Overview

The National Cybersecurity Authority (NCA) is mandated to “build the national cybersecurity workforce; to participate in developing education and training programs; to prepare professional standards and frameworks; and to develop and run professional assessment tests related to cybersecurity”. Therefore, and due to the importance of developing national high-quality academic programs in cybersecurity, the NCA has worked on the development of the “Saudi Cybersecurity Higher Education Framework (SCyber-Edu)” to be a guide that can be used for developing, evaluating and accrediting cybersecurity higher education programs. This framework was developed by the NCA in cooperation and coordination with the Ministry of Education and the Education and Training Evaluation Commission.

The Saudi Cybersecurity Higher Education Framework (SCyber-Edu) contributes to setting the minimum curriculum requirements of cybersecurity higher education programs to assure their academic quality. The goal of this framework is to ensure that higher education programs in Saudi Arabia develop highly qualified cybersecurity professionals who can join and enrich the national cybersecurity workforce and contribute to the national efforts towards “A resilient, secure and trusted Saudi cyberspace that enables growth and prosperity”.

SCyber-Edu is designed in alignment with the Unified Saudi Classification for Educational Levels and Specializations, the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) and the guidelines of the National Center for Academic Accreditation and Evaluation.

The Saudi Cybersecurity Higher Education Framework

The Saudi Cybersecurity Higher Education Framework Alignment Process

The alignment guide for the Saudi Cybersecurity Higher Education Framework (SCyber-Edu) focuses on defining the alignment process of the cybersecurity higher education programs in Saudi Arabia with the predefined curriculum requirements in SCyber-Edu. The “SCyber-Edu” framework alignment mechanism consists of three steps:

Self-Assessment
Arbitration
Alignment Verdict

Additionally, the alignment guide demonstrates the steps of filling the alignment form with illustrative examples.

Alignment Guide for the Saudi Cybersecurity Higher Education Framework (SCyber-Edu)

Alignment Form

The first step of the alignment process is to complete the alignment form by the universities and educational institutions that provide cybersecurity higher education programs, and then share it via:

The Saudi Cybersecurity Higher Education Framework Alignment Form

Regulations Documents