October 22, 2019

Texas Comptroller Visits University of Houston for Good for Texas Tour: Cybersecurity Edition

(HOUSTON) — In the southeast Texas stop of his Good for Texas Tour: Cybersecurity Edition, Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar today visited the University of Houston (UH), an emerging leader in cybersecurity education and research.

“The University of Houston continues to strengthen the cybersecurity workforce and develop the tools and technologies needed to face global security challenges,” Hegar said. “Graduates from UH cybersecurity programs go on to work for some of the world’s largest consulting firms, banks, energy companies and software developers.”

During his latest Good for Texas Tour, Hegar is sharing the results of a new Comptroller study detailing the threat cybercrimes pose to national, corporate and personal security. The study also explores how Texas colleges and universities are training a strong cybersecurity workforce to combat these ever-growing threats. He’s touring several Texas colleges and universities designated as Centers for Academic Excellence (CAE) by the National Security Agency (NSA).

The University of Houston is one of only a handful of universities designated as a CAE in two NSA focus areas: cyber defense education and research. UH is home to the Center for Information Security Research and Education, a university-level center that serves as a focal point for cybersecurity activities across the campus. The center has received significant cybersecurity grants from the Department of Defense, NSA, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Energy and Department of Labor.

UH also provides national leadership in its role as the CAE program’s National Resource Center for Knowledge Units and Academics. In this role, it leads a community-driven effort to establish the cybersecurity education standards used by the program.

The University of Houston’s cybersecurity graduates are highly recruited and quickly employed, earning average starting salaries of about $85,000 annually; more than 95 percent of its students have jobs after graduation. The university ranks 14th nationally among “Best Cyber Security Colleges” by CyberDegrees.org and third among “Best Cyber Security Colleges in Texas” by Universities.com.

For more information on the tour, including additional details about the University of Houston's effort to combat cybercrime, go to the Comptroller's website.