Capitol Technology University, established in 1927 and located in Laurel, Maryland, was announced as the winner of the prestigious SC Media Award for Best Cybersecurity Higher Education Program on February 25, 2020.
SC Media, a company dedicated to cybersecurity since 1989, cited Capitol’s numerous cybersecurity degrees, dedication to the employability of students, innovative programs, hands-on teaching methods, and deeply rooted relationships with government entities as some of the reasons the university stood out as the winner.
“Capitol is honored to be recognized with this award, especially as a small, private, non-profit STEM institution known predominantly by employers, such as the DoD, NSA, Lockheed Martin, and Raytheon,” said Dr. Bradford Sims, President of Capitol. “Our cybersecurity faculty has worked diligently to intertwine their experiences working as experts in the field and the latest technology into the cybersecurity program to graduate technically advanced and innovative students who embody Capitol’s motto of “’find a way or make one.’”
The university continually strengthens its reputation as a consistent supplier of qualified employees by graduating students such as Glenn Andal, a Cyber and Information Security alumni who now works as Senior Cybersecurity Engineer at MITRE.
“My job requires flexibility. Capitol Tech. prepared me for this with foundational knowledge in various fields within cybersecurity,” said Andal, who supports top government agencies with cutting-edge solutions to cybersecurity and systems engineering challenges in his current role.
Numerous accolades awarded to the university have also built its reputation as a launching pad for cybersecurity leaders. In addition to the SC Award, Capitol is designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD) by the NSA and DoD, was selected to train NSA new-hires in master’s-level courses, and has been selected as a Military Friendly® School for the 2020-2021 academic year and multiple years prior.
Capitol offers multiple cybersecurity degrees at the bachelor, master, and doctoral levels. Prospective students ranging from those who have just graduated high school to professionals in the middle of their careers have the opportunity to enroll in a B.S., M.S., and DSc in cybersecurity as well as an M.S. in Aviation Cybersecurity, an M.S. in Construction Cybersecurity, and a Technical Master of Business Administration in Cybersecurity.
Capitol graduate, Dr. Herman Felder, took advantage of the multiple degrees offered by the institution across cyber-related industries and degree levels. Dr. Felder earned a bachelor’s degree in Information Assurance, a master’s degree in Information Assurance (the Information Assurance programs are now called Cybersecurity) and most recently, his Ph.D. in Business Analytics and Decision Science from Capitol.
“I was happy to see they offered a network security course, had small class sizes, and was just an hour and a half from my home town,” Dr. Felder recalled of his initial college search after high school. “I had looked at large state universities, but I didn’t want to go to a school where I would be just a number.”
Dr. Felder’s mother, Blanche Jackson, echoed her son’s sentiments about the institution saying “we knew Herman would be able to focus, gain hands-on experience with partners like NASA and the NSA and get help whenever he needed it."
The rigorous nomination and review process implemented by SC Media to decide the winners of each award, culminated in the SC Awards dinner on Tuesday, February 25 in San Francisco. The dinner, which SC Media dubs a celebration of “the best the cybersecurity community has to offer,” convenes “the thought leading professionals, innovative companies and powerful products and services named as finalists for the 2020 SC Awards,” according to its website.
“I was truly excited to represent Capitol Technology University during the SC Awards,” said Dr. Stephen McCaskey, Capitol’s Vice President of Academic Affairs. “I am very proud of our Cyber faculty and supporting staff to be recognized at the national level.”
Capitol Technology was a finalist for this award along with University of Maryland Global Campus, New York University, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, and Red Rocks Community College.
If you would like more information please call Aries Schubert, Director of Communications for Capitol Technology University, at 301-369-3627 or email amschubert@captechu.edu.