Welcome to the Institute of Cyber Defense Education (ICDE) at Gwinnett Technical College

Gwinnett Technical College is proud to be designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Two-Year Education (CAE2Y) through academic year 2025.

The goal of the CAE2Y program is to increase the understanding of Cyber Defense (CD) technology, policy, and practices that will enable our nation to prevent and respond to a catastrophic cyber incidents and events. This CAE2Y designation recognizes that Gwinnett Technical College meets the increasing demands of the program criteria that contribute significantly to the advancement of state-of-the-art CD knowledge and practice by developing this important technically skilled workforce.

This designation, issued jointly by the NSA and the DHS, is one of the most prestigious recognitions for cybersecurity excellence a college can receive. Gwinnett Tech is the first-two-year college in Metro-Atlanta to receive this distinction.

Gwinnett Tech students will learn to master the 15 core competencies identified by NSA/DHS as appropriate for two-year programs. These include cyber defense, security design, cryptography, and ethics. The college designed the coursework to prepare students for entry-level positions in the cybersecurity workforce and to help them to prepare for and pass multiple cyber-related industry certification examinations required by many employers. Gwinnett Tech’s associate degree in cybersecurity can be completed in two years or less. For more information on Gwinnett Tech’s Cybersecurity program, please visit: GwinnettTech.edu/cybersecurity/

Gwinnett Technical College provides a variety of training for faculty and staff including biannual, mandated cybersecurity training. All Gwinnett Tech students receive information about cybersecurity in New Student Orientation and the First Year Experience course (FYES 1000). Additionally, ICDE’s Resources Page also includes links to Gwinnett Tech’s Information Technology policies and institutional security as well as general topics in information security.

Our Cybersecurity program will give you the necessary skills to work in the competitive market of cyber security and defense. Click here to reach out to the Center of Academic Excellence Community.

What is our vision at ICDE?

  • Promote courses committed to excellence in educating the next-generation of cybersecurity experts
  • Provide innovative and adaptive learning techniques to equip Gwinnett Tech graduates with the knowledge and tools necessary to fight the battle of cyber defense
  • Creation of a cyber war-room where students can practice offensive and defensive cybersecurity scenarios
  • Build an effective conduit of cybersecurity information for our campuses and our surrounding communities
  • Continue to improve and innovate cyber defense curriculum, programs, and events to promote a safer digital world

 

What is our goal at ICDE?
With the predicted shortage of 1 million cybersecurity professionals by 2025, the goal of the ICDE is to graduate students who have acquired expertise relevant to protecting the cyber assets of both governmental and corporate enterprise.


The ICDE Program and Oversight chair is Cybersecurity Program Director, Dr. Albena Asenova-Belal, abelal@GwinnettTech.edu . The contributing committee consists of Dean, Mr. Garfield Anderson, ganderson@GwinnettTech.edu and Ms. Deborah von Deutsch, dvondeutsch@GwinnettTech.edu.