Being one of only 65 institutions in the country that has been declared a National Center of… Being one of only 65 institutions in the country that has been declared a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Education by the National Security Agency simply wasn’t enough for Pitt.

After achieving this status in 2004, Pitt kept working to join the elite league of institutions that meet five Committee on National Security Systems standards. This allows the University to grant five certifications to its students.

When Pitt recently achieved this status, it became one of 12 universities in the country – and the only one in Pennsylvania – that offers all five certifications.

Now students seeking a master’s degree in either information science or telecommunications through Pitt’s School of Information Sciences have the opportunity to take classes in an area known as Security Assured Information System education.

Courses in this field satisfy the requirements needed to receive anywhere from one to all five of the certifications, depending on the combination in which they are taken.

James Joshi, cofounder of this field and assistant professor in the School of Information Sciences, joined the department when it tried to design a curriculum that would satisfy the committees’ standards. After being hired by Pitt two years ago, he immediately began to work on designing this curriculum because Pitt had not yet received any formal recognition for its information education track.

“As soon as I got here, that was my main job, my main mission here,” Joshi said.

Joshi helped to develop a proposal for a track in security courses that he sent both to the National Science Foundation and later to the NSA for certifications. In 2003, the program was first approved for three standards. Later, upon a recent reapplication, the final two were granted.

“Once you go into developing a curriculum, you want it to be the best,” Joshi said. “How do you do that? By following the CNSS standards.”

By participating in the NSA-sponsored educational standards, students have access to Information Assurance Scholarship opportunities, which include special scholarships through the Department of Defense as well as equipment grants.

According to Joshi, these nationwide standards serve as a basis for educating students in security and help applicants get higher entry-level positions during interviews, when employers look for these certifications

David Tipper, an SAIS instructor and associate professor in telecommunications, agreed with Joshi on the benefits of having a certification granted by NSA. He believes that the certifications make students more marketable.

Tipper teaches courses in infrastructure protection, which, if completed, can lead to certification in one of the five standards.

“We need a bigger talent pool to protect from catastrophic events,” Tipper said. “A lot of infrastructure isn’t protected very well.”

For some students, the benefits of the program do not outweigh the cost. Rick Anderson, a telecommunications graduate, does not have any certifications.

“I just really wanted my degree,” Anderson said. “It’s a lot of work.”

Anderson had about two more core courses in security and at least two more electives in the field that needed to be completed in order to receive a certification.

Nevertheless, Anderson agrees that there are some benefits to receiving the certifications.

“I do see where they can definitely be useful, especially when you are in the security field,” Anderson said. “I do see their importance. But to me, I was trying to for a broader [education in] telecommunications, like cellular or wireless.”