COD Offers New Degree, Certificate in Computer Information Security
A new degree and certificate program at College of DuPage will prepare students for a variety of IT careers with a specialty in information security.
Recently approved by the Illinois Community College Board, the new Information System Security (INFOSEC) 4011 Professional degree and certificate was developed to meet a growing job market.
“People entering the IT field need some knowledge of security, while specialists must know how to secure networks and data,” said Joanne Wagner, professor and coordinator for the Computer and Internetworking Technologies program.
The core courses for the 64 credit-hour degree and 32 credit-hour certificate are in Computer and Internetworking Technologies and Criminal Justice. Students earning the degree can transfer to a baccalaureate program, while students who already have degrees can obtain the certificate to enhance their skills.
Last year, while developing the new degree and certificate, the CIT program met the Committee on National Security Systems training standard for the Information Systems Security Professionals 4011 certification. CNSS 4011 standards apply to all U.S. government departments and agencies and their contractors, which means students obtaining this designation can apply for information systems jobs in which national security standards must be upheld.
With addition of the new degree and certificate, College of DuPage is now a leading provider of information system security training in the area.
“Security specialists work at all levels of the work place – user access to computers, network security design and implementation of firewalls,” Wagner said. “Specialists secure data by creating and maintaining a system that is unattractive to hackers.”
For more information, call Joanne Wagner, CIT professor and program coordinator, at (630) 942-2692, email wagnerjo@cod.edu; Tony Chen, CIT professor, at (630) 942-2537, email chento@cod.edu; or Clyde Cox, CIT professor, (630) 942-2520, email coxclyde@cod.edu. For more about the CIT program, visit www.cod.edu/programs/cit.