Cybersecurity Certificate
The University of Tampa Graduate Certificate in Cybersecurity prepares students for careers in the dynamic cybersecurity industry. In this 16-credit hour program we develop a students' knowledge so they can successfully protect information assets for organizations regardless of industry or business.
We emphasize hands-on learning using the common tools that are typical in the industry to give students a real-world experience. To do this, our program features small class sizes and a cutting-edge cybersecurity lab. We only offer on-campus classes.
The certificate program covers critical topics such as cloud systems security, risk assessment, contingency planning, incident response management, penetration testing, secure software design, technology governance and security leadership.
Several of the courses are designed to cover the top professional certifications in the industry. For instance, we have integrated content from the Certified Information System Security Professional (CISSP) exam into several of our courses. As a benefit of the program, graduates will find themselves well prepared to take many of these certification exams.
Other cybersecurity graduate programs are available. Students may consider a full Master of Science in Cybersecurity or an MBA concentration in cybersecurity.
Certificate Requirements
Students are required to complete two business courses totaling at least 6 credit hours. It is recommended that a student complete these before taking graduate CYB courses, but it is not a requirement. The two courses must be:
Business Courses:
- One course in business statistics such as QMB 500.
- One additional business course in either economics, finance or accounting.
Information Technology Courses:
Students must have at least one 3 credit-hour undergraduate or graduate course in each of the three areas below with a “C” grade or better:
• One course in programming or application development fundamentals (ITM 251 or similar course)
• One course in network, IT infrastructure or data communications (ITM 280 or similar course)
• One course in information security principles or foundations (ITM 350, ITM 650 or similar course)
Professional Certifications and Work Experience Substitutes
Candidates may use certifications and work experience to substitute for some or all of the IT courses. Each substitute will be evaluated on an individual basis.
Certifications: Professional certifications can be used to substitute the IT courses. A single certification can substitute for only one course. For example, to substitute for three courses, three different relevant certifications would be required. Each certification must be verifiable. The Cybersecurity Program Director will maintain a list of acceptable certifications. Below are examples of some acceptable substitutions for the three required IT courses:
1) Programming language or application development certification (e.g. C/C++, Python, Java, Visual Basic, MCSD) may substitute for the programming course requirement.
2) A networking certification (e.g. Network+, CCNA, CCNP) may substitute for the networking and data communication course requirement.
3) A security certification (e.g. Security+, SSCP, CISA, CISM, CISSP, GIAC Security Essentials) may substitute for the information security principles course requirement.
Work experience: Professional work experience may be used as a substitute for a maximum of one of the three IT courses. The work experience must be full-time, paid, within the last ten years, directly relate to the substituted course and be verifiable. At least two years of full-time work experience is necessary to substitute for the specific course. To be verifiable, the experience must be described on a document from an employee’s place of work as part of the candidate’s admission package.
Choose four from the following CYB and ITM 600-level courses
| CYB 610 | Cloud Systems Security | 4 |
| CYB 620 | Risk Assessment & Contingency Planning | 4 |
| CYB 630 | Incident Response Management | 4 |
| CYB 640 | Secure Software Design | 4 |
| CYB 650 | Security Governance & Leadership | 4 |
| CYB 660 | Penetration Testing | 4 |
| CYB 670 | Cybersecurity Research Seminar | 4 |
| CYB 695 | Special Topics in Cybersecurity | 4 |
| CYB 699 | Independent Study in Cybersecurity | 1-8 |
| ITM 608 | Information Systems and Operations Management | 4 |
| ITM 614 | Effective Project Management | 4 |
| ITM 615 | Data Mining for Business | 4 |
| ITM 619 | Enterprise Systems | 4 |
| ITM 630 | Managing the IT Organization | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 16 |
Note: Of the four courses, a maximum of one may come from ITM 600-level courses.
Total Credit Hours: 16