Regents launch cyber Ph.D. program at AU, hold off on tuition hikes

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - University System of Georgia regents decided to launch a doctoral degree program in computer and cyber science at Augusta University.

Also this week, they opted not to raise tuition for 2021-22 schools in the system, which include AU in Augusta as well as East Georgia State College in Swainsboro.

AU cyber program

As one of the university system’s four research universities, AU is already an innovation center for education and health care. The regents decided to launch the system’s first Ph.D. cyber program here due to:

The relocation of the U.S. Army Cyber Command to Fort Gordon.
The growing influx of cybersecurity corporations and entities in the Augusta region.
The 2018 opening of the Georgia Cyber Center.

AU’s School of Computer and Cyber Sciences has experienced double-digit percentage increases per year in recent undergraduate student enrollment, attracting students from the two-state region and beyond.

AU’s recruiting plans include reaching out to various constituencies in Georgia and beyond.

In particular, the school in December 2019 signed an agreement with Savannah River National Lab to promote joint research, educational programs and professional projects.

Several technical staff members from the lab as well as Fort Gordon are expected to pursue doctoral studies in computing at AU, the only institution with an easy commute to offer such a program.

School of Computer and Cyber Sciences Dean Dr. Alex Schwarzmann anticipates welcoming the first students of this program in Fall 2021. Learn more about this new program.

A break on tuition hikes

With the regents’ decision not to raise tuition, the 2021-22 academic year will mark the fourth time in six years with no increase in tuition for schools in the system.

“USG over the past several years has remained committed to making public higher education as affordable as possible for students and their families, while maintaining results that rank our campuses among some of the best in the nation,” Chancellor Steve Wrigley said.

“We are grateful for the support of the Board and state leaders toward this priority, and recognize students’ hard work especially over the past year to maintain success toward graduating and entering Georgia’s workforce with college degrees.”

The regents also approved a recommendation of no increases to any mandatory fees for the 2021-2022 academic year.

Georgia now has the third-lowest median tuition compared to the other 15 states in the Southern Regional Education Board when it comes to four-year undergraduate schools.