Cybersecurity | Graduate Certificate

Cybersecurity professional
grad certificate header

Cybersecurity Graduate Certificate 

As the challenge of safeguarding national security grows, the demand for cybersecurity experts is high. By 2028, the cybersecurity field will see a 32% increase in job growth. Get ahead in your field with a certificate in Cybersecurity.

Howard’s Graduate Certificate in Cybersecurity is designed for students seeking entry into the cybersecurity industry  in areas like network and cloud security, network management, and risk and threat management  and for network and information systems professionals. The certificate provides in-depth training in critical connected systems and information security. Howard is home to the Data Science and Cybersecurity Center (DSC2), which contributes new research insights on cyber-actor behavior, threat modeling, cyber-event forecasting, and cyber resilience and defense.

Get ahead in today's high-tech industry

Our 15-credit graduate certificate prepares students with the requisite skills to confidently address various cybersecurity challenges and protect the data of organizations, businesses, and government agencies. Courses are taught by leading cybersecurity experts who expose students to the latest insights and case studies on securing networked systems, security architecture, and cybersecurity management. The certificate is designed to provide the body of knowledge required for industry certifications like the CompTIA Security+ and the CISSP. Approved credits earned in the certificate may be applied towards a Computer Science graduate degree at Howard.

Program Highlights

  • Five 3-credit courses, completed in as little as two semesters
  • Semester-long capstone project in cybersecurity 
  • Graduate courses taught by faculty who are recognized leaders in the cybersecurity and computer science fields 
  • Learn the latest techniques (i.e., digital forensics) used to detect cyber threats
  • Develop information security plans and solutions for security incident mitigation and communicate these to technical and non-technical decision-makers
  • Develop working knowledge of information security, assurance issues, and security models
  • Understand legal, ethical, and privacy issues associated with information security 
  • Shorten your path to a master's or doctoral degree by earning credits that may be transferable

Ready to Apply?

Applicants not currently enrolled in a graduate degree program at Howard University must complete the external online GradCAS application. Currently enrolled Howard graduate students must complete the internal application form. Please visit this website for more detailed information about the graduate certificate, including admission requirements. 


   Career Opportunities

     Information security director
     Security or assurance engineer
     Computer systems security analyst
     Digital forensics specialist
     Cyber threat advisor
     Chief information security officer
     Governance compliance officer
     Security consultant
     Information security risk analyst

   Related Degrees

     Applied Data Science & Analytics (MS)
     Computer Science (MCS)
     Computer Science (Ph.D.)

   Get In Touch

     Dr. Danda Rawat
     Graduate Certificate in Cybersecurity
     Program Director
     danda.rawat@howard.edu


 

Design Your Certificate

Program of Study

CORE COURSES (12 CR)


CSCI 653   Cybersecurity I

CSCI 654   Cybersecurity II

EECE 676/ CSCI 676   Cybersecurity for Net CPS/IoT

CSCI 659   Capstone in Cybersecurity

ELECTIVE COURSE (3 CR)


CSCI 652   Special Topics in Cybersecurity

CSCI 655, 656, 657, 658, 659   Special Topics (Database Systems and Security, Wireless Network and Security, or Advanced Operating Systems and Security)

Tuition & Fees 

Full-time students not enrolled in a Howard University graduate degree program but enrolled in the Graduate Certificate program pay the per-credit-hour rate for the academic year. The tuition rate per credit hour for the academic year 2023-2024 is noted on the following Cost of Attendance website.

There are no scholarships awarded for the tuition of a non-degree Graduate Certificate. Additionally, Title IV federal financial aid is not available for Graduate Certificate programs unless otherwise noted in writing. If a certificate program is not eligible for Federal Direct Loan funding, students may be able to borrow a private alternative loan with the lender of their choice to help alleviate costs associated with the certificate program.

Graduate Certificate FAQs ❱ 

Browse answers to frequently asked questions about our Graduate Certificate programs. If your question is not addressed in the Graduate FAQs, please email us at gs.gradrecruitment@howard.edu.