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Cybersecurity

Online Associate Degree Program

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20
Total Courses
$335
Cost per Credit
1 year, 8 months
Time to Completion With 2 Courses per Term
12-15 hours/week
Time Commitment
Upcoming Start Dates

Defend the Digital Frontier with Cybersecurity Knowledge

Champlain College Online's Cybersecurity Associate Degree equips you with the skills to protect organizations from cyber threats. This program offers hands-on experience in network security, ethical hacking, and information assurance, preparing you to tackle real-world cybersecurity challenges.

Enter a High-Growth Field with Diverse Opportunities 

  • Network Security: Learn to design, implement, and manage secure networks, ensuring the integrity and confidentiality of data
  • Ethical Hacking: Develop skills in penetration testing to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities within systems
  • Information Assurance: Understand policies and practices that protect data and ensure compliance with industry standards
  • Cyber Defense Strategies: Gain knowledge in developing and deploying strategies to defend against cyber attacks
  • Incident Response: Learn techniques to effectively respond to and recover from security breaches

Note: All programs, undergraduate and graduate, must be submitted individually to the Department of Veterans Affairs for review and approval before students can utilize their G.I. Benefits to pay for them. This program is currently awaiting approval. To learn more about the process, visit the VA School Program Approval page on the VA website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your enrollment coach or email us at onlineadmissions@champlain.edu

Program Curriculum

Learn more about Champlain's 100% online cybersecurity associate degree, designed for working professionals.

Champlain's online computer science courses encompass the top skills needed by today's IT professionals. Graduates of the program are required to complete the following courses.

Professional Courses (33 credits)

General Education Courses (21 credits)

General Electives (6 credits)

Note: Some of the courses in this program are available in 15-week terms only. Please contact your advisor for details and information on how this may impact your time to completion. 

This exciting course introduces students to the myriad software tools and best practices for handling digital evidence. Labs utilize Champlain College Online's Forensic VDI and challenge students to begin building their skills, from creating a hash value for a forensic copy with X-Ways Forensics and FTK Imager, to examining evidence with The Sleuth Kit (TSK), Autopsy and/or EnCase.

Prerequisites

Complete CMIT-135 and CMIT-140

This course provides students with an understanding of the many different devices and technologies, from historical to emerging, that are required to design and build networks. In a broad survey of concepts and terminology, students will learn about topology, communications, protocols, and security, and to diagram basic networks to specification.

From day one, students in this course are problem solving, first in terms of algorithmic design and then as early as week two via programming in the latest version of Python, using PyCharm. Students begin by writing a program to have a conversation, having strings and numbers as input, and advance, by week seven, to building a working password saver program, capable of looking up, adding (and encrypting), and storing passwords.

This course, through guided research and hands-on learning experiences, provides students with an understanding of operating systems, including their core fundamental principles and how they work. Students are introduced to the three most popular operating systems for personal computers (Windows, OSX and Linux), and mobile operating systems, and learn about standard functions such as memory, process/thread, input/output, storage and device management.

This introductory course to Wireless LANs focuses on the design, planning, implementation, operation, and troubleshooting of Wireless LANs. It covers a comprehensive overview of technologies, security, and design best practices with particular emphasis on hands-on skills.

Prerequisites

CMIT-130, CMIT-135

This course is a thorough review of the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) which is used extensively in corporate enterprise networks and the Internet. The course will cover the structure of TCP/IP, its application to data networks, and security issues.

Prerequisites

CMIT-130

This course will introduce foundation subject matter and technologies that are critical to the multidisciplinary landscape of cybersecurity.

Prerequisites

Complete CMIT-130 and CMIT-135.

In this class, students take an intense look at networks and the ways that we provide appropriate controls and technology to provide security to them, while using Wireshark and NMAP as supporting tools.

Prerequisites

Complete NETW-215.

Mobile devices are convenient, portable, inexpensive, powerful and essential to a lot of people. Considering many people have their own smartphones, it makes sense for some businesses to make use of that by allowing employees to use their smartphones to connect to corporate infrastructure for communication functions. This introduces security issues. Smartphones and tablets are not the only areas where wireless technology introduces risk into the enterprise environment, not to mention putting individuals at risk. Bluetooth, 802.11 wireless networks and near field communications all have the potential to be harmful. This course will cover the risks and remediations associated with wireless technology.

