ORONO — Consistent with a commitment to grow Maine’s engineering and computing workforce and overall economy, University of Maine System (UMS) Trustees approved two new degree programs on Nov. 18, 2024.

At their regular meeting in Orono, the System’s Board of Trustees authorized proposals from the University of Maine at Augusta (UMA) to offer an Associate of Science in Cybersecurity and the University of Maine (UMaine) to offer a new Bachelor’s of Science in Computer Science and Business. 

Both high-demand degree programs will launch in January. 

UMA’s new entirely online cybersecurity associate degree program will leverage faculty and courses in its existing nationally recognized bachelor’s, master’s and accelerated master’s cybersecurity degree programs.

The majority of UMA students are working adults who enroll part-time.

"An associate-level degree program enables those learners to secure an industry-recognized credential of value and improve their employability and earnings more quickly," said the UMS System, in a news release. "Research shows that adding meaningful milestones, like an associate degree and the CompTIA Network+, Security+ and CySA+ certifications achievable through the new UMA program, increases the likelihood that learners will continue their higher education and complete a bachelor’s degree."

In addition to growing enrollment across all UMA cybersecurity programs, the new pathway is also expected to drive more students to the University of Southern Maine’s (USM) undergraduate cybersecurity degree and joint UMA/USM graduate certificate programs. 

Recognizing the increasing integration of technology in business, UMaine’s new bachelor’s degree program will bring together computing skills and business strategy for the first time in the System and also benefit multiple UMS universities.

Students in the interdisciplinary major will primarily take courses at UMaine through the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Maine College of Engineering and Computing (MCEC) and the Maine Business School, but will be able to access aligned courses through the computing programs at UMA, the University of Maine at Farmington, the University of Maine at Presque Isle and USM.

“I commend our public universities for being innovative and collaborative in creating new academic programs that prepare students with the critical thinking and technical skills needed for success in an increasingly digital economy,” said Board Chair Trish Riley. “These two new degree offerings are yet another example of our System leveraging its unique unified accreditation to meet Maine’s rapidly changing talent and innovation needs, consistent with the goals of our own strategic plan and the State’s 10-year economic strategy.” 

The degrees also advance the System’s commitment to double its output of engineering and computing graduates, which is supported by UMS TRANSFORMS, an initiative funded by historic investments from the Harold Alfond Foundation that helped create the multi-university MCEC. 

UMS currently enrolls more than 3,500 students in engineering and computing programs. Led by UMaine, the System conferred more than 1,200 engineering and computing degrees in the 2022-23 academic year — the most recent for which data is available.

Other Trustee actions:

In response to the Board’s priority to maintain enrollment and increase retention, Chancellor Dannel Malloy delivered a report to Trustees on the System’s current enrollment, which has achieved a three-year high of 25,286 students, not including the nearly 5,300 Maine high school students earning free UMS early college credit. That growth is attributed in part to the System achieving its highest-ever fall-to-fall undergraduate return rate through focused efforts to improve student retention and outcomes including intrusive advising and UMS TRANSFORMS-supported initiatives like research learning experiences.

Trustees additionally approved three-year contracts for two of the System’s seven bargaining units: the Universities of Maine Professional State Association (UMPSA) and the Associated Clerical, Office, Laboratory, Technical Staff of the Universities of Maine (ACSUM).