In late January 2018, 20 cybersecurity students from Cal State San Bernardino headed for Washington, D.C., for the competitive Internship/Job Fair sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security, the National Science Foundation and the Department of Defense.

In all, there were 78 government agencies, defense contractors and private firms in attendance with more than 700 students from schools across the nation vying for these coveted positions.

By the end of the fair, all 20 JBHC cybersecurity students secured jobs or internships.

Their instructor, Tony Coulson, the director of the CSUSB Cyber Security Center in the Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration, who accompanied the students, said the reason for their success was pretty straightforward.

“They get these internships and jobs because they are not just technically proficient, but they are also business ready.”

Coulson and his team’s approach to curriculum includes courses in international relations, accounting, finance and management, in addition to all of the advanced cyber technology training. It is the combination and mastery of these diverse elements that has propelled CSUSB into a leader in cybersecurity education. Nationally, Coulson is highly regarded for producing skilled, workforce-ready undergraduate and graduate students in the field.

Every year, JHBC students compete in Washington, D.C., for high-level cybersecurity positions, and every year, JHBC students win these career-launching opportunities.

As a reflection of Coulson’s leadership and the program’s continued excellence, the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security designated the JHBC’s Cyber Security Center as a national Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense through 2021, and as a CAE National Resource Center.

In addition to the national designations of excellence, Coulson has been awarded millions of dollars in grants from the National Science Foundation, Department of Defense and other federal and state agencies.

 The cybersecurity program also receives support from the National Science Foundation’s Scholarship for Service: CyberCorps. The program covers books, tuition and all fees, and provides a stipend of $22,500 a year for undergraduates and $30,000 for graduate students. The program is open to students attending or accepted at CSUSB in the third or fourth years of undergraduate education, and current or prospective students in master’s degree programs at CSUSB.

For more information about the Cyber Security Center, contact Tony Coulson at tcoulson@csusb.edu or Valentina Felix, project manager, at (909) 537-5702.