University of Charleston

University of Charleston

UC cybersecurity faculty will be part of a new initiative to provide education and skill training in cybersecurity to Mountaineer Challenge Academy participants in a partnership with the West Virginia National Guard. The program was developed to provide an opportunity for MCA cadets to be exposed to IT and cybersecurity to spark their interest in the growing career field.

Adam Beatty, UC Cybersecurity Program Director, said “UC is honored to collaborate with the Mountaineer Challenge Academy and the WV National Guard by offering the future leaders of the cybersecurity sector the education and skills needed to ensure our digital safety.”

He noted that, according to ZDNet (2021), the University of Charleston is ranked as the best online cybersecurity degree program, and the program is happy to provide the accessibility of its cybersecurity faculty and their educational delivery methods to the next generation of cybersecurity professionals. With this partnership, we can be surer that our online security needs will be adhered to now and moving forward in our technology endeavors.

“The WVNG and University of Charleston have had a long history of synergy in regard to UC providing information technology (IT) training to the Soldiers and Airmen of the WV National Guard,” stated Major William Hargis, US Army, WVANG. “With this new Mountaineer Challenge Academy initiative, both organizations planned to expand that synergy to the cadets as a formal elective in IT. This initiative will provide entry-level IT training and help further prepare the next generation of leaders in West Virginia to begin careers in IT and Cyber Security.”

With the demand for IT and cybersecurity professionals at an all-time high in the US, WV has a great opportunity to develop the next generation of cybersecurity and IT technicians that are seeking to join this ever-evolving career field.

UC offers associate, bachelor’s, and master’s level degrees in cybersecurity.