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Offer a Cybersecurity degree with a business focus to attract new students, and increase graduate ROI.
0% Unemployment
Top salaries for graduates
Built with Industry Partners
Our Cybersecurity degree is business-oriented offering practical experience beyond IT skills alone.
Interdisciplinary studies, project-based coursework and a focus on business skills make an accessible cyberprogram that appeals to a wider student pool than other cyber programs.
Job-focused and designed around real-world experience, it's designed to attract those interested in the 460,000+ open jobs in the field without needing to be superstar programmers.
How we designed this program.
Created through extensive interviews with Fortune 500 companies and technology experts facing threats daily, our Cybersecurity major is designed with two goals in mind:
To ensure that students stay one step ahead of evolving cyber threats.
To provide students with fundamental IT skills.
While the first goal is primary and more foundational to a cybersecurity program, the importance of the second goal should not be disregarded for two major reasons.
- Entry-level cybersecurity roles, as well as roles at smaller organizations, frequently blend elements of cybersecurity and IT work.
- The cybersecurity function of an organization is inextricably linked with IT since both networks and team members present opportunities to bad actors.
That’s why students who complete the recommended IT focus area will not only be prepared for numerous cybersecurity certifications; they will also be prepared for the CompTIA A+ exam.
Degree program goals and outcomes
Within this program, students will assess modern cybersecurity challenges that threaten our privacy, security, and safety, and gain both the knowledge and hands-on technical skills to protect digital assets from cyber criminals.
Furthermore, as the cyber attack surface continues to expand via the proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, it is increasingly vital that students learn how to “harden” networks, systems, and endpoint devices against cyber attacks, topics which are covered in the course Modern Cybersecurity. It is, however, impossible to create a perfectly secure system, so students will also learn how to perform cyber forensics to investigate, collect, and preserve digital evidence associated with a breach.
Finally, students will learn how to think like a “hacker” and use industry-standard tools to find weaknesses in systems.
Furthermore, as the cyber attack surface continues to expand via the proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, it is increasingly vital that students learn how to “harden” networks, systems, and endpoint devices against cyber attacks, topics which are covered in the course Modern Cybersecurity. It is, however, impossible to create a perfectly secure system, so students will also learn how to perform cyber forensics to investigate, collect, and preserve digital evidence associated with a breach.
Finally, students will learn how to think like a “hacker” and use industry-standard tools to find weaknesses in systems.
Colleges & Universities add Rize programs to drive enrollment growth and add revenue.
$20K
Average cost of adding a new major with Rize.
+$150K
Revenue per program in just the first enrollment cycle.
80%
...of students rate these courses “as good or better than” traditional in-person classes.
ACADEMIC ADVISORS
What makes this program attractive to prospective students
Beyond its exceptional development team, and corporate connections:
Job Outlook: According to Burning Glass, cybersecurity professionals earn a median salary of $90,757, with entry-level positions starting at $60k. Furthermore, there is virtually zero-percent unemployment within the field of cybersecurity and approximately 460,000 unfilled positions in the US alone.
Low Code: Designed with actual cybersecurity careers in mind, this program has substantially less programming and quantitative coursework than students might expect. Most real-world cybersecurity careers require less programming knowledge and the deeper understanding of threat preparation that this course provides.
Job Ready: Students will build hands-on skills in courses within this program, gain multiple valuable certifications, and enter a white-hot field as highly competitive job seekers.
Students will learn to do the following:
- Secure digital assets & systems
- Gather & analyze digital evidence
- Practice penetration testing
- Be prepared to sit leading Cybersecurity exams, including:
- CISSP: Certified Information Systems Security Professional(additional work experience required for certification)
Courses and curriculum
Cybersecurity course descriptions
Your school can launch this Cybersecurity program by adding 6-9 Rize courses to your existing catalog, enabling you to quickly market it to new students. The 6 primary courses forming the core of this curriculum are:
CYS I | Introduction to Cybersecurity
In today’s world, no one is safe from cyber-attacks, but everyone can be prepared. This course will teach you how malicious actors use social skills and technology to facilitate cyber attacks and provide you with the tools and information you need to defend against those attacks. Whether you pursue one of the many available jobs in cybersecurity or just want to secure your own privacy, you'll learn how to make the Internet safer.
