Cybersecurity Degree (CY13) Degree

Campus Locations: Vidalia, Swainsboro

The Cybersecurity Degree program is a sequence of courses designed to provide students with an understanding of the concepts, principles, and techniques required in computer information processing. Graduates are to be competent in the general areas of humanities or fine arts, social or behavioral sciences, and natural sciences or mathematics, as well as in the technical areas of computer terminology and concepts, program design and development, and computer networking.

Program graduates are qualified for employment as Cybersecurity Specialists or Information Security Analysts.

Information security analysts plan and carry out security measures to protect an organization's computer networks and systems. Their responsibilities are continually expanding as the number of cyberattacks increases. IT security analysts are heavily involved with creating their organization's disaster recovery plan, a procedure that IT employees follow in case of emergency. These plans allow for the continued operation of an organization's IT department. The recovery plan includes preventive measures such as regularly copying and transferring data to an offsite location. It also involves plans to restore proper IT functioning after a disaster. Analysts continually test the steps in their recovery plans.

The standard curriculum for the Cybersecurity Degree program is designed for the semester system. Students may enter the Cybersecurity Degree program any semester. The Cybersecurity Degree program generally takes five (5) semesters to complete. To graduate, students must earn a minimum of 63 credit hours for the Cybersecurity Degree.

Entrance Requirements

Submit a completed application and application fee;
Be at least 16 years of age;
Submit an official copy of your high school transcript or high school equivalent scores;
Submit official college transcripts, if applicable;
Satisfy Placement Testing requirements.

Program Costs

Costs are estimates and are subject to change.

Tuition/Fees: $7,955
Books/Supplies: $2,550

Licensure
Although certification is not required for employment, the Cybersecurity Degree program provides the knowledge and skills for students interested in various information technology certifications.

Curriculum Outline (63 hours)

General Core (18 hours)	18
COLL 1040College Foundations (Institutional Credit Only) (Prerequisite: None) This course is designed to provide tools to assist students to acquire skills necessary to achieve academic and professional success in their chosen occupational/technical program of study. Topics include: Computer Applications/Technology Skills, Getting off to a Good Start, Learning and Personality Styles, Time and Money Management, Study and Test Taking Skills, Stress Management and Wellness, Communication Skills, and Career Exploration.	3
Area I: Language Arts/Communication
ENGL 1101Composition & Rhetoric (Prerequisite: Appropriate English Placement Test Score AND Appropriate Reading Placement Test Score) Explores the analysis of literature and articles about issues in the humanities and in society. Students practice various modes of writing, ranging from exposition to argumentation and persuasion. The course includes a review of standard grammatical and stylistic usage in proofreading and editing. An introduction to library resources lays the foundation for research. Topics include writing analysis and practice, revision, and research. Students write a research paper using library resources and using a formatting and documentation style appropriate to the purpose and audience.	3
Area II: Social/Behavioral Sciences
Choose One (3 hours)
ECON 1101Principles of Economics (Prerequisites: Regular Admission) Provides a description and analysis of economic operations in contemporary society. Emphasis is placed on developing an understanding of economic concepts and policies as they apply to everyday life. Topics include basic economic principles; economic forces and indicators; capital and labor; price, competition, and monopoly; money and banking; government expenditures, federal and local; fluctuations in production, employment, and income; and United States economy in perspective.	3
SOCI 1101Introduction to Sociology (Prerequisite: Appropriate Degree Level Writing (English) and Reading Placement Scores) Explores the sociological analysis of society, its culture, and structure. Sociology is presented as a science with emphasis placed on its methodology and theoretical foundations. Topics include basic sociological concepts, socialization, social interaction and culture, social groups and institutions, deviance and social control, social stratification, social change, and marriage and family.	3
PSYC 1101Introductory Psychology (Prerequisite: Appropriate Degree Level Writing (English) and Reading Placement Test Scores) Introduces the major fields of contemporary psychology. Emphasis is on critical thinking and fundamental principles of psychology as a science. Topics include research design, the organization and operation of the nervous system, sensation and perception, learning and memory, motivation and emotion, thinking and intelligence, lifespan development, personality, psychological disorders and treatment, stress and health, and social psychology.	3
Area III: Natural Sciences/Mathematics
MATH 1111College Algebra (Prerequisites: Appropriate algebra placement test score) Emphasizes techniques of problem solving using algebraic concepts. Topics include fundamental concepts of algebra, equations and inequalities, functions and graphs, and systems of equations; optional topics include sequences, series, and probability or analytic geometry.	3
Area IV: Humanities/Fine Arts
ENGL 2130American Literature (Prerequisite: ENGL 1101) Emphasizes American literature as a reflection of culture and ideas. A survey of important works in American literature. Includes a variety of literary genres: short stories, poetry, drama, nonfiction, and novels. Topics include literature and culture, essential themes and ideas, literature and history, and research skills.	3
General Education Elective
Choose One (3 hours)
PSYC 1101Introductory Psychology (Prerequisite: Appropriate Degree Level Writing (English) and Reading Placement Test Scores) Introduces the major fields of contemporary psychology. Emphasis is on critical thinking and fundamental principles of psychology as a science. Topics include research design, the organization and operation of the nervous system, sensation and perception, learning and memory, motivation and emotion, thinking and intelligence, lifespan development, personality, psychological disorders and treatment, stress and health, and social psychology.	3
SOCI 1101Introduction to Sociology (Prerequisite: Appropriate Degree Level Writing (English) and Reading Placement Scores) Explores the sociological analysis of society, its culture, and structure. Sociology is presented as a science with emphasis placed on its methodology and theoretical foundations. Topics include basic sociological concepts, socialization, social interaction and culture, social groups and institutions, deviance and social control, social stratification, social change, and marriage and family.	3
ECON 1101Principles of Economics (Prerequisites: Regular Admission) Provides a description and analysis of economic operations in contemporary society. Emphasis is placed on developing an understanding of economic concepts and policies as they apply to everyday life. Topics include basic economic principles; economic forces and indicators; capital and labor; price, competition, and monopoly; money and banking; government expenditures, federal and local; fluctuations in production, employment, and income; and United States economy in perspective.	3
SPCH 1101Public Speaking (Prerequisites: ENGL 1101- Institutional Requirement) Introduces the student to the fundamentals of oral communication. L Topics include selection and organization of materials, preparation and delivery of individual and group presentations, analysis of ideas presented by others, and professionalism.	3

