Starting this fall semester, Mount Saint Mary College will offer a new Cybersecurity Certificate program with three track options: Cybersecurity, Ethical Hacking, and Digital Forensics.
The Cybersecurity Certificate provides both the theoretical background and hands-on experience to understand the principles of cybersecurity, cybersecurity risk and management, cryptography, and network security.
The Ethical Hacking Certificate teaches ethical hacking, including understanding of modern operating systems and network vulnerabilities, exploits, and defenses.
The Digital Forensics Certificate delves into the foundational cybersecurity concepts, laws, and policies.
All three certificates are intended for students who are not pursuing a 4-year bachelor's degree in Cybersecurity or Information Technology (IT), and prepare the student to sit for the Computing Technology Industry Association's (CompTIA) Security+ exam.
"As cyber threats and attacks continue to increase, the demand of the cybersecurity workforce in both industry and government organizations is increasing as well," explained Sagar Raina, assistant professor of Information Technology at the Mount. "As an academic institution located in close proximity to New York City, the world's financial center, we need to contribute to fill this gap by offering short, focused, and quality cybersecurity programs."
Students will not only learn theoretical concepts, but they will also have the opportunity to practice and learn on real machines under the supervision of an experienced instructor. Depending on the chosen track, these certificates will prepare students for careers as security analysts, penetration testers, ethical hackers, digital forensics experts, and more.
Lee Fothergill, professor of Mathematics and chair of the Mathematics and Information Technology division, noted: "By starting the Cybersecurity Certificate program, you can begin your journey in the field of Cybersecurity. If you already have an employment in the field of IT...these certificate programs could be the next step that can set you apart from others in your career in Cybersecurity."
The Mount also offers an Information Technology Certificate program with two track options: Networking or Web Programming.
The Networking Certificate provides students with both the theoretical background of computer networks and hands-on experience to design, install, configure, maintain, and administer commercial networks and computer servers. The Web Programming Certificate equips students with the necessary skills to design, build, and maintain dynamic web applications. Students will learn both front-end and back-end web technologies using modern client-side and server-side programming languages and databases.