The National Security Agency (NSA) has designated Southern Methodist University as a Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education. This designation reflects the strength of security related research and educational programs in the Computer Science and Engineering department and the university's interdisciplinary programs in the area. National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education (CAEIAE) Program is an outreach program designed and operated by the NSA and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in support of the President's National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace, February 2003. The goal of the program is to reduce vulnerability in our national information infrastructure by promoting higher education in Information Assurance (IA), and producing a growing number of professionals with IA expertise in various disciplines. Under this program, universities are eligible to apply to be designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in IA Education. Each applicant must pass a rigorous review demonstrating its commitment to academic excellence in IA education. The CAE recognition puts SMU in the forefront of education and research in Information Assurance. Security research and education has received tremendous push in recent years to satisfy the overwhelming demand to protect the pervasive information infrastructure, which affects every aspect of modern life, and its asymmetrical exposure to threats. School of Engineering at SMU has been in the forefront of this revolution. The High Assurance Computing and Networking (HACNet) Lab in the Computer Science and Engineering Department has provided the leadership in security research and teaching, and drove the effort culminating in the CAE designation. The Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) Department, along with other departments in the School of Engineering, offers courses to cover traditional and leading-edge aspects of information assurance. These courses are complemented by those offered through the Business School and Law School. Currently, CSE offers a Masters Degree program in Security Engineering and a Certificate program in Information Assurance. In addition to the technical aspects, the curriculum for the degree includes policy and management issues, integration and logistics, compliance, and budgeting. Centering on the problems of working professionals in the critical field of security, the program serves the needs of full-time and part-time students. The NSA recognition, for the academic years 2006 to 2009, enables SMU to apply for a wide range of grants for research and programs in Information Security. Students attending CAEIAE schools are eligible to apply for scholarships and grants through the Department of Defense Information Assurance Scholarship Program and the Federal Cyber Service Scholarship for Service Program (SFS).