Pathways to Cybersecurity and Information Assurance Careers

Hagerstown Community College, Hagerstown MD

Investigators

Abstract

This project is developing a cybersecurity career pathway with school systems, baccalaureate institutions, and employers, including the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). Activities include the establishment of a new A.A.S. degree (designed specifically for those who wish to enter the workforce immediately), a new A.S. degree (a more computer science-based associate degree for transfer students), and a new certificate program (designed for those who just need basic certifications to enter the cybersecurity field), as well as outreach to local high schools. These features enable students, including high school students taking college courses before graduation, to follow a smooth educational pathway into jobs, certification examinations, or baccalaureate programs for additional education. The project is also developing a penetration testing lab to enable extensive hands-on training, providing professional development for teachers, making connections with cybersecurity start-up firms, and offering curricula for students who have completed degrees in fields other than cybersecurity but want to start new careers as cybersecurity technicians. The career pathway for the cybersecurity/information assurance program is based on the model developed by the College and Career Transitions Initiative (CCTI). As defined by CCTI, a "career pathway" is an articulated sequence of rigorous academic and career courses, beginning in the ninth grade and leading to an associate degree, and/or an industry-recognized certificate or licensure, and/or a baccalaureate degree and beyond. Following this model, specific long-term outcomes for the project include (1) increased enrollment and persistence in postsecondary education; (2) increased academic and skill achievement at postsecondary levels; (3) increased attainment of postsecondary degrees, certificates, or other recognized credentials (including professional credentials needed by incumbent cybersecurity employees that go beyond traditional associate degree-related curricula); and (4) increased entry into stable employment or further education. The project's new curricula are being offered in hybrid/online formats with flexible scheduling. This flexibility, along with the variety of program possibilities, enables the college to attract more prepared students into the cybersecurity/information assurance pathway and gives students who have completed postsecondary studies new opportunities to obtain additional professional credentials and move into the cybersecurity field.