Session Details NSA Co-op Program at CSM

Students who are interested in learning more about the National Security Agency’s educational co-op program can attend an information session. The NSA Co-op will be discussed at 6 pm Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2016, at the College of Southern Maryland La Plata Campus’s Center for Business and Industry (BI Building), Room 113, 8730 Mitchell Road, La Plata.

Students who participate in the program can learn about taking advantage of paid employment during alternating semesters, tuition reimbursement, and a class that is pre-paid during the students’ off semesters.

“This is a great opportunity that NSA has been managing for more than 50 years, and they have now opened up applications from community college students who plan to continue on to a four-year degree,” said Wendy Hume Hayes, CSM cybersecurity program coordinator in the college’s Business and Technology Division.

Students at the college who have declared majors of cybersecurity, computer science, information systems security, computer engineering, and electrical engineering and have completed no more than 24 credit hours toward a degree, might be eligible to apply for a paid internship. Applicants must be US citizens and able to pass a background check.

During the information session, Hayes will explain the NSA co-op program, plus CSM Career Services will be on hand to help students brush up their application materials.

“Having NSA recognize the high-level technical skills our community college students earn is a great achievement,” Hayes said. “This is an amazing opportunity our students should not pass up.”

For the second time last fall, CSM was designated a National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense 2-Year Education (CAE2Y) by the NSA and the US Department of Homeland Security. CSM is one of 23 of the more than 1,200 community colleges across the nation to receive the honor. The designation recognizes the quality of the college’s cybersecurity educational practices and curriculum.

There is a global shortage of skilled security professionals, and it is predicted to only get worse. Demand for information security experts is expected to grow by 53 percent by 2018, according to an independent analysis of numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

For more information on the Sept. 14 session, contact Hayes at 301-934-7564 or [email protected].

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