Cybersecurity Certificate of Technical Studies (CTS)

The National Security Agency (NSA) has identified Missoula College as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber-Defense (CAE-CD) Education. The CAE designation is bestowed to colleges that deliver a NSA approved Cybersecurity curriculum led by faculty with the appropriate academic and industry-recognized credentials.

The Cybersecurity CTS provides students with an entry-level credential and leads to the Associate of Applied Science degree in Information Technology & Cybersecurity which in turn, leads to the Bachelor of Applied Science Degree.  Course content prepares individuals in the foundational core, non-technical core, and technical core CAE knowledge units (KUs) for cybersecurity. Students prepare for the CompTIA Security+ and CompTIA Network+ certifications, both of which are industry-recognized credentials available through the Missoula College CompTIA Academy.    

Stacking the certificate with a general studies certificate, an associate degree, or a bachelor's degree provides the right combination of technical and emotional intelligence to succeed in the new-collar workforce. 

To register contact Christopher Prosa | 406.243.7816

Program Contact: Dr. Vic Valgenti

CAE-CD Point of Contact - Dr. Thomas Gallagher | 406.243.7801

Program Outcomes

• Apply professionalism, ethics, effective communication, and teamwork in solving cybersecurity-related problems.
• Describe, demonstrate, and differentiate foundational cybersecurity concepts, principles, and terminology.
• Describe, demonstrate, and differentiate risk analysis and methodologies for mitigating risk.
• Describe and differentiate legal, policy, and ethical issues relevant to security and privacy.
• Describe, demonstrate, and differentiate techniques for securing systems.

Certificate Requirements* (12 credits)

CSCI 215E - Social & Ethical Issues in Computer Science (3 credits) - Syllabus
Exploration of ethical issues in the field of computing. Skills needed to identify and analyze various ethical concerns. Standard ethical concepts and theories, methods of ethical analysis. Strong emphasis on the practical application of the ethical process.

CAE KU - Non-Technical Core: Policy, Legal, Ethics, & Compliance

ITS 150 - Cisco Networking 1 (3 credits) - Syllabus
Introduction to networking field including terminology; protocols; local-area and wide-area networks; the OSI model; topologies; IP addressing; cabling and cabling tools; routers and router programming. Ethernet and network standards; and wireless technologies.

CAE KU - Technical Core: Basic Networking

ITS 212 - Network Operating Systems - Server Administration (3 credits) - Syllabus
This course covers server technologies commonly used in local area networking. Topics include installation, administration, storage, application services, network services, security, reliability, and availability.

CAE KU - Foundational: IT Systems Components
CAE KU - Technical Core: OS Concepts

ITS 222 - Enterprise Security (3 credits) - Syllabus
Examination of general information technology security concepts. Topics include access control, authentication, attack methods, remote access, web security, wireless networks, cryptography, internal infrastructure security, and external attacks. Security procedures, organizational policies, risk management, and disaster recovery addressed.

CAE KU - Foundational: Cybersecurity Foundations, Cybersecurity Principles
CAE KU - Technical Core: Basic Cryptography
CAE KU - Non-Technical Core: Cyber Threats, Cyber Planning & Mgmt, Security Program Management, and Security Risk Analysis

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