CU Denver Launches Cybersecurity Degree Partnership

The University of Colorado Denver has launched a new cybersecurity degree program developed in direct partnership with regional technology and defense sector employers, aiming to address growing demand for cybersecurity talent among Colorado employers, particularly in the Denver and Colorado Springs defense and aerospace sectors.

Program director Simon Whitcomb says the curriculum was built with significant employer input from the outset, rather than developed independently by faculty and later adjusted based on employer feedback. "We wanted graduates walking in the door with skills employers actually needed on day one," Whitcomb said. "That meant involving employers in curriculum design from the very beginning, not as an afterthought."

Curriculum Built Around Employer-Identified Skill Gaps

Partner employers, including several regional defense contractors and financial services companies, identified specific technical skill gaps they had observed among recent cybersecurity graduates, information the university used to shape course content and required certifications within the new degree program. The curriculum includes hands-on lab components simulating real-world security incident response scenarios, an approach designed to give students practical experience beyond theoretical coursework.

Several partner employers have also committed to offering internship placements specifically for students in the new program, giving students direct pathways to gain practical experience before graduation. Whitcomb says these employer partnerships extend beyond internships to include guest lectures and access to industry-standard security tools that would otherwise be cost-prohibitive for the university to license independently.

Meeting Regional Demand for Cybersecurity Talent

Colorado's concentration of defense, aerospace, and financial services employers has created significant regional demand for cybersecurity professionals, a demand that university officials say has consistently outpaced the supply of qualified graduates from existing regional degree programs. The new program's first cohort has already drawn strong application interest, according to university officials, who say they're planning for enrollment growth in future years based on continued employer demand signals.

University officials say they view the employer-partnership model used for the cybersecurity program as a potential template for developing other technical degree programs in areas of strong regional employer demand.