CINCINNATI, Aug. 9, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) today announced its partnership with the University of Cincinnati's College of Engineering and Applied Science to offer a master's degree in computer science with a focus on cyber informatics, beginning in the fall of 2010.‪

"This new partnership between Northrop Grumman and the University of Cincinnati will bring core knowledge and expertise to the region within the cyber community," said Martin Simoni, site director for Northrop Grumman's Xetron business unit. "Educating and developing home-grown talent is critical in today's highly competitive job market.  Our cyber master's program will allow our technical experts to groom students on the job and in the classroom."

The master's degree curriculum is aimed at the software engineering population at Northrop Grumman's Xetron facility in Cincinnati, which specializes in providing solutions for a growing cyber industry, in addition to students who attend the University of Cincinnati (UC).  This unique degree program will allow convenient scheduling for all participants as classes will be held at both the UC campus as well as Northrop Grumman's facility, with live video feeds connecting the two locations. Classes will be taught by a combination of University of Cincinnati professors and Northrop Grumman employees working as adjunct professors for the university.

"The University of Cincinnati is excited about this opportunity to collaborate with industry to develop a program that provides innovative approaches for our 21^st century engineers as they prepare to face real-world challenges," said Carlo Montemagno, dean of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Cincinnati. ‪  

Widely acknowledged as one of America's top research universities, the University of Cincinnati is located near downtown Cincinnati, within a half hour from the Northrop Grumman Xetron facility.   

To accommodate the workforce and allow concurrent on-campus participation, classes will incorporate several teaching methods, including streaming video, classroom lecture, and laboratory exercises.‪ Northrop Grumman will fund the development of new courses geared to the 21^st century cyber engineer and will include such topics as malware analysis, reverse engineering, network security and cyber forensics.

"This is an unprecedented opportunity for our engineers to expand their knowledge, mentor the next generation of cyber engineers and leverage the extensive knowledge of academia," said Bill Martini, engineering director for Northrop Grumman's Xetron business unit. "This master's program continues Northrop Grumman's rich legacy of sponsoring educational programs throughout the United States."

Northrop Grumman is actively engaged in supporting cybersecurity education, training and technology. In addition to partnering with the University of Cincinnati, Northrop Grumman is the presenting sponsor of CyberPatriot III, a national high school cyber defense competition designed to excite, educate and motivate the next generation of cyber defenders. In December 2009, the company formed a Cybersecurity Research Consortium, an industry/academia partnership addressing the cybersecurity challenges of the future, and is a co-sponsor of the Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition. 

Northrop Grumman is an industry leader in all aspects of computer network operations and cyber security, offering customers innovative solutions to help secure the nation's cyber future. For more about cybersecurity at Northrop Grumman, go to www.northropgrumman.com/cybersecurity.

Northrop Grumman Corporation is a leading global security company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, shipbuilding and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide. Please visit www.northropgrumman.com for more information.

CONTACT:  Ellen Hamilton
          Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems 
          (224) 625-4693
          ellen.hamilton@ngc.com