Bachelor of Applied Science in Cybersecurity Degree

CIP Code

11.1003

CPTC’s Bachelor of Applied Science in Cybersecurity (BAS-C) degree has been designed to meet the needs of students who want to become cybersecurity practitioners. Graduates would be candidates for positions as an Information System Security Officer, Penetration Tester, or Security Analyst.

In the BAS-C program, the approach to learning cybersecurity uses hands on tools in a realistic, practical context. Students will graduate with a practical understanding of cybersecurity concepts as well as experience with a current set of tools.

This degree is offered in a hybrid format with weekend meetings to accommodate working adults.

Program Length

A typical full-time student will complete the program in an estimate of 18 months. Half-time students should anticipate completion in an estimated 36 months. Full time students should plan to dedicate 45 hours per week to the program.

Admission Dates

Summer, fall, winter, and spring quarters.

Program Outcomes

• Assess the cyber risk of an information system and recommend mitigation.

• Analyze identified malicious activity in order to mitigate effects and recommend security improvements.

• Create a cybersecurity vulnerability assessment of a small to medium business.

• Evaluate the security practices of an application/ IT project development team at any point in the system lifecycle.

• Implement security software or hardware.

• Research offensive and defensive cybersecurity trends and tools.

• Evaluate cloud security in public, private, and hybrid environments.

Completion Requirements

Prerequisite(s)

Admission to the Program

Admission to the program may occur when the following can be documented: 

  • Successful completion (or proof of enrollment in the last quarter thereof) of either: 
    • Successful completion of an earned Applied Associate degree, AAS-T, Direct Transfer Associate degree or equivalent from a regionally accredited institution with a minimum GPA of 2.3. OR
    • An earned Applied Associate degree, AAS-T, Direct Transfer Associate degree or equivalent in an outside discipline from a regionally accredited institution with a minimum 2.3 GPA and proof of enrollment in the Cybersecurity bridge technical bridge courses OR
    • An appropriate body of preparation as determined by the college, including completion of 90 college-level credits, employment, or other life experience that qualifies for credit for prior learning and meets the upper-division course prerequisites. 
  • A minimum grade of 2.0 is required in all general education coursework.
  • 5 college-level credits in English Composition (ENGL& 101 or higher).
  • 5 college-level credits in a transferable social science course.

Admission to the Junior Year

Once admitted to the program, the following must be documented before students can move on to the junior year of the program:

  • 4 credits of computer networking coursework.
  • 4 credits of Windows Server coursework.
  • 4 credits of Linux operating system coursework.
  • 4 credits of cybersecurity coursework.
  • 4 credits of computer programming.

Once admitted to the program, the following must be documented before students are considered to be at junior level standing (in addition to the required English Composition and Social Sciences coursework required for program admission). These requirements can be satisfied by coursework completed before or after admission to the BAS-C program, and may be taken before or concurrently with upper-level BAS classes.

  • 5 college-level credits in a transferrable humanities subject.
  • 5 credits in any college-level lower division General Education courses: English Composition, Social Science, Humanities, or Natural Science

Graduation Requirements

To successfully complete the degree, students must maintain a minimum grade of 2.0 in all coursework.

Second Baccalaureate Degree General Education Requirements

Applicants who have already earned a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university may be able to substitute previous courses for our general education requirements based on the Washington State Second Baccalaureate Degree policy outlined in the Policies and Procedures.

Students must still complete program-specific general education degree requirements if not otherwise satisfied. The program-specific general education requirements in the BAS-C degree are listed below:

  • Professional Ethics or equivalent
  • Project Management
  • Statistics

Program Course List

NOS 310Cyber Threat and Research

5

NOS 315Risk Assessment and Vulnerability Management

5

NOS 320Securing Database Management Systems

5

NOS 325Cloud Security

5

NOS 330Vulnerability Assessment

5

NOS 335Network Intrusion Detection

5

NOS 340Penetration Testing

5

NOS 345Incident Response

5

 

Plus 5 credits from the list of Applied Project courses below

5

NOS 411Incident Response Project

5

Or

NOS 412Penetration Testing Project

5

Or

NOS 413Network Intrusion Analysis Project

5

Or

NOS 414Cloud Security Project

5

 

NOS 420Capstone Project

5

ENG 310Business Communications

5

PHIL 310DIVProfessional Ethics

5

MATH& 146Introduction to Statistics

5

BUS 310Project Management

5

PSYC 311DIVIndustrial & Organizational Psychology

5

ENGL& 235Technical Writing

5

Any Lab-Based Science

5

Any Natural Science (5)

5

Total Credit Hours:90

NOTE:

If MATH & 146 has already been completed upon admission into the program, another college-level, transferable general education course is required.

Lab-based Science Course Options

BIOL& 160General Biology w/Lab

5

BIOL& 175Human Biology w/Lab

5

BIOL& 241Human A & P I

5

BIOL& 242Human A & P II

5

BIOL& 260Microbiology

5

CHEM& 110Chemical Concepts w/Lab

5

CHEM& 121Intro to Chemistry

5

CHEM& 131Introduction to Organic/Biochemistry

5

GEOL& 110Environmental Geology with Lab

5

PHYS& 114General Physics I with Lab

5

Non-lab Natural Science Course Options

NUTR& 101Nutrition

5