NJIT Students Part of Elite CyberCorps Program
NJIT graduate Theresa Wagner knew she wanted to work for the federal government.
After switching her major a few times while at NJIT, she found her path as an undergraduate student studying information technology. It was while studying IT that she learned of a program that would help her finish her undergraduate degree, pick up a master’s degree and land her first job out of college at the U.S. Department of State.
Wagner is one of a select few students at NJIT’s Ying Wu College of Computing who participated in CyberCorps, a unique “Scholarship for Service” program funded by the National Science Foundation, as part of NJIT’s Secure Computing Initiative. This initiative started when NJIT was designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in 2014.
CyberCorps is a prestigious and competitive program, with big rewards for students who are accepted. Perks include full tuition, a generous stipend and money for additional professional development. In exchange, the student agrees to work as a cybersecurity professional in a government branch after graduation for a period of time equal to the support period.
It was a perfect match for Wagner.
“It was a no brainer for me. I wanted to work for the federal government anyway and the scholarship for the master’s was unbeatable,” she said.
For each of the past three years, a few of NJIT’s best and brightest have participated in CyberCorps. Since joining the program in 2016, 25 students have been recruited to take part and 13 have graduated and received job offers from a federal or state government agency. Examples include the DHS, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Intelligence Agency.
“It’s a very competitive program,” said Reza Curtmola, an associate professor of computer science at NJIT’s Ying Wu College of Computing. Curtmola is one of four computer science professors who lead the program, which include Ali Mili, associate dean for academic affairs, computer science; Cristian Borcea, and Vincent Oria.
The program is open to students from within and outside the university who are citizens or permanent U.S. residents. Applicants are eligible for three-year scholarships that support them through the last year of their bachelor’s degree program, as well as two years in one of two master's programs in cybersecurity available at NJIT: M.S. in cybersecurity and privacy, and M.S. in information technology administration and security.
Each scholarship recipient receives the following:
- Full tuition + fees coverage
- An academic year stipend — $22,500 for undergraduates and $34,000 for graduate students
- Books and materials — $2,000 per year
- Health insurance reimbursement — $3,000 per year
- Professional development — $4,000 per year
Jonah Silencieux, a graduate student taking part in the program said she would highly recommend the program.
“I was really impressed with the access we have to federal agencies through the many events that CyberCorps students are invited to. It opens many doors for us,” she said, adding that she learned of the program as an undergraduate in Pittsburgh before coming to pursue her master’s at NJIT.
As part of the program, students follow the same course load as other students pursuing a degree in cybersecurity, but also participate in extracurricular activities, like dissecting real-life security-related incidents, digging deep into the possible causes to find out how it happened and what could be done to prevent future security breaches.
The students meet weekly to present their findings to their fellow CyberCorps members and professors.
Wagner said for her presentation she had to pick a topic from about 10 current or recent items in the news. She and her partner chose to examine the WannaCry cryptoworm that was uncovered in 2017.
For the project, Wagner said her team did extensive research on the topic, including reading academic papers, journals and other sourced material. They then created a presentation to discuss their findings.
As a cybercorps member, students also participate in a job fair in the Washington, D.C. area where they have the opportunity to network and learn more about job opportunities with federal and state governments.
Silencieux said that as the first generation of her family to graduate from college, the program was immensely helpful by providing the funding for her to complete her bachelor’s degree and pursue her master’s at NJIT.
Students interested in learning more about the CyberCorps program should visit the NJIT Secure Computing Initiative for additional information on eligibility requirements and the application process.
