IT Cybersecurity

Students who complete the IT Cybersecurity certificate have enhanced employability in cyber security and computer networking, and in a similarly titled positions. The IT Cybersecurity certificate prepares students to begin a career working with associate-level cybersecurity analysts within security operations centers where responsibilities include detecting cybersecurity breaches and effectively responding to security incidents.

About 50 students

To address the statewide cybersecurity labor shortage, the California Community Colleges Centers of Excellence for Labor Market Research (COE) conducted a cybersecurity labor market analysis in 2018 as one of 15CASCADE program activities. Based on employer responses, strong cybersecurity employment growth is expected over the next 12 months, ranging from 4% to 21%for the work roles studied, representing an increase of about 14,300 positions. In 2016, the most recent year of available data, 242 accredited postsecondary institutions in California offered 1,177 programs that were related to cybersecurity. However, only 3,200 awards were conferred in 2016 by programs that focused directly on cybersecurity or clearly included aspects of cybersecurity in their curriculum. California’s educational institutions are not currently supplying enough qualified candidates to fill the thousands of cybersecurity job openings that exist.

To obtain a certificate in IT Cybersecurity, students in this program must complete 6 units of the required courses (CA 171, 175 or 182). Additionally, students must also compete 9 units of courses in Group A (shown on course sequencing), and 3 units of courses in Group B. Sequence of courses is determined by course prerequisites.