Cybersecurity Certificate Overview
Cybersecurity certificates are post-secondary credentials that allow industry professionals to set themselves apart from the competition with updated technical and problem-solving skills and an expanded professional network.
Cybersecurity professionals are in high demand as the need to protect data — such as credit card numbers, medical records, individual passwords, proprietary information, bank account numbers, passport numbers, birth dates, addresses, and other sensitive information — increases.
All industries, including healthcare, insurance, hospitality, and finance, are vulnerable to cyber threats. For this reason, careers in cybersecurity are ubiquitous and comprise a number of specializations, including chief information security officers (CISOs), cryptographers, forensic experts, penetration testers, incident responders, security architects, security engineers, vulnerability assessment analysts, and others.
H2: What Is a Cybersecurity Certificate?
A cybersecurity certificate is a path to career advancement for professionals in cybersecurity or related fields.
Cybersecurity certificates are offered by universities and colleges across the United States and generally include roughly five courses and an assessment. A professional in the industry who has earned a cybersecurity certificate demonstrates not only a deeper, more specialized knowledge of cybersecurity but also a commitment to the field and to his or her employer.
It’s important to recognize the difference between a graduate or undergraduate certificate, which is earned from a college or university, and a professional certification issued by an industry organization or a commercial IT or security solutions vendor, such as Microsoft, that trains people to use its proprietary tools.
Both credentials can enhance your skill set and make you more desirable to employers — or more likely to be promoted within your organization, but academic certificates generally carry more weight as they require a higher level of commitment.
A cybersecurity certificate can open doors for new workers entering the field and propel mid-career professionals to the next level. The key to finding the right certificate program for you is knowing what you want to gain from your training — i.e., the knowledge or expertise you need to land the career you want.
H2: Who Should Get a Cybersecurity Certificate?
Existing industry professionals who want to expand their skills or advance their careers are candidates for a cybersecurity certificate as are entry-level or junior cybersecurity specialists and those breaking in from a related technical field. A cybersecurity certificate can help you stay relevant in this dynamic industry, and, if you are entering cybersecurity from an adjacent field, a specialized program will allow you to leverage your transferrable skills.
For example, the CERT Cybersecurity Engineering and Software Assurance Professional Certificate program from Carnegie Mellon is targeted toward “information systems professionals who are responsible for ensuring software and systems security for their organizations.”
These students are expected to be familiar with software assurance and system security risks.
Harvard Extension School’s Cybersecurity Graduate Certificate, on the other hand, requires less knowledge of assurance and security but emphasizes the critical-thinking and problem-solving components of the profession.
H2: What Are the Benefits of a Cybersecurity Certificate?
Because cybersecurity is a broad industry that encompasses many subfields, a cybersecurity certificate offers huge benefits for mathematicians, engineers, and computer scientists. These experts have a wealth of specialized technical knowledge that overlaps with the needs of the cybersecurity realm. The appropriate certificate program can help them bridge the distance between their current skill set and the proficiencies needed to break into the field of cybersecurity.
Adrian Sanabria, founder of Security Weekly Labs, illustrated this point on the Breaking Into Cybersecurity podcast when he noted, “Security is very much a second-layer job. There’s no security without something else underneath it. There’s application security, database security, network security. If you don’t understand applications, networks, or databases, you’re gonna get lost real quick.”
Additionally, the ever-changing nature of technology makes systems, networks, and programs constantly vulnerable to cybercriminals, which makes the job of protecting them an iterative, evolving process.
Cybersecurity certificate programs offer students the opportunity to learn new techniques and apply their knowledge in workshops and simulations.
Perhaps even more beneficial to industry professionals, however, are the networking opportunities the programs provide. During his interview, Sanabria talked about the importance of building your professional network through social media, online communities, podcasts, and work colleagues.
Your professors and mentors, as well as the other students in your cohort, will be invaluable assets as you navigate your career. This is a benefit that is often overlooked when people are considering enrolling in a certificate program, but it can have a profound impact.
H2: Cybersecurity Certificate Programs
You canearn a cybersecuritycertificate from colleges, community colleges, and universities across the United States.
As mentioned earlier, the key to selecting the right cybersecurity certificate program for you is assessing your current skills and researching the job or career enhancement you wish to pursue. Because not all cybersecurity certificates cover the same areas, it’s important that you have your objective in mind and carefully assess all your options.
Your current status in the field and your career goalswill help you determine which academiccertificate is suitable for you. Your lifestyle, job flexibility, and location will help you decide whether you want to pursue a certificate online or in-person.
H3: Georgetown University’s Certificate in Cybersecurity Strategy
Georgetown’s Certificate in Cybersecurity Strategy is one of two certificates offered by the university. The other is a graduate certificate in cybersecurity risk management.
