This paper critically reviews the state of cybersecurity education in the United States, analyzing data from two sources: programs of study from Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (CAE-C) and peer-reviewed research in cybersecurity education over the past decade. The CAE-C data includes information from 100 institutions, revealing a wide variety of programs, including bachelor's degrees, certificates, associate degrees, minors, and concentrations. The research highlights a lack of alignment between academic curricula and industry needs, as well as a gap in rigorous evaluation of instructional methods. The literature review shows a focus on instructional content and tools, but a lack of research on evaluating instructional approaches. The authors suggest that cybersecurity education could benefit from incorporating educational psychology theories, such as cognitive load theory, to improve instructional design. They also emphasize the importance of aligning curricula with industry standards and working with organizations like NIST, ACM, and IEEE to ensure that programs meet industry needs. The paper concludes that improving cybersecurity education requires both better alignment with industry needs and the application of educational psychology principles to instructional design.This paper critically reviews the state of cybersecurity education in the United States, analyzing data from two sources: programs of study from Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (CAE-C) and peer-reviewed research in cybersecurity education over the past decade. The CAE-C data includes information from 100 institutions, revealing a wide variety of programs, including bachelor's degrees, certificates, associate degrees, minors, and concentrations. The research highlights a lack of alignment between academic curricula and industry needs, as well as a gap in rigorous evaluation of instructional methods. The literature review shows a focus on instructional content and tools, but a lack of research on evaluating instructional approaches. The authors suggest that cybersecurity education could benefit from incorporating educational psychology theories, such as cognitive load theory, to improve instructional design. They also emphasize the importance of aligning curricula with industry standards and working with organizations like NIST, ACM, and IEEE to ensure that programs meet industry needs. The paper concludes that improving cybersecurity education requires both better alignment with industry needs and the application of educational psychology principles to instructional design.