Program Overview
The Cyber Security graduate certificate program at George Brown College is designed to meet the high demand for cyber security professionals and related IT security professionals across multiple sectors – including consulting services, finance and health care.
As a student in this program, you will begin with learning the theory and practical skills required to become a cyber security professional. This includes the differences and similarities between cyber security and hacking. You will learn about the primary attack surfaces (physical, social, electronic), methods for compromising the attack surfaces, and how to mitigate vulnerabilities.
In the third semester, you will learn advanced techniques in ethical hacking incident response. A capstone group project will provide you with an opportunity to showcase your skills and talents for potential employers. These skills include:
- Digital forensics and incident response management
- Ethical hacking and analyzing malware
- Delivering security training
- Applying cryptography
In addition to traditional technical skills, the cyber security professionals of today require many non-technical skills and talents, such as:
- Analytical skills
- Written and verbal communication
- Project and time management skills
- Interpersonal and conflict management skills
Students graduating from this program are prepared to help defend organizations from the many current and emerging cyber threats, including malware, network attacks and data compromise. They will have the capabilities to monitor, assess and evaluate security risks and threats to physical and digital infrastructure, develop and implement security contingency planning, and lead the development of policies and procedures to ensure the mitigation of security risks.
Program Delivery
This full-time program is delivered in a blended format, combining face-to-face sessions with online delivery, designed to accommodate those who wish to work while taking the program.
This schedule will require that learners attend classes that generally take place in the late afternoons and evenings through the week, plus all day Saturday.
Program Learning Outcomes
The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:
- Develop and implement cyber security solutions considering the affordances and limitations of the computer operating systems, networks, application software and packages available.
- Develop best practices to protect business resources through the application of knowledge of vulnerabilities and exploits.
- Develop cyber security strategies for the deployment of security procedures and protective devices.
- Integrate cyber security strategies that support business functions by employing knowledge of best practices of business processes and systems.
- Develop cyber security strategies and processes for business communications that respond to the needs of all the internal stakeholders.
- Develop cyber security solutions and strategies that ensure the integrity of information in compliance with best practices, relevant policies, standards and regulations.
- Plan, implement and evaluate cyber security policies and strategies using project management principles to effectively respond to the needs of the organization's information security requirements.
- Perform security audits to ensure risk mitigation and compliance with security plans, policies, standards, regulations and best practices.
- Develop and deliver a corporate training program to communicate both orally and in writing the cybersecurity requirements for compliance with security policies.
- Communicate cyber security protocols, policies and audit results and related documentation to any level of the organization.
Canada,Ontario 