Occupational Courses (45 hours)	45
CIST 1001Computer Concepts (Prerequisites: None) Provides an overview of information systems, computers and technology. Topics include: Information Systems and Technology Terminology, Computer History, Data Representation, Data Storage Concepts, Fundamentals of Information Processing, Fundamentals of Information Security, Information Technology Ethics, Fundamentals of Hardware Operation, Fundamentals of Networking, Fundamentals of the Internet, Fundamentals of Software Design Concepts, Fundamentals of Software, (System and Application), System Development Methodology, Computer Number Systems conversion (Binary and Hexadecimal), Mobile computing.	4
CIST 1122Hardware Installation & Maintenance (Prerequisites: Program Admission) This course serves to provide students with the knowledge of the fundamentals of computer technology, networking, and security along with the skills required to identify hardware, peripheral, networking, and security components with an introduction to the fundamentals of installing and maintaining computers. Students will develop the skills to identify the basic functionality of the operating system, perform basic troubleshooting techniques, utilize proper safety procedures, and effectively interact with customers and peers. This course is designed to help prepare students for the CompTIA A+ certification examination.	4
CIST 1135Operating Systems & Virtual/Cloud Computing (Prerequisites: None) This course provides an overview of modern operating systems and their use in home and small business environments. Activities will utilize the graphical user interface (GUI) and command line environment (CLI). Topics include using the modern virtual operating systems and cloud environments.	4
CIST 1601Information Security Fundamentals (Prerequisites: None) This course provides a broad overview of information security. It covers terminology, history, security systems development and implementation. Student will also cover the legal, ethical, and professional issues in information security.	3
CIST 1602Security Policies & Procedures (Prerequisites: None) (Corequisites: None) This course provides knowledge and experience to develop and maintain security policies and procedures. Students will explore the legal and ethical issues in information security and the various security layers: physical security, personnel security, operating systems, network, software, communication and database security. Students will develop an Information Security Policy and an Acceptable Use Policy.	3
CIST 2451Introduction to Networks - CISCO (Prerequisites: Program Admission) This course introduces the architectures, models, protocols, and networking elements that connect users, devices, applications, and data through the internet and across modern computer networks - including IP addressing and Ethernet fundamentals. By the end of the course, students can build simple local area networks (LANs) that integrate IP addressing schemes, foundational network security, and perform basic configurations for routers and switches.	4
CIST 2601Implementing Operating Systems Security (Prerequisites: CIST 2451, CIST 1601) (Co-requisites: None) This course will provide knowledge and the practical experience necessary to configure the most common server platforms. Lab exercises will provide students with experience of establishing operating systems security for the network environment.	4
CIST 2602Network Security (Prerequisites: CIST 2451, CIST 1601) (Co-requisites: None) This course provides knowledge and the practical experience necessary to evaluate, implement, and manage secure information transferred over computer networks. Topics include network security, intrusion detection, types of attacks, methods of attacks, security devices, basics of cryptography, and organizational security elements.	4
CIST 2611Network Defense and Countermeasures (Prerequisites: CIST 2451, CIST 1601) (Co-requisites: None) Students will learn how to plan, design, install, and configure firewalls that will allow key services while maintaining security. This will include protecting the Internal IP services, configuring a firewall for remote access, managing a firewall, and detecting and preventing network intrusions.	4
CIST 2612Computer Forensics This course examines the use of computers in the commission of crimes, collection, analysis and production of digital evidence. Students will use computer resources to explore basic computer forensic investigation techniques.	4
CIST 2613Ethical Hacking & Penetration Testing (Prerequisites: CIST 1601) (Corequisites: None) This course teaches students the skills needed to obtain entry-level security specialist jobs. It provides a hands-on introduction to ethical hacking, and penetration testing. It is for individuals who want to enhance their information security skill set and help meet the growing demand for security professionals. Topics include network and computer attacks, footprinting and social engineering, port scanning, enumeration, OS vulnerabilities, hacking web servers, hacking wireless networks, cryptography and network protection systems.	4
CIST 2452Cisco Switching, Routing, & Wireless Essentials (Prerequisites: None) (Corequisites: CIST 2451) This course focuses on switching technologies and router operations that support small-to-medium business networks and includes wireless local area networks (WLANs) and security concepts. Students learn key switching and routing concepts. They can perform basic network configuration and troubleshooting, identify and mitigate LAN security threats, and configure and secure a basic WLAN.	4