2026-2027 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
    May 07, 2026  
2026-2027 Undergraduate Catalog

CyberDefender-AI Certification

Location(s): Online Asynchronous


The demand for cybersecurity professionals is rapidly increasing across government agencies, private companies, universities, and non-profit organizations. Leaders, managers, and IT professionals must be equipped to anticipate the wide-ranging impacts of cybersecurity breaches, understand how to mitigate risks, and implement strategies to prevent future threats within complex cyberecosystems.

Our certificate program provides strong preparation in the essential knowledge and skills needed to pursue a career in cybersecurity as well as advanced skills in penetration testing and ethical hacking. Whether you’re looking to enhance your current degree with cybersecurity expertise, add to your education or build on your current industry skills, this credential is both relevant and highly valued in today’s job market.

The year-long program is delivered entirely online and includes a carefully curated selection of cybersecurity courses-such as penetration testing, ethical hacking, advanced network techniques and information warfare -including a variety of critical cybersecurity topics. Topics cover both technical skills and conceptual frameworks, preparing you for real-world challenges in the field. Authentic industry case studies are a focus. 

Certificate Outcomes

  1. Perform advanced attack detection and mitigation involving multiple environments with AI applications: operating systems (PC, Mac, Linux), IoT devices, wired and wireless networks, web, cloud and more
  2. Perform vulnerability assessment in multiple contexts including physical security and complex cyberecosystems
  3. Perform weakness assessments for cryptographic techniques and other security measures
  4. Describe phases of penetration testing and the classification of different attacks
  5. Understand the human factor, social engineering and related applications
  6. Create custom exploit development techniques especially related to critical systems
  7. Perform advanced penetration testing techniques and fuzzing applications
  8. Apply post-exploitation advancement tactics including both lateral and vertical techniques
  9. Use national vulnerability databases and other relevant data effectively to different cybersecurity scenarios
  10. Communicate and document advanced penetration testing techniques
  11. Describe legal and ethical considerations and understand the human factor in advanced penetration testing
  12. Understand the history of red teaming approaches and industry case studies
  13. Understand ethical hacking and its relationship to penetration testing
  14. Understand different techniques to enhance security posture including the role of formal methods