Center for Cybersecurity
The UWF Center for Cybersecurity is the regional hub for cybersecurity education and research, including multidisciplinary programs and certificates, research opportunities, outreach activities, and industry partnerships.

UWF has been designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security.

Learn more about our CAE-designated BS in Cybersecurity under Education, and meet the Center's leadership and faculty and Advisory Board under the About the Center.

UWF Awarded $6 Million Grant to Lead National Cybersecurity Workforce Development Program
The University of West Florida has been chosen by the National Security Agency to lead a coalition of 10 CAE designated institutions to establish a workforce development program to address the national shortage of qualified cybersecurity professionals. The program will focus on recruiting, preparing, and placing transitioning military and first responders into cybersecurity work roles in critical infrastructure sectors, including financial services, defense industrial base, and energy sectors. The program will launch in the spring of 2021 and be funded by a two-year, $6 million grant.
Learn more about the program here and read the press release.
If you are interested in participating in this program as a student or employer or would like to be notified of program announcements, please complete this form.

UWF re-designated as Cybersecurity Regional Hub
The University of West Florida has been re-designated by the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security as the Southeast Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (CAE-C) Regional Hub. The UWF Center for Cybersecurity has served as the Southeast regional hub since 2017, providing leadership in cybersecurity education among colleges and universities in five states and Puerto Rico. UWF’s role now expands to lead cybersecurity education efforts in a broader region that includes eight states—Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, along with Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Read the full story here.
Learn more about our NSA/DHS Cybersecurity CAE Southeast Regional Resource Center activities.
2020 UWF Night of Cyber
The Center for Cybersecurity recently hosted its annual Night of Cyber virtually during National Cybersecurity Career Awareness Week. The event's purpose is to provide a forum to discuss opportunities that are available in the field of cybersecurity, the degree programs that are available from the University of West Florida, as well as to gain career insights from top industry leaders. Highlights included testimonials from several UWF Cybersecurity Ambassadors and cybersecurity professionals Sheila Carpenter (Zix/AppRiver), Stephen Gomillion (Northop Grumman), Cat Self (MITRE), and Kevin Coggins (Booz Allen Hamilton) discussing what it takes to get started and excel in this career. Click the link on the right to view a recording of the event.

Cybersecurity For All® Program Nationally Recognized
The Center's Cybersecurity for All® program has been recognized among the 2020 Innovations in Cybersecurity Education by National CyberWatch Center. The program's faculty team is pictured to the right. To learn more, read the National CyberWatch Center press release.
Cybersecurity for All®, is an innovative program to enhance readiness for evolving cybersecurity work roles and address the critical shortage of cybersecurity professionals. Organizations that would like to learn more about how the program can be customized to meet their workforce needs can contact the center at 850.474.3076 or cybersecurity@uwf.edu.
Additional information can also be found on the Cyber For All page.

NSF Cybercorps® Scholarship for Service / UWF Argo Cyber Emerging Scholars (ACES)
The CyberCorps® Scholarship for Service (SFS) program aims to recruit and train the next generation of highly skilled cybersecurity professionals to meet the evolving cybersecurity mission for federal, state, local, and tribal governments. The Argo Cyber Emerging Scholars (ACES) program will establish a cybersecurity community of practice to grow and sustain a superior cybersecurity workforce through scholarships, professional development, high-impact learning practices, hands-on cybersecurity skills development, transfer pathways, and community and employer partnerships. Visit the Argo Cyber Emerging Scholars page to learn more.
Office Specialist Needed
In The News
- January 4, 2021| Florida Business Daily
- University of West Florida's profile in national cybersecurity increased in national reorganization
- December 2, 2020| UWF Newsroom| Homeland Security News Wire| Security Magazine| Florida Business Daily| Homeland Security News Wire
- UWF re-designated as Cybersecurity Regional Hub for the Southeast US with expanded mission, region, and partnerships
- November 23, 2020| Dark Reading
- 10 Undergraduate Security Degree Programs to Explore
- November 17, 2020| Lifewire
- TikTok’s Privacy Concerns Aren’t Going Away
- November 10, 2020| Cybersecurity Dive
- Agility, teamwork, mission-focus: Why companies look to vets to fill cyber job gap
- November 2, 2020| WFTS-TV
- Florida spends millions on cybersecurity after 2016 hacks of election offices
- October 27, 2020| UWF Newsroom| PNJ| U2B| Florida Trend| NorthEscambia.com| WEAR-TV| Security Magazine| FocusTechnica| Nextgov| MarketScale| Sioux Falls Business| San Antonio Business Journal| UWF Voyager| Grant News
- UWF awarded $6 million grant to lead national cybersecurity workforce development program