Academic Plan Code: 166
The Grand Rapids Community College CyberSecurity Certificate offers a rigorous, accelerated, 100% online program that prepares students to become the next generation of cybersecurity defenders in a single academic year. The accelerated courses in this program use hands-on learning and access to the state-of-the-art GRCC Center for Cybersecurity Lab to prepare students to defend against the latest cybersecurity threats.
In addition to fundamental skills in coding and operating systems, the program courses tie closely to industry-recognized cybersecurity certifications, including CompTIA A+, CompTIA LINUX+, CompTIA Security+, CompTIA PenTest+, and the CCNA CyberOps certification. Students who already hold these certifications may be granted credit for the corresponding classes using the GRCC Industry Recognized Credentials policy.
For students interested in continuing education beyond the certificate, the program consists of 36 credit hours that can transfer into GRCC CIS Pre-CyberSecurity or Network Administration degrees (and others), which transfer into any of our four-year partner institutions.
Financial Aid Note
Effective winter 2022, this program is eligible for Federal Financial Aid.
Program Learning Outcomes:
- Apply Ethical and Legal Frameworks for Cybersecurity
- Practice Fundamentals of Programming
- Explain Basics of Operating Systems, including Windows and Linux as Clients and Servers
- Practice the Basics of Applied Cryptography
- Analyze Network Systems Security
- Apply Foundational Principals of Digital Forensics
- Assess Organizational Security Posture through Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing