Certificate Requirements
Browse our certificate requirements, courses, and electives
Contact Us
Kerwin Hall, Room 306 on a map
SPA: Graduate Admissions 4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington, DC 20016 United StatesAdmission to the Program
Open to students with a bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited institution, participants who are currently enrolled in an SPA master's program may apply 12 relevant credits to this program. For those not currently enrolled in an SPA master's program, if they choose to continue their studies toward a degree, they may transfer up to 12 credit hours as long as they indicate their plans before the 12-credit threshold in the certificate program. Students also may apply up to 3 hours earned at an acccredited college or university as transfer credit toward a certificate. Learn more about admissions and apply.
Featured Event
Join SPA Prof. Suleyman Ozeren for "A Day in the Life of a Cyber Agent" on April 1 at 5:30 PM in Kerwin 301 or via Zoom. Hear from FBI guest speakers about careers in cyber opertations, intelligence analysis, and national security.
RSVP
Course Spotlight
Emerging Threats in Cybersecurity & Policy
January 31 | February 7
SAMI courses are back for the Spring 2026 semester and with a new course offering: Emerging Threats in Cybersecurity Policy. Over two days, students will explore cybersecurity challenges like ransomware attacks and AI governance.
The class will be led by Suleyman Ozeren, Director of SPA's Cyber Policy & Management Program with speakers like Kurtis Minder (Strategic Advisor & Advisory Board Chair for QBRIC), Celil Ergodan (Senior Manager of Cybersecurity Operations at Samsung), and Daria Bahrami (Head of Policy at Dreadnode).
We are excited for our students to learn from experts whose real-world experience will prepare them a career in cybersecurity!
Featured News
Exploring Careers in AI-Enabled Cybersecurity Policy with AU Students
We were delighted to welcome Daria Bahrami from Dreadnode as a guest speaker in Professor Suleyman Ozeren’s Cybercrime and Public Policy course, part of the Cyber Policy and Management Certificate Program at the School of Public Affairs, American University. Daria led an engaging conversation on careers in AI-enabled cybersecurity policy, offering students valuable insights into this rapidly evolving field.
Reflecting on her own professional journey, our speaker shared key insights that have shaped their approach to navigating this evolving field.
With cybersecurity policy still taking shape at the federal, state, and local levels, emerging professionals have a unique opportunity to define its future. We are grateful for the speaker’s insightful contributions and continued engagement in these timely conversations.
Looking for more? Browse our full list of recent news and events.
Program Overview
The Cyber Policy and Management graduate certificate program is tailored for individuals who seek leadership roles in cybersecurity, focusing on policy and management. The Cyber P&M Cert equips students with essential skills to navigate and influence U.S. cyber policy and address management challenges. Cyber Cert students will be able to understand and synthesize “cyber” in the context of both U.S. cyber policy and internal cyber management challenges and opportunities.
Students will gain deeper perspectives about the current and emerging dynamics of the policy processes related to U.S. cyber policy, such as critical infrastructure, artificial intelligence, regulatory harmonization, public-private partnership, software liability, and civil cyber defense, and how we approach cybersecurity governance.
The Cyber CERT program will enable students to master the tools they need to enter the cyber workforce and apply them to real-world scenarios impacting cyber policy and management domestically and internationally.
We will help students contextualize relevant cybersecurity legislation, regulations, and international developments, and how they incorporate these advancements within U.S. policies.
Students will learn to build a resource toolkit that allows them to quickly diagnose problems and propose clear, action-driven solutions to tackle cyber management issues within the public and private sectors.