SANS Institute survey ranks HCC as top-tier cybersecurity education college

May 6, 2019

Houston Community College is in the top ranks of U.S. colleges having students with a natural aptitude to excel in cybersecurity, according to a new survey.

The SANS Institute surveyed U.S. colleges as part of its 17-day competition in April and May in partnership with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and 24 other governors to close the cyber skills gap with China and Russia.

According to the survey, HCC ranks No. 5 in Texas and 29th nationally out of 5,000 colleges in the number of students discovering their aptitude for cybersecurity careers.

“The leadership shown by Houston Community College is commendable,” said Alan Paller, director of research at the SANS Institute. “Without the talent being discovered in Cyber FastTrack, shortages of elite talent will put the United States at a severe disadvantage in protecting power systems, financial systems and military systems in times of conflict, and protecting businesses and personal privacy in peacetime. HCC has set a high bar for other schools in Texas and in the nation.”

In related news, the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) is enlisting the help of HCC cybersecurity faculty. HCC cybersecurity Professor Scott Hillman was asked by ABET to serve on a ten-person nationwide team that is developing the criteria for two-year cybersecurity accreditation. He attended the ABET Symposium April 10-13 in Dallas. ABET accredits post-secondary education programs in computing, applied and natural science, engineering and engineering technology.