This project is addressing a national need for well-trained professionals in information technology security by developing and disseminating three nationally relevant degree and certificate programs at the associate, advanced technical certificate, and baccalaureate levels. Specifically, the investigators at St. Petersburg College, Manatee Community College, and Seminole Community College, in conjunction with other collaborators from education and industry, are developing a three-tier model for postsecondary cybersecurity education, which incorporates educational materials and curricula that are directly linked to widely recognized cybersecurity skill standards and industry certifications. The skill standards are those developed by the Information Systems Security Certification Consortium, Inc. ((ISC)2), the National Workforce Center for Emerging Technologies (NWCET), CompTIA, and the National Security Telecommunications and Information Systems Security Committee (NSTISSC). The industry certifications are the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), the Security+, and the Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP).
Through this project, valuable educational materials for the CISSP certification are being made available to colleges nationwide. The three-tiered educational program provides multiple entry and exit points for students with various academic backgrounds and work experience. The program is structured to enable students to advance from a credit certificate to an A.S. degree to an Advanced Technical Certificate to a Bachelor of Applied Science degree, and ultimately to a university master's degree, without loss of credit. The CompTIA Security+ and SSCP certifications are integrated at the A.S. degree level, and the CISSP certification is integrated at the Advanced Technical Certificate and bachelor's degree levels. This curriculum uniquely combines an industry certification with a college degree, resulting in much stronger qualifications for graduates than they would have with certification, a college certificate, or a college degree alone.