Prerequisites

NETW-210, CYBR-210.

This is a course on how to find and exploit vulnerabilities in systems. While discussing the ethical and legal framework of these activities, students will use Google search techniques (a.k.a. Google Hacking), online applications, including Damn Vulnerable Web Application (DVWA), and Champlain’s virtual environments equipped with Kali Linux, Metasploitable, Nessus, Nexpose, NMAP, Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP), W3AF, Burp, and Security Administrator Tool for Analyzing Networks (a.k.a. SATAN), among other tools.

Prerequisites

Take CMIT-135,WEBD-125 and WEBD-220 or CYBR-210

From storyboard to form creation, students walk through the steps to create a basic four to five-page website to specification in this course that introduces HTML5 and CSS. Hands-on assignments reinforce skills development and best practices in design: navigation, column layout, image editing and usage, fonts and tables.

Written Communication
Complete the following two courses

This course introduces students to the foundational concepts needed to communicate effectively in writing for academic study and professional development. Students will also learn to read critically to evaluate an author's message. Students will be introduced to rhetorical modes and their role in the development of written communication. Students will also learn how to use revision strategies to create written communication that meets its intended purpose for its intended audience

This course builds on students' proficiency in the writing process and rhetorical modes to introduce the use of sources in written communication. Students will practice information literacy as they learn to determine information needs from sources, develop effective search strategies, and incorporate sources in written communication, legally and ethically.

Prerequisites

Complete ENGL-100

Oral Communication
Complete any three credits of oral communication

Starting with a frame of human communication as a dynamic system of interactions in which people make choices that impact their relationships, other people, and themselves, students will define theory-informed communication concepts and processes, and critically examine how they apply to everyday life across a variety of contexts. Students will reflect on how the theory, concepts and processes apply to their own lives in becoming competent communicators who are knowledgeable, skilled, and versatile.

Inquiry & Analysis
Complete any three credits of inquiry & analysis

Students will learn and apply critical inquiry skills to analyze persuasive communication created by others and to develop persuasive communication/arguments of their own to solve problems in professional, civic, social, and personal contexts. Specifically, students will learn to recognize fallacies in logic; apply inductive and deductive reasoning strategies to the interpretation and development of persuasive communication; evaluate the validity of sources; and develop logically sound persuasive communication. Students will explore the roles of self-awareness, empathy, and ethics in the context of critical inquiry and the development of arguments.

Prerequisites

Complete ENGL-110.

Quantitative Literacy
Complete any three credits of quantitative literacy

Mathematical reasoning, when applied to everyday and professional lives, has two dimensions: logic for deterministic situations and probabilities for non-deterministic situations. This course aims to help students develop these mathematical reasoning skills.

This course introduces students to basic statistics for data literacy. With a focus on exploring real-world data, students will interpret numerical information and utilize the tools necessary to complete the entire statistical process: designing a study; gathering, organizing, and analyzing sample data; and making inferences about a population. Students will demonstrate data-driven decision-making and effective communication of numerical data.

This course covers the fundamental concepts of linear algebra and analytical geometry, including matrices, vectors, linear transformations, and systems of linear equations. Students will also explore the analytical geometry of Euclidean spaces, including lines, planes, circles, spheres, and conic sections. In this course, students will develop their mathematical reasoning skills and learn how to apply these principles to solve real-world problems.

Scientific Literacy
Complete any 3 credits of scientific literacy

Introduces students to the biochemistry and physiology of nutrition and exercise. Emphasis will be placed on human body systems such as musculoskeletal, digestive, respiratory and circulatory, and their relationship to nutrition and fitness. Students will also study the biochemistry of energy conversion as it relates to exercise physiology. Laboratory sessions are designed to reinforce, by a hands-on approach, the principles discussed in lecture. Course includes two laboratory hours per week.

Students learn the biology, genetics, chemistry, and physics involved in the forensic investigation of crimes. A wide range of topics are studied including DNA, entomology, fingerprinting, trace evidence, serology (blood, saliva, and semen), blood spatter, and chemical analysis of drugs, alcohol, and other compounds. Students apply their new knowledge of forensic science through the use of case studies and laboratories. This course includes two laboratory hours per week.

