Cybersecurity

Students will develop and practice Business-Best-Practices in prevention of attacks, vulnerabilities and security issues. Hands on skills will include setting up penetration testing and Ethical Hacking. Upon completion, students will understand and be able to describe industry risk management and Cybersecurity Frameworks. Graduates will have confidence in their knowledge to lead businesses in managing network crisis events and assist in the resolutions.

Johnston Community College Cybersecurity degree will provide the foundational knowledge to pursue Nationally recognized Industry Certifications:

• Cisco Certified Support Technician-Networking 
• Cisco Certified Support Technician-Cybersecurity 
• Cisco CyberOPS Associate 
• Red Hat Certified System AdministratorCertified Ethical Hacker 
• Certified Enterprise Defender 
• CCNA Security 
• CompTIA Security+ 
• Certified Entry-Level Python Programmer (PCEP) 
• Certified Associate In Python Programming (PCAP)

New students should complete the College Admissions process. Current students should meet with their Academic Advisor for consultation. 
Students should have access to a computer with the minimum requirements listed below:

• 12 GB RAM
• 512 GB Hard Drive
• Core i5 or AMD FX 4300 Ryzen processor (capable of performing virtualization) 
• Webcam

The Student Learning Outcomes should be concise list of high-level goals that students completing the Cybersecurity focus in the Information Technologies program at JCC. Below is a list of these goals and what existing JCC courses or new course suggestions to meet those goals:

•  Identify and Implement Business Best Practices in prevention of attacks, vulnerabilities and security issues
•  Utilize and administer Linux/Unix operating system as a provider of network services
•  Develop and practice usage of Windows OS Server technologies
• Compose, configure and administer router and switches configurations
•  Understand and be able to describe industry best-practices around Risk Management and Cybersecurity Frameworks
•  Ability to program and automate tasks commonly used as well as understand and practice secure development.

Overall there are nearly twenty thousand openings for Cybersecurity in North Carolina.  A search of Indeed.com (at the time of this publication, considered a leading job search site) lists over one thousand jobs just within 50 mile radius of Raleigh.  Several large technology and biotech companies call the area home or have large presence in the area: Red Hat, Cisco,, IBM, Lenovo, Citrix, IQVIA, Epic Games, E-tix, BitSight, Security Scorecard, Cree Inc, BASF, Grifols, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Monsanto, Bayer, Biogen, and Nutanix.. 

Many of the roles listed as Top Cybersecurity Job Titles are entry-level: Cyber Security Engineer, Cyber Security Analyst, Cyber Security Consultant, Vulnerability Analyst, Penetration Tester, Systems Engineer, and Cyber Security Specialist are all job titles that would not require previous experience but would take candidates who have training and classwork on the relevant subjects.

As a state-funded community college, the Cyber Security two-year degree is considered a low-cost degree.

Students attending can expect to spend far less than competing 4-year institutions, for-profit or online-only institutions.

The Cyber Security degree qualifies for Financial Aid assistance and you can check our financial aid website to explore all your financial aid options.

Start your career in Information Technology, the fastest growing industry in North Carolina! For additional information and how to get started please follow the steps below:

• New students 
• Current students 
• High School