By Nick Jacques, News Staff

The National Security Agency (NSA) selected Northeastern to be one of four universities to participate in a new cybersecurity initiative, the agency announced.

The NSA named Northeastern a National Center of Academic Excellence (CAE) in Cyber Operations on May 25. The program was launched as a part of President Barack Obama’s National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education to “broaden the pool of skilled workers capable of supporting a cyber-secure nation,” according to the NSA’s website.

As part of the program, undergraduate computer science students can now focus their studies in a new cyber operations concentration, according to a university press release.

The NSA will also run seminars for faculty and students, in which they will work on solving “real cybersecurity challenges.” Students and faculty will have to obtain security clearances in order to participate.

According to the press release, Northeastern was chosen in part because of its “experiential education model and strength in cybersecurity research and education.”

Although the program will focus on undergraduates, Agnes Chan, associate dean and director of graduate education for the college of computer and information science, said in the press release that she hopes a master’s program can be created as well.

This new program is the latest example of Northeastern carving a niche for itself in the field of national security. Last September, the university opened the George J. Kostas Research Institute for Homeland Security at its Burlington campus.

The NSA outlined strict criteria for universities to meet to be designated as a CAE in Cyber Operations. According to the NSA’s website, universities must offer a “degree, certificate or focus area” in the discipline. Universities must also adhere to a set curriculum and offer 100 percent of listed “mandatory program content” and 60 percent of “optional program content,” among other requirements.

The other three universities named to the program were Dakota State in South Dakota, the Naval Postgraduate School in California and the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma.

Cybersecurity is a growing area on the front lines of national security. According to a recent report by the United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission, China has repeatedly targeted the United States in cyber attacks. Last week the Iranian government admitted a virus called “Flame,” designed to collect information, had infiltrated several high-ranking officials’ computers.