Students will develop the ability to apply scientific methods to understand the natural world, to identify scientific aspects of daily life, and to evaluate the quality of scientific information based on its source and the methods used for its generation.

Arts & Humanities and Social Sciences
Complete any three credits from the following

With pressure and release, a window opens and closes, recording light on a sensor. The simple action captures the instinct, judgement, and skill of the person behind the lens. This class will begin a study of the art and craft of photography. Students will develop their vision and their understanding of how to achieve it. Solid skills will be learned and many doors will be opened.

A survey of the continuing change experienced in art since the 15th century. Students will examine how an image is achieved as well as the significance of the subject represented. Individual inquiry concerning the nature of art is encouraged.

Students learn to appreciate films through the critical analysis of various elements of mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing and sound. The course introduces the conventions of classical Hollywood cinema, considers the work of one major director (auteur), and surveys selected international and independent films. Students view and discuss films each week.

Students in the course will explore the cultural history of the music genre broadly referred to as rock. Students will explore the social, economic and political contexts that are influenced by and that influenced each style in the United States. By listening, watching, reflecting upon, discussing and writing, students will explore how music takes on meaning, personally, and culturally. Topics and themes include the relationships between and among gospel, country, funk, folk, disco, rap and hip hop; the role of business and technology in those relationships, and political or transgressive elements of rock music.

Students will apply communication theory and research to address the particular challenges to communicating effectively in organizations. Students will learn how to identify organizational communication problems, analyze those problems, and generate effective solutions. Students will examine the relationship between organizational structure and specific communicative practices, and how communication practices by organizational members establish, maintain, or change organizational culture. They will also learn how to anticipate communication deficiencies in organizations, and use communication as a means to facilitate organizational development and innovation.

Prerequisites

Complete COMM-130

Provides a comprehensive analysis of the fundamentals of substantive criminal law. Students will learn the essential elements of crimes and the rationale underlying criminal law. The nature of jurisdiction, the criminal act, the criminal state of mind and matters affecting responsibility for criminal conduct are included.

This course focuses on the rules and procedures governing how the American criminal justice system must process individuals suspected, accused, and convicted of law violations.

This course provides students with a broad overview of the history, theory, and fundamentals of criminal investigation. Students are introduced to the basic responsibilities of investigators and protocols for report writing, evidence collection, and preparation of cases for trial. They also learn specific investigative techniques for different types of crimes, such as crimes involving violence and property, terrorism, and hate crimes, and, where appropriate, compare investigative protocols from other legal cultures.

Prerequisites

Take CRIM-120, CRIM-121.

Principles of Economics introduces the fundamental concepts of economics - the study of how people manage resources, and how they react to scarcity. This course focuses on both microeconomics (the behavior of consumers and companies) and macroeconomics (large-scale economic factors such as employment and interest rates), so that you'll gain a broad understanding of how a modern market economy functions, how decisions in business settings are informed by economics, and how economics applies to your everyday life.

Students will study important themes in the social history of the United States since the Civil War. This course allows students to expand their critical thinking skills through an examination of primary and secondary sources. Themes might include: the evolving status of women; the immigrant experience; the concept of the American dream; the paradox of freedom vs. slavery; the minority experience; the tensions between social classes. Students will be evaluated primarily on writing assignments.

Students will learn how to create conditions for successful conflict engagement, a necessary skill for any professional. The course focuses on the foundational capacities to remain calm and connected with oneself and others. In this state students can access helpful ideas and responses and be their best selves regardless of environment. Improving facility for conflict creates stronger relationships and reduces fear. By the end of the course, students will understand that disagreement and difference can become a source of personal and interpersonal growth.

Ethics refers to accepted standards of right and wrong that prescribe what humans ought to do in various contexts, typically in relation to rights, obligations/duties, benefits to society, fairness, consequences, and virtues. In this course, students will explore both theoretical and practical dimensions of ethics in order to 1) define ethics and identify ethical positions and principles, 2) critically reflect on how ethics impacts individual and collective responsibility, decision-making, and action, and 3) apply ethics to the personal, civic, and professional contexts.

Prerequisites

ENGL-110

In this course, students will explore broad, foundational knowledge in psychology, including its history, major theorists and a survey of psychology subfields such as developmental, cognitive and social psychology. Students will also describe and assess the role of ethics and social responsibility in the study and application of psychological theory and practices.