The program consists of independent study, lectures, and group work, all of which are led by academics and industry experts with extensive knowledge in a range of security topics, as well as compliance and regulation.
Overview: Certificate in Cybersecurity Strategy
- Delivery Method: Live or On-Demand Online
- Number of Courses: 6
- Assessment: Contact the university for assessment information.
- Average Cost: $6,330
H3: Carnegie Mellon University’s CERT Cybersecurity Engineering and Software Assurance Professional Certificate
Carnegie Mellon’s Software Engineering Institute’s certificate program caters to experienced information systems professional. During the program, students learn techniques for identifying security requirements, vulnerabilities, and supply chain risk and apply them in real-world simulations.
Overview: CERT Cybersecurity Engineering and Software Assurance Professional Certificate
- Delivery Method: Online
- Number of Courses: 5
- Assessment: Exam; 80% required to pass
- Average Cost: $1,250 per course plus exam fee
H3: Georgia Institute of Technology’s Professional Education Cybersecurity Certificate
Created specifically for cybersecurity professionals who aspire to a career involving high levels of cybersecurity monitoring, the Cybersecurity Certificate from Georgia Tech is a pathway to a stronger professional network and a more intuitive investigative technique for uncovering threats and mitigating risk.
Overview: Cybersecurity Certificate
- Delivery Method: Classroom
- Number of Courses: 5
- Assessment: Each course includes an assessment.
- Average Cost: See the Courses Overview page for individual course fees.
H3: Harvard Extension School’s Cybersecurity Graduate Certificate
Students in the Cybersecurity Graduate Certificate program earn a valuable credential along with the skills and knowledge to effectively manage security technologies.
Overview: Cybersecurity Graduate Certificate
- Delivery Method: Online
- Number of Courses: 4
- Credit hours: 4
- Assessment: Contact the school for assessment information.
- Average Cost: $11,920
H3: University of Kentucky’s Undergraduate Cybersecurity Certificate
In order to be admitted to the certificate program, which is affiliated with the university’s computer science and computer engineering bachelor’s programs, students must be enrolled in an undergraduate program in UK’s College of Engineering. The focus of the certificate is on instilling an understanding of cybersecurity challenges and recognizing and mitigating threats.
Overview: Undergraduate Cybersecurity Certificate
- Delivery Method: Classroom
- Number of Courses: 5
- Assessment: Final report and oral presentation
- Average Cost: $179 per credit hour for in-state students; $627 per credit hour for out-of-state students
Careers in cybersecurity will continue to proliferate with the security needs of organizations in both the private and public sectors. As of May 25, 2021, the Health Sector Cybersecurity Coordination Center (HC3) had tracked 82 ransomware incidents globally in 2021 within the health care sector alone.
As long as malicious cyber activity remains a threat to public safety and national security, cybersecurity professionals will be in demand. Those who actively pursue professional development and continuing education opportunities will increase their chances of establishing a successful, fulfilling career in the industry.
References
Breaking Into Cybersecurity. (2021, October 14). #CISOThursdays: Breaking Into Cybersecurity + Adrian Sanabria 10.14.21. Retrieved from https://anchor.fm/breakingintocybersecurity/episodes/CISOThursdays-Breaking-Into-Cybersecurity–Adrian-Sanabria-10-14-21-e18q0cr
Carnegie Mellon University. (n.d.). CERT Cybersecurity Engineering and Software Assurance Professional Certificate. Retrieved from https://www.sei.cmu.edu/education-outreach/credentials/credential.cfm?customel_datapageid_14047=33881
Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies. (n.d.). Cybersecurity Strategy. Retrieved from https://scs.georgetown.edu/programs/374/certificate-in-cybersecurity-strategy/
Georgia Institute of Technology. (n.d.). Courses. Retrieved from https://pe.gatech.edu/courses#tab-overview
Georgia Institute of Technology. (n.d.). Cybersecurity Certificate. Retrieved from https://pe.gatech.edu/certificates/cybersecurity-certificate#tab-overview
Harvard Extension School. (n.d.). Cybersecurity Graduate Certificate. Retrieved from https://extension.harvard.edu/academics/programs/cybersecurity-graduate-certificate/
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2021, June 3). Ransomware Trends 2021. Retrieved from https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/ransomware-trends-2021.pdf
University of Kentucky College of Engineering. (n.d.). Cybersecurity Certificate Program. Retrieved from https://www.engr.uky.edu/students/undergraduate/academic-enhancements/certificates-and-minors/cybersecurity
West Kentucky Community and Technical College. (n.d.). Tuition and Fees. Retrieved from https://westkentucky.kctcs.edu/affording-college/tuition-costs/index.aspx