CYS II | Cybercrime and Governance
Cybercrime is one of the biggest threats companies face on a daily basis, and they are constantly looking for new hires to help protect them. In this course, you will get a firsthand look at the methods used to commit cybercrimes. You will also learn how governments detect, investigate, and stop these crimes, and become familiar with the laws and policies in place to deter cybercriminals.
CYS III | Modern Cybersecurity
Just as technology is constantly evolving, so too must cybersecurity to keep pace with changing trends. In this class, you will learn about the changing landscape of cybersecurity, emerging technologies that are likely to be targeted, and new forms of cyber-attack being launched. By the end of the course, you will be able to implement the most up-to-date practices in cybersecurity in order to protect against attacks.
CYS IV | Network and System Security
Modern organizations know that even the strongest systems can be vulnerable to cyber-attacks. As a result, jobs in cybersecurity are rapidly expanding as companies look to secure their digital assets. This course will teach you how to secure those assets by identifying and fixing potential security vulnerabilities. By the end of the course, you will be able to identify and remedy common network and systems vulnerabilities.
CYS V | Cyberforensics
When cybercrimes do happen, you need to know how to respond. This course examines the tools and techniques used to perform cyber forensics and conduct investigations into cybercrimes. By the end of the course, you’ll be able to gather and analyze important digital evidence and gain skills in analyzing cybercrime that are in demand from companies across the country.
CYS VI | Capstone: Ethical Hacking
To stop a hacker, you need to be able to think like a hacker. In this course, you will learn hands-on techniques for attacking and penetrating networks and systems. You will be prepped with tools to launch these offensive tactics, and then complete a hands-on project where they are asked to ethically hack a real system.
ACADEMIC ADVISORS
Rize programs leverage the courses you already have:
Our Academic Partners will work directly with you to build a unique program leveraging and integrating courses you already have in your catalog.
A potential Cybersecurity major could look like this:
Courses from your institution
Technical Writing
Project Management
Principles of Management
General Psychology
Organizational Behavior
Management Information Systems
Courses from Rize
Intro to Cybersecurity
Cybercrime and Governance
Modern Cybersecurity
Network and System Security
Cyber Forensics
Capstone - Ethical Hacking
Who created this curriculum?
Dr. Charles Severance
University of Michigan
Randy Rovestry
Penn State University
Alexey Malashkevich
Engineer
Dr. Charles Severance holds a PhD in Computer Science from Michigan State University. He is the former Executive Director of the Sakai Foundation, and one of the world’s leading online CS educators. His contributions and curriculum form the basis of our programming curriculum.
Randy is a professor of IT and Cybersecurity at Penn State, as well as an Engineering Manager at the Naval Nuclear Laboratory, where he focuses on both physical and cyber security systems. Randy holds a Masters in IT from Carnegie Mellon University.
Alexey is a highly respected engineer and Chief Technical Officer with a masters in Computer Science. His experience with FinTech (Financial Technology) and cloud-based systems have put him on the front lines of cybersecurity for the past decade.
Students give these courses rave reviews
“The projects we had to do were very motivating… It sparked interest in me, got the light going in my brain - I loved doing the projects!”
Cole B.
Walsh University
“Rize has given me an opportunity to add something to my degree. Something that I wanted to find at my school but wasn’t there.”
Chisunta C.
Albertus Magnus College
“Class experience is amazing!”
Mary D.
Mary Baldwin University
“It’s helped me know what I want to do in my career because of how immersive the assignments are.”
Jacob J.
Lasell University
“Even though everything was online… it still felt like the same kind of small classroom that I really enjoy, and that’s why I chose my college - so I kinda got that same experience even thru the computer.”
Summer R.
Lasell University
"One of the things I liked about [it] was getting to meet new people from different colleges and getting to hear new experiences and opinions."
Kara B.
Lasell University
Attract new students
Which students will seek out this program?
Dollar-driven: Students who want a lucrative job in a fast-growing field and great job security.
Mission-driven: Students who believe in defending others and looking to provide a meaningful service to the organizations, institutions, governments, and communities they value.
Ready to learn more?
Fill out the form below and someone from our Academic Partnerships team will be in touch with you shortly.
Let’s connect you with one of the 85+ colleges we partner with to ask your questions directly!
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