This program provides students with the foundational skills for penetration testing and vulnerability assessment. The program courses include fundamental skills needed in information security, cybersecurity principles, ethical hacking, and penetration testing. The emphasis on hands-on security practices and vulnerability assessment provides students with the foundational skills needed for an entry-level career in penetration testing. Topics covered include computer and network security, infrastructure and operational security, risk mitigation, cyber ethics, hardware vulnerabilities, hacker techniques, and security policies and procedures. The program courses include hands-on and technical writing assignments to help students develop in-demand skills for the cybersecurity workforce.

Program Level Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this program, students will be able to:

1. Evaluate and communicate the human role in security systems with an emphasis on ethics, social engineering vulnerabilities, and training.
2. Assess security risks and identify methods to minimize their threat and/or impact.
3. Demonstrate the ability to locate technical resources to resolve security-related issues with networking hardware and software.
4. Apply risk management concepts to develop policies and procedures following security best practices.

Certificate Graduation Requirements

A Certificate is awarded upon completion of the required coursework with a grade of C or higher in each course. A grade of P (Pass) is acceptable, however, the student must meet an overall GPA requirement of 2.0 to receive the certificate. To receive the certificate, a student must file a petition for graduation during their final semester prior to the application deadline as noted on the Coastline Graduation webpage. 

Certificate of Achievement

Certificate programs are designed to prepare individuals to enter a particular field of employment or to provide in-service training to those already employed.  Certificates of Achievements are majors that include 16 units or more and will be posted on the transcript. They may be used as elective units towards the A.A. or A.S. Degree.

• Student must be in attendance at the time requirements are completed.
• Students must also earn a minimum of 12 units of coursework at Coastline, excluding experiential credit.
• A student with prior experience may be excused from certain certificate courses.
• 50 percent of the certificate program’s units must be completed at Coastline no matter how the total number of units required for the certificate can be met.

Course List Units

Course	Title	Units
Required Core
Complete the following:
CYBR C101	Introduction to Cybersecurity	3
CST C191A	Linux Operating System Principles (Linux+)	3
CYBR C132	Introduction to Ethical Hacking	3
CYBR C170	Cybercrime and CSIRT Coordination	3
CYBR C230	Network Security (Security+)	3
CYBR C234	Web Application Security	3
CYBR C242	Vulnerability Assessment (PenTest+)	3
Total Units		21