A university in the area has added cyber defense to its list of degrees with an employment guarantee.

The Davenport University Employment Guarantee assures students they will find employment within six months of graduating. Qualified graduates unable to find employment may receive up to three additional semesters — up to 48 credits total — of tuition-free instruction, with students responsible for fees and books.

The additional courses, worth up to nearly $37,000, help most students earn a second major free of charge.

Introduced in 2014 with accounting, the program is now available to more than 1,100 students enrolled in accounting, nursing, network management and security, computer information systems, computer science programs and cyber defense.

To be eligible, students must maintain a 3.0 GPA in their major and overall, complete an internship and other experiential learning or leadership components, be eligible for legal employment in the U.S. and conduct a thorough, documented job search.

"We have an obligation in higher education that the investment our students make in their education is rewarded with a successful career," said Richard Pappas, president, Davenport University.

“Davenport’s guarantee program is just that. It’s a reflection of our confidence and our commitment to students that the education they’ll earn at our university will prepare them to become the nurses, business professionals, computer scientists and cyber defense experts of the future.”