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U.S. Gov’t. Offering Tuition-Free Graduate Degree in Cybersecurity

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CyberCorps®: Scholarship for Service was created by the federal government to increase homeland security.

By Gita Brown

If you’re interested in pursuing full-time study in a master’s degree program in computer science or cybersecurity, the CyberCorps®: Scholarship for Service is offering up to three years of free tuition; a $34,000-a-year stipend; and funds for books, travel, health insurance and professional development.

In turn, scholarship recipients are required to work for a federal, state, local, tribal or territorial government agency or for a federally funded research and development center as a cybersecurity professional for a period equal to the length of their scholarship. Students whose scholarships are longer than one academic year must complete a summer internship in an appropriate governmental position.

Established by the U.S. government and funded by grants from the National Science Foundation, the CyberCorps® scholarship was created to recruit and train individuals to protect the country’s critical infrastructures. From the nation’s pipelines, to banking and finance, to transportation and communication – all of these infrastructures are vulnerable to cyberattacks.

To date, six RIC computer science majors have been awarded a CyberCorps® scholarship and have earned or are currently earning graduate degrees from either Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) or the University of Rhode Island (URI).

Jonathan Duran ’20, a founding member of the Software Engineering Club at RIC and former RIC Help Desk technician, earned his master’s degree at WPI in 2022. He is currently an Air Force software engineer for the Air National Guard. (Read about Duran’s experience as a CyberCorps® scholar.)

Brian McKay ’20, earned his master’s degree at WPI in 2022 and is now a computer scientist/lead information systems security officer at the U.S. Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Newport, Rhode Island.

Still completing their graduate program are Samantha Louise Saldua ’21, who is earning a master’s degree in cybersecurity at URI; Justin Cabral ’21 and Humberto Martinez ’21, who are earning master’s degrees in computer science at WPI; and Christian Rijos, who is earning a master’s degree in cybersecurity at WPI.

Learn more at CyberCorps®: Scholarship for Service and also visit Frequently Asked Questions FAQs.