been designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD) by the National Security Agency and as a Center of Digital Forensics Academic Excellence (CDFAE) by the DC3 Academic Cyber Curriculum Alliance.
Helpful UMGC Cybersecurity Information
The Center for Security Studies holds conferences and events and collects information for cybersecurity scholarship programs. Periodically, we will post this information to the website. Be sure to check back for updates.
The National Cybersecurity Teaching Academy offers a scholarship opportunity for students interested in the online graduate certificate in cybersecurity teaching at UMGC. We encourage to check the NCTA website to apply.
Eligible cybersecurity students are encouraged to apply to the Maryland Higher Education Commission’s Cybersecurity Public Service Scholarship Program.
This initiative supports students who are pursuing an education in programs that have been identified by the Secretary of Higher Education as being directly relevant to cybersecurity.
To view the full list of eligibility requirements and begin your application, visit the MHEC website.
The National Security Agency (NSA) hosted the third annual Future Computing Summer Internship opportunity from June 10, 2024 to August 9, 2024 at the Laboratory for Physical Sciences in Catonsville, Maryland.
The Advanced Computing Systems Research Program (ACS) in the NSA Research Directorate has joined their counterparts in the High-Performance Computing Solutions (HPCS) and Operations (OPS) organizations to provide a select number of undergraduate students with this exciting nine-week internship opportunity.
During this internship, students will:
- Receive an $800 weekly stipend in addition to travel, lodging and meals
- Perform hands-on technical work on NSA future computing projects
- Work in small groups under NSA technical experts’ mentorship
- Partner with peers from other academic institutions
- Learn about the NSA, its mission, people, career opportunities and more
This internship experience is ideal for students who will be completing their junior year (Spring 2025 graduates), and is well-suited for students in math, computer science, computer engineering, or related STEM fields. Students graduating later than Spring 2025 are also welcome to apply.
Applications are open from September 15 to November 30, 2024. Please inform your students about this internship opportunity.
Please note: Only U.S. citizens are eligible to apply.
Eligible cybersecurity students are encouraged to apply to the Cybersecurity Talent Initiative. Gain valuable work experience in both the public and private sectors and kickstart your career as a cybersecurity leader. The last application deadline was November 8, 2023, but you are encouraged to check back frequently for news of the next application cycle.
The U.S. Department of Defense's Cyber Service Academy scholarship program offers eligible cybersecurity students an opportunity to earn a full scholarship.
Pending program funding, the application window for the AY 26–27 scholarship is scheduled to open in November 2025 and close in February 2026.
Read about the three winners of the 2020–2021 scholarship—Olubusayo Ladelokum, Jalynn Middleton, and Michael Tillini—whose work focuses on the intersection of digital technology and cybersecurity.
Each October, UMGC and CSS celebrate Cybersecurity Awareness Month, which raises awareness about the importance of cybersecurity across our nation and ensures that all Americans have the resources they need to be safer and more secure online.
UMGC and CSS recognize this month in conjunction with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA). We are proud to support this essential online safety, awareness, and education initiative and will continue to engage you monthly with relevant cybersecurity awareness and cybersecurity career topics.
UMGC's Center for Security Studies, in collaboration with the Maryland State Department of Education, recently hosted a webinar for Maryland school counselors regarding cybersecurity careers. The webinar, "Cybersecurity Careers for Everyone," was an informative look at the many employment opportunities that a cybersecurity degree can provide to students.
The guests included Mark Loepker, Education Program Manager at the Cyber Center for Education & Innovation, and Jeffrey Smith, Targeted Populations Grant Program Manager at the Maryland Department of Labor.
View a recording of the webinar or access a PDF version of the presentation.
If you are an ISC(2) National Capital Region member, you may be eligible for two scholarship opportunities offered by the organization.
UMGC now offers NETLAB+, a remote-access learning platform for hands-on experience in virtual network environments. This platform features professional development tools for cybersecurity teachers, faculty and curriculum developers.