In this class, students will explore how social relationships, groups, societies and culture develop and change over time. From a sociological theory foundation and employing the sociological imagination, students will examine the impact of social structures, institutions, and systems on individual lives. Students will apply sociological research methods to investigate sociological phenomena in their own lives.

This course explores the complex and evolving relationship between human beings and technology. Through a multi-disciplinary approach that draws on fields such as sociology, psychology, philosophy, and history, students will examine the ways in which technology has shaped human culture, identity, and values, as well as how humans have influenced and continue to influence the development, adoption and use of technology.

Additional Program Details

Graduates of the cybersecurity associate online program will demonstrate the following industry-specific skills, knowledge, and competencies:

  • Network Security and Configuration: Demonstrate the ability to configure, troubleshoot, and secure networks, applying foundational networking concepts, including TCP/IP and wireless networking standards.
  • Cybersecurity Automation and Data Analysis: Develop solutions to cybersecurity challenges by applying foundational programming skills to automate security tasks, analyze data, and assess vulnerabilities.
  • System Security and Maintenance: Demonstrate competency in the installation, configuration, hardening, and maintenance of operating systems within a networked environment, with a strong focus on security and system management.
  • Cybersecurity Auditing and Forensics: Utilize industry-standard tools and techniques to conduct cybersecurity audits and digital forensic investigations along with risk analysis, covering evidence acquisition, examination, analysis, and reporting.
  • Ethical and Regulatory Compliance: Exhibit ethical decision-making in cybersecurity practices, including adherence to data protection laws, privacy standards, and ethical hacking guidelines, while developing and implementing policies that ensure regulatory compliance and asset protection.

Champlain College Online's software development faculty, led by Program Director Richard Pickering, are expert practitioners in the field. Their industry expertise ensures that our software development curriculum is aligned with the needs of employers, and reflects the skills today’s software development professionals need for success. Classes led by our seasoned experts will give you real-world insight into the field, and create a rich community of career-focused learning.

Tuition & Costs

Online Undergraduate Tuition Fall '23 - Summer '25

$335 per credit
$290 per credit for Champlain alumni, associate degree graduates, veterans**, and family members of veterans and servicemembers
$250 per credit for military servicemembers
$150 One-time graduation fee

*Based on a 3-credit course; cost will vary if course is a different number of credits

** Veteran rate effective Spring 2025, not retroactive

See the undergraduate cost of attendance and fees here

Affordability and Paying For Your Education

We provide a number of options to make your online education affordable, including preferred tuition for alumni, associate degree graduates, community college graduates, and military.

What Can You Do With an Associate Degree in Cybersecurity?

Cyber threats are increasing, and organizations need skilled professionals to protect their data and networks. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for information security analysts is projected to grow 33%* from 2023 to 2033, far outpacing the average for all occupations.

*Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024, Computer and Information Technology 

With a Cybersecurity Associate Degree, you’ll gain the hands-on skills to launch your career in this high-demand field and prepare to transition directly into Champlain College Online’s Bachelor’s in Cybersecurity.

Entry-Level Positions for AS in Cybersecurity Graduates:

  • Information Security Analyst
  • Network Security Assistant
  • Cybersecurity Technical Assistant
  • Security Operations Center (SOC) Analyst
  • IT Support Specialist
Man and woman looking at a computer in a control room

Why Champlain

Transfer Credit

"Transferring credits to Champlain was very easy. The staff worked really hard with me to find not just credits from other institutions that I had attended, but also life credits from things I had accomplished, and from past certifications."

Kristopher Johnston Bachelor's Degree in Computer Forensics & Digital Investigations
Director of Cloud Solutions and IT Infrastructure, Data Masons Software
Kristopher Johnston, Bachelor's Degree in Computer Forensics & Digital Investigations

Academic Excellence and Recognition

New England Commission of Higher Education Logo

Regionally accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education

Military Friendly Designation, Silver Badge 2024-2025

Designated as a Military Friendly School for our commitment to the military community

Tech Guide logo/badge

Ranked among the best by Tech Guide for game design and computer science

badge for 2024 ranking

Named the among the best schools with accelerated bachelor's degrees by Intelligent.com

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Learn what you can expect from our associate in cybersecurity program.

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