Cybersecurity
Texas Cyber Clinic
About Us
Texas Cyber Clinic
The Texas Cybersecurity Clinic is the fruit of discussions with the Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s Cybersecurity Advisory Board, the City of Austin, and the Strauss Center for International Security and Law, all of which were interested in providing UT students with hands-on cybersecurity experience via delivering pro bono cybersecurity services to target-rich, resource-challenged entities in Texas.
During the first semester course, students learn key cybersecurity best practices and associated skills required to implement cybersecurity protections effectively in a real institutional setting.
In the second semester course, students deploy these skills to assist client organizations with improving their cybersecurity hygiene, thereby gaining invaluable practical experience in the field. The clients, for their part, get the benefit of a substantially improved defensive posture.
Both courses are taught and supervised by Professor Francesca Lockhart of the Strauss Center.
Clinic Goals
What Does the Clinic Entail?
1. Provide free, student-led, customized cybersecurity services to Texas-based small businesses, nonprofits, and public sector organizations below the security poverty line.
o Clinic services include, but are not limited to:
- Cyber risk assessment
- Asset inventory
- Policy creation
- Security software configuration
- Email and network security assistance
- Incident response planning
- Customized cyber training and awareness
- Recommendations for advanced services, trainings, and resources
2. Provide UT Austin students with hands-on cybersecurity experience and networking opportunities, equipping them to pursue careers in cybersecurity, national security, emergency management, and related fields.
3. Leverage the strong tradition of cybersecurity leadership at UT-Austin to foster robust cyber resilience in the State of Texas.
Prospective clients should contact Senior Research Program Coordinator Susan Crane at [email protected] to be connected with Francesca Lockhart and learn more about Clinic services.
Apply
How to Apply
Applications for the Spring 2026-Fall 2026 cohort open Monday, September 15th, and close Sunday, October 12th at 11:59 pm.
Application link will be made available here on Monday, September 15th, 2025. Apply Here
- Participation is limited to a small number of exceptional undergraduate and graduate students from any college or school.
- Strong candidates will be able to commit to two semesters of coursework and possess proven teamwork skills, an interest in learning and applying the technical aspects of cybersecurity, and a commitment to improving cyber resilience in Texas.
- No prior cybersecurity knowledge or experience required.
To Apply, Students Must:
- Be registered UT students in residence at UT during the semesters of Spring 2026 – Fall 2026. Students must also be available to take the both semesters in person.
- Have a GPA of at least 3.25.
- Be either an upper-division undergraduate student, or a graduate student in any major or degree program with the exception of graduate students enrolled in the MSISP and MSIS programs within the iSchool. Graduate students are encouraged to connect with their advisors or track supervisor to obtain approval to enroll in the course sequence before applying.
- Be able to complete all activities required during the program, including the Spring 2026 course and the Fall 2026 clinic course, which includes regular meetings with their assigned student team, the course instructor, and the client organization.
Applications should include
- A detailed statement of interest that explains your academic and professional interests and why you are seeking to participate in the Texas Cybersecurity Clinic.
- Résumé with your complete contact information, including email address, UT EID, and phone number.
- One unofficial college transcript (academic summary) which includes grades for the most recent semester.
- Short answers (250 words or less) to both of the two following cybersecurity-related questions:
Please describe who or what poses the largest contemporary cybersecurity threat to US-based businesses and explain why.
While surveying your client’s cybersecurity posture, you observe a vulnerability that you know how to remediate. However, this fix/process was not taught in the first semester of the clinic, and you’ve never done it before. What next steps do you take?
Please contact Susan Crane at [email protected] if you have any questions. The application is open from Monday, September 15th to Sunday, October 12th, at 11:59 pm.
