Business Education

UNCP launches cybersecurity pathway with SCC

By Staff Report, posted 3 years ago
Southeastern Community College President Dr. Chris English (left) signs a cybersecurity articulation agreement with UNCP Interim Provost Dr. Cherry Beasley and UNCP Chancellor Robin Gary Cummings - Photo provided by UNCP

UNC Pembroke has signed an articulation agreement with Southeastern Community College (SCC) to provide a seamless pathway for information technology students seeking to further their education in the cybersecurity field.  

The new partnership will increase the pipeline of cybersecurity professionals across the region. Cybersecurity is among the most in-demand professions and fastest-growing career areas nationally.  

“This pathway is the latest example of the long-standing relationship between our two institutions and another opportunity to change lives through education,” Chancellor Robin Gary Cummings said during a signing ceremony at SCC on April 28, according to a press release. 

“It is vitally important for the continued growth of southeastern North Carolina’s economy that we fully leverage the power and potential of SCC and UNCP to improve [the] lives of students, the lives around them, and move our region forward.” 

The agreement eases the transition for students who complete an Associate in Applied Science in information technology to transfer and complete a bachelor’s degree in information technology with a cybersecurity track. 

According to national statistics, there were 600,000 cybersecurity job openings between April 2020 and March 2021. The new partnership will specifically target workforce development, according to SCC President Chris English.  

“Everything we do at SCC is about workforce development,” Dr. English said in a press release. “We take pride in knowing that we have this great partnership with UNCP, and it is evident that we keep leaning on UNCP, and you keep stepping up to the challenge. You understand our students’ needs and Columbus County’s needs.”

UNCP offers cybersecurity tracks with undergraduate programs in computer science and information technology. These programs have shown significant growth since their inception. In fall of 2022, UNCP began offering a Bachelor of Science in cybersecurity.   

The new degree program includes a strong math and computer science foundation, combining lectures with real-world case studies, hands-on experience in cyber labs and collaborative faculty-student research opportunities.   

Ico insights

INSIGHTS

SPONSORS' CONTENT

In The Current Issue

Multi-generational business expertise: How legacies in local businesses find sustained success

Join us Sept. 29 for our third Power Breakfast of 2026 as business leaders share how they leverage decades of institutional wisdom. The Greater Fayetteville Business Journal invites you to join us for our third quarterly Power Breakfast, The Fam


Local expertise: Critical Path Solutions LLC chosen as construction company for Skyeton Manufacturing renovations

Skyeton leadership have decided to look locally for a general contractor to head up major renovations for the 28,479-square-foot building they’ve selected as their new home. Fayetteville-based Critical Path Solutions LLC has been chosen as the primary contractor for bringing new life to the previous Black+Decker plant site.


Fort Bragg goes nuclear: Antares awarded Army Janus Program agreement to deliver nuclear microreactor power for Army’s energy resilience mission

From left to right: US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright with Antares Co-founder and CEO Jordan Bramble. Photos courtesy of Antares Nuclear, Inc. Antares Nuclear, Inc. recently announced that it has been awarded an Other Transactions Authority ag