On November 5, 2008 the Information Assurance Courseware Evaluation (IACE) Program evaluated the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico (PUPR) certification application and validated that Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico courseware as meeting all of the Committee on National Security Systems (CNSS) National Training Standards for:

Information Systems Security (INFOSEC) Professionals, NSTISSI No. 4011
System Administrators (SA), CNSSI No, 4013 Entry Level

The PUPR will receive recognition and an official certificate during the June 2009 CNSS Awards Ceremony, which will be held at the 13th Colloquium for Information Systems Security Education (CISSE). This certificate, signed by the CNSS Chair, will be valid through June 2014. The IACE Program provides consistency in training and education for the information assurance skills that are critical to our nation.

As a result of CNSS certification:

1. PUPR will be added to NSA’s list of referrals for students who seek training in the INFOSEC field.

2. Federal civilian and military personnel will be permitted to take our certified courses under government sponsorship.

3. PUPR will receive recognition and certificate during the next CNSS Annual Conference (certificates will be presented by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence).

4. PUPR will be authorized to issue certificates to students who complete its certified courses.

5. PUPR will be permitted to use the CNSS logo on its certificates, literature, and advertising.

PUPR currently has a Master of Science in Computer Science with a specialization in Information Technology Management and Information Assurance in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science (ECECS). This program is the first and only one of its kind in Puerto Rico. Graduate courses in IA include: Cryptography Protocol, Introduction to Information Security, Computer Security, CISSP Exam Prep, Network Security, Information Security Management, Database Security and Auditing, IT Auditing and Secure Operations, among others. PUPR also offers undergraduate courses on security such as: Computer Forensics, Ethical Hacking, Network Security, among others. We have offered more than 12 courses in the area of security at both undergraduate and graduate level.

CNSS certification is the first step toward recognition of PUPR by NSA as a “Center of Academic Excellence In Information Assurance Education” under NSA’s Information Assurance Program. As a result of this certification, PUPR is looking forward to become the first Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education (CAE/IAE) in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, designated by the National Security Agency (NSA) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS). PUPR is in a strategic position in the Caribbean where there is no designated institution close by. This is favorable for the designation as a CAE/IAE. The Institution also counts with excellent resources to support the initiatives of increasing National Defense, as our highly skilled faculty and students are mostly bilingual American citizens.