School of Cybersecurity

A 16-week Cybersecurity Fundamentals pathway for beginners, combining first-principles teaching, guided labs, real-world scenarios, and capstone delivery for entry-level cybersecurity readiness.

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What You’ll Learn

By the end of the program, you will understand how cyber threats operate and how to detect, analyze, and respond using ethical, risk-based defensive practice.

  • Apply cybersecurity first principles to systems, networks, and internet-facing services from an entry-level defender perspective.

  • Implement foundational controls across network security, cloud security, and identity and access management (IAM).

  • Use practical tools (Wireshark, Nmap, Burp Suite Community, VirusTotal, AbuseIPDB) in guided labs and scenarios.

  • Perform beginner threat analysis, basic digital-forensics-style evidence handling, and incident-response reporting.

  • Deliver a capstone with clear analysis, reasoning evidence, and professional communication for junior cybersecurity pathways.

Prerequisites

No prior cybersecurity background is required; the course starts from first principles and progressively builds practical competence.

  • Required: basic computer literacy (file systems, installing software) and browser plus basic command-line use (including copy/paste commands).

  • Required: clear commitment to ethical and responsible use of cybersecurity knowledge and strict anti-plagiarism policy compliance (including AI misuse rules).

  • Recommended: familiarity with basic IT concepts (networks, operating systems) and prior exposure to scripting/troubleshooting (helpful, not required).

  • Technical setup before Day One: a computer (laptop or desktop) running Windows 10+, macOS, or Linux; minimum 8 GB RAM (16 GB recommended); stable high-speed internet; required software and accounts configured.

  • Availability for at least 12 hours per week total, including live lecture, guided lab, reading, assignments, and lab practice.

Program Curriculum

Capstone Project

Capstone options include (1) vulnerability assessment in an authorized lab, (2) security awareness program, or (3) log analysis and security reporting. Required deliverables are a written report, presentation, and evidence of analysis/reasoning. Group work may be used, but individual contribution must be documented for grading adjustments.

Certification Preparation

Primary alignment: CompTIA Security+ and ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity. Secondary alignment: Google Cybersecurity Certificate and entry-level blue team/SOC analyst pathways. Learning references include OWASP Top 10/WebGoat, NIST Cybersecurity Framework, MITRE ATT&CK, cloud-provider security fundamentals, and guided use of approved resources. Certification alignment does not guarantee exam readiness; independent study is still required.