The National Information Assurance Training and Education Center
The National Information Training and Education Center (NIATEC) is a Scholarship for Service (SFS) master's program housed in the College of Business (CoB) and the Informatics Research Institute (IRI) at ISU. A two-year program, selected students receive a full tuition scholarship and up to $37,000 annual stipend for two years. In exchange, recipients must agree to work after graduation for the U.S. Government, in a position related to cybersecurity, for two years. Scholarship recipients work towards their Master's of Business Administration (MBA) degrees with an emphasis in Cybersecurity Management and Leadership.
ISU NIATEC is a transformative, interdisciplinary cybersecurity leadership development experience that prepares students for careers in the federal government. Furthermore, due to the quality of the program, ISU is designated by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security as a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE). The NIATEC program is one of the first such programs established in the country, earning recognition among federal agencies. Since 2003, ISU NIATEC has placed more than 100 graduates in federal organizations, including the National Security Agency (NSA), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Critical Infrastructure and Security agency (CISA), and the Federal Reserve system, among others.
To be eligible for the program, you must be a citizen or lawful permanent resident of the United States. You are required to be a full time student in the MBA program for the duration of the scholarship. You must also meet criteria for Federal employment and be able to obtain a security clearance, if required. The NIATEC experience is open for students with any undergraduate degree degree to apply. NIATEC members have had backgrounds in photography, jazz, mathematics, anthropology, business, and more. The NIATEC program demonstrates that anyone with an interest and a passion for learning can become a cybersecurity professional of the highest order.
NIATEC is established under the National Science Foundation (NSF), in coordination with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). With the advent of the digital world and our reliance on it, the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2014, as amended by the National Defense Authorization Acts for 2018 and 2021, and the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, authorize these agencies to establish a scholarship program to train the next generation of cybersecurity professionals to meet the needs of various levels of government; Federal, State, local, or tribal.
Apply Now!
If you are interested in being a part of this experience, applications are currently being accepted until May 31, with responses by July 1.
If you would like more information, feel free to contact scholarship@niatec.isu.edu. You can also contact SFS manager Kay Flowers (kayflowers@isu.edu), Ryan Lind (ryanlind@isu.edu), or director Dr. Sean McBride (seanmcbride@isu.edu) for more specific inquiries.