About the Cyber Security Analyst Certificate
The Cybersecurity Analyst Certificate Program is an intensive and comprehensive hands-on-oriented technical training. This program is designed for individuals seeking entry to mid-level IT security roles. Learners will apply essential cybersecurity concepts and develop critical technical skills to help protect systems, networks, and programs from digital attacks. Learners will engage with cutting-edge technologies, industry standards, and best practices to protect organizations and their underlying infrastructure from a wide range of risks, including physical and cyber threats and hazards. Additionally, the program prepares learners to integrate generative AI into existing security workflows to enhance efficiency.
Program Length: 24 Weeks
Program Highlights
Provides cutting-edge cybersecurity training
- Hands-on experience with industry-standard platforms like Splunk for real-time security monitoring and incident response
- Training on generative AI integration to enhance threat detection and accelerate incident response
- Preparation for three industry-recognized certifications: CompTIA Security+, Splunk Core User, and Splunk SOAR User
- Portfolio-ready SOC project complete with runbooks, metrics, and an executive briefing
Provides a high degree of student support
- A dedicated Career Coach ready to support you on your journey
- Exam prep built into course content to track readiness for certification exams
- Opportunities for mentorship and career networking opportunities
- A cohort of peers with similar interests and goals entering the cybersecurity field together
- Wraparound supports such as counseling, career placement services, academic tutoring, emergency funds, and community supports to ensure your success
- Earn 25 transferable college credits, advancing your education and career prospects
Provides real world learning experiences
- Curriculum and program content built by subject matter experts and designed to get learners ready for Day 1 on the job
- Lab and portfolio projects that are aligned with real world work scenarios using frameworks like MITRE ATT&CK
- Opportunities to build and practice incident handling workflows, playbooks, and analyst notes that are valued in the job market
- Practice building and hardening virtualized lab environments and configuring baseline network services
Admission Requirements:
- High school diploma/GED or equivalent
- Passion for and excited to work in technology
- Completion of financial aid paperwork (with support from the NLU team)
- Completion of a baseline assessment and some 'warm-up' lessons to confirm readiness for this accelerated course
- Ability to commit 30-35 hours per week, including in-person technical classes on Mondays and Wednesdays, career support classes on Tuesdays, and independent coursework.
Program Commitment:
- Earn a grade of C or better in all courses to remain in the program
- Earn a minimum GPA of 2.0 to be eligible for program completion
- Complete all 25 quarter hours at NLU (no transfer credit allowed)
- Sit for the CompTIA Security+, Splunk Core User, and Splunk SOAR User certification exams (note: while students are required to take the 3 certification exams for program completion, passing is not required)
Program Modality and Class Schedule:
Classes will be held on the following schedule:
- CYBER courses: In-person, Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 AM - 5 PM (with a 1-hour break from 12 - 1 PM)
- Career Coaching course: In-person, every other Tuesday from 9 AM - 11 AM
- Optional office hours for additional support
- Online, asynchronous coursework and assignments completed the rest of the week
What You'll Learn
By the completion of the Cyber Security Analyst Certificate Program, you will:
- Act as a first responder to security incidents by identifying, assessing, and neutralizing threats using industry-standard frameworks.
- Employ SIEM platforms like Splunk to conduct real-time security monitoring, analyze event logs, and create custom reports and alerts.
- Demonstrate knowledge to remediate weaknesses to reduce the attack surface and enhance an organization's security posture.
- Implement and manage network security measures, including firewalls, IDS/IPS, VPNs, and secure protocols, to protect against unauthorized access and data breaches.
- Integrate generative AI tools into cybersecurity workflows to enhance threat detection and accelerate incident response.
- Demonstrate leadership skills to excel in the cybersecurity field: collaboration, communication, critical thinking, reliability, and emotional intelligence.
