CYBR - Cybersecurity

This course serves as the initial step of orientation to the Cybersecurity Analyst Certificate program with Accelerate U. Students will be introduced to the structure of the program, student expectations and supports, and academic policies. Students will also prepare their online tools in order to have a strong start in an accelerated program. After completing this course, students will attend an orientation for the program.

In the AI and Security Foundations course, students will build foundational knowledge of computer hardware, operating systems, and networking, and develop AI literacy, including how to apply generative AI ethically and effectively in IT workflows. Learners will identify cybersecurity threats, apply defensive strategies, and develop practical network defense skills, including monitoring, access controls, and endpoint protection. A comprehensive capstone scenario gives students the opportunity to demonstrate and integrate the knowledge and skills developed in a real-world scenario.

The Security Principles and Architecture course develops deep knowledge of core security concepts, including the CIA triad, threat actor behavior, cryptography, and identity and access management, and equips learners to apply secure architecture principles across enterprise and cloud environments. Through hands-on labs, realistic threat scenarios, and ongoing feedback cycles, students will build operational fluency with enterprise-grade tools and confidently navigate the modern threat landscape. The content in this course is aligned to the General Security Concepts and Security Architecture domains of the CompTIA Security+ certification.

In this course, learners will apply operational and governance skills central to entry-level cybersecurity work. Students will navigate vulnerability management workflows, network and endpoint security operations, application security practices, and structured incident response. Through scenario-based exercises, they will analyze indicators of compromise, develop security monitoring fluency, and apply risk management and compliance frameworks to realistic organizational scenarios. Course content aligns with the Security Operations, Security Program Management, and Oversight domains of the CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) certification. At course completion, along with prerequisites, students will have the conceptual mastery needed to confidently sit for the exam.

 In this course, learners apply foundational cybersecurity knowledge across two industry-standard platforms. Through the Cisco CyberOps Associate curriculum, students will develop fluency in SOC workflows, threat intelligence, network security monitoring, and incident response. Learners then build hands-on Splunk skills including SPL queries, dashboards, alerts, and real-time monitoring, before advancing to Splunk Enterprise Security, where they will apply risk-based alerting, MITRE ATT&CK mapping, and threat investigation workflows. This course prepares learners to earn both the Cisco CyberOps Associate digital badge and the Splunk Core Certified User certification.