Center for Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense

About

The Computer Engineering Technology program in the College of Aeronautics and Engineering is designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (NCAE-CD) by the National Security Agency (NSA).

Kent State University aspires to be a cybersecurity knowledge sharing and training center in North East Ohio, educating the community of Kent in cybersecurity and contributing to cybersecurity through active research.

Faculty

• Point of Contact (POC): Deniz Gurkan
• Michael Testa
• Stuart Baxley
• A.J. Chiccarino
• Keith Hodar

Programs

The center currently supports two undergraduate programs in the college of aeronautics and engineering. Students graduating from these two programs can immediately pursue a career in cybersecurity:

• Validated Program of Study: Computer Engineering Technology

The Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering Technology is a CAE-CD designated program that provides students with the opportunity to study computer systems and software-hardware interface so that they are capable of analyzing the problems in the computer and networking industry and producing computer engineering, networking and software solutions. The major's curriculum includes materials necessary for students to be eligible for industry certifications (e.g., Cisco, Dell, Juniper Networks) for career advancement. This program is ATMAE accredited.

Common Work Roles

Our students graduate with knowledge and abilities to take on roles such as:

• Network Operations
• System Administration 
• Infrastructure Support

For more information on careers in the field and commonly required tasks, skills, and knowledge in each career, please see NICCS site. 

Industrial Advisory Council

• Chip Gear, The Technology House
• Pat Golembiewski, V2 Technology
• Fred Mitrey, Rockwell Automation
• Eric Kline, Alpha Technology
• Kevin Ballard, Petra Power
• Eric Adams, AAMTex
• Paul Hugenberg, Pelican3

Industry Partnerships

Kent State University College of Aeronautics and Engineering teaches the Cisco Networking curricula and has partnered with Cisco Technologies to establish a Cisco Networking Academy.

News & Events

• Kent State University hosts cybersecurity clinic to strengthen state of Ohio Local Government Entities in their journey towards a resilient cybersecurity posture: 8 new internship positions are available for Fall 2026 semester (please contact Dr. Gurkan)
• Kent State University announces new Educational Partnership Agreement with the National Security Agency
• Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine Signs Cyber reserve legislation (PDF).
• Kent State University hosts 2nd Ohio CTF
• Kent State University leads the creation of a NSF-funded advanced major research instrument to enable running cybersecurity what-if scenarios in simultaneous support of crewed and uncrewed aircrafts in shared airspace
• Student Scholarships are available through Cyber Service Academy (please contact Dr. Gurkan if interested in applying)
• Kent State University is funded by the state of Ohio to provide stackable Teacher Bootcamps: Cybersecurity and Digital Safety is one of them
• Kent State University is a Regional Programming Center (RPC) in the state of Ohio's Cyber Range initiative

Available Student Activities

• Educational Resources:
  • Kent State University Information Technology Cybersecurity
  • SANS institute
  • The Hacker News
• Cybersecurity Challenges:
  • Capture the flags
  • Hacking lab
  • National Cyber league
• Cybersecurity in Government:
  • United States Computer Emergency Ready Team
  • National Vulnerability Database
  • NIST Computer Security Resource Center
• Institutional Security Resources
  • Kent State University Information Technology Cybersecurity
• Other Kent State University Cybersecurity Programs
  • Cybersecurity Engineering, BS
  • Computer Forensics and Information Security – Undergraduate Certificate
  • Computer Forensics and Security - Minor
  • Cybercriminology, BS
  • Cybersecurity Foundations - Minor
  • Cybersecurity – A.A.B