California’s tech prowess rests on a continuous influx of skilled graduates, and no single institution supplies more of that talent than the CSU. Each year the CSU confers nearly 27,000 STEM bachelor’s and master’s degrees, which is one in five of all tech-relevant degrees awarded in the state.
The CSU maintains more than 4,000 active industry partnerships across the tech sector to enhance education, research and workforce development. These collaborations connect CSU campuses with leading technology companies such as Apple, Google, OpenAI, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services (AWS), NVIDIA, Adobe, Intel, IBM, and LinkedIn. Many of these companies offer CSU students hands-on experience through internships and apprenticeships, bridging classroom learning with real-world applications.
The CSU plays a pivotal role in advancing cybersecurity education, workforce development and research across California and the nation:
- Cal State San Bernardino, Cal Poly Pomona, Sacramento State and Cal State San Marcos have been designated as National Centers of Academic Excellence (CAE) in Cyber Defense Education.
- CSUSB has emerged as a national leader in cybersecurity education and workforce development. In 2020, CSUSB was appointed as the CAE National Center in Cybersecurity, supporting over 400 CAE institutions across the country.
- The CSU is actively enhancing cybersecurity in California through the establishment of local Security Operations Centers (SOCs) across its campuses. These SOC initiatives equip students with essential cybersecurity skills and contribute to safeguarding digital assets at local and state levels.
- The CSU is also implementing a centralized Cyber Fusion Center to enhance cybersecurity across its campuses. This initiative aims to provide 24/7 monitoring, real-time threat intelligence sharing, incident response support and compliance assistance, thereby strengthening the CSU’s cybersecurity posture.
- Led by CSUSB’s Center for Cyber and AI and co-hosted by San José State and Fresno State, the $4 million, state-funded WITH-Cyber program creates a cradle-to-career cybersecurity pipeline by pairing K-12 cyber camps and teacher workshops with aligned community-college certificates, university coursework and paid SOC internships.
- With its four National Security Agency-designated Centers of Academic Excellence, thousands of students enrolled in cyber-focused degrees, and a statewide network of security operations centers and K-12 talent pipelines, the CSU has become a cornerstone of California’s cyber-defense workforce.