Teaching Cyber Security for High School Teachers Certificate

Graduate Certificate
TeachingCyberSecHighSchool

Prepare to Teach the Next Generation of Cyber Security Students 

Cyber security professionals are essential to protecting critical sectors, including finance, healthcare, and defense. However, there’s currently a shortage of 3.4 million cybersecurity personnel, according to a 2023 report by the National Initiative in Cyber security Education (NICE). This shortage has already resulted in significant financial losses due to security breaches. Efforts to address this gap are looking to college students majoring in cyber security, but extending this area of study to high schools is crucial to spark early interest and support the pipeline of future students and graduates. Still, the lack of qualified teachers in high schools means many students miss out on early exposure to cyber security.

To help address these challenges, particularly the shortage of qualified high school teachers, WPI is offering a graduate certificate in Teaching Cyber Security for High School Teachers.

Program Highlights 

  • Gain knowledge and training at the graduate level to implement cyber security courses, programs, and student pathways 
  • Equip yourself with frameworks, tools, and resources to build your own cyber security curriculums 
  • Build your cyber security skills and prepare to advance your own education and career, which could include earning an MS in Cyber Security
Graduate Admissions
Application Requirements

Important Dates

Next Start: January 15, 2025 

Application Deadline: Rolling admissions 

Curriculum

Admissions Requirements 

Applicants must have earned the equivalent of a four-year U.S. bachelor’s degree to be considered for enrollment. This program is expected to enroll high school teachers based on their education, teaching, and/or professional experience. 

Curriculum 

The students enrolled in this certificate program are required to complete the following six courses, which are expected to primarily be offered online during the summer session:

  • CS 571 Case Studies in Computer Security 
  • CS 587 Cyber Security Capstone Experience 
  • CS 591 Fundamentals in Cyber Security for Teachers 
  • CS 592 Introduction to Digital Forensics for Teachers 
  • CS 593 Cyber Security Teaching Methods 
  • CS 594 Advanced Digital Forensics and Incident Response for Teachers 

Learn More About This Curriculum 

Read the full course descriptions for Teaching Cyber Security for High School Teachers: 

View Course Catalog > 

Looking to take your own cyber security education further? Credits from this certificate can be applied to an MS in Cyber Security from WPI. 

Meet Our World-Class Faculty

Jun Dai
Jun Dai
Associate Professor, Computer Science

Dr. Jun Dai is currently an Associate Professor in Department of Computer Science at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). His research interests mainly lie in the intersections of network and distributed system, AI, and cybersecurity, with recent focus on intrusion detection, vulnerability analysis, secure programming, and cybersecurity education. Dr. Dai has published papers in prestigious academic venues, such as IEEE TIFS, ACM SIGMOD, and ACM SIGCSE. He is the Workshop Chair of ACM CCS 2023, and has been a reviewer for top journals like TIFS, TDSC, TVT, and TMC.

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Master of Science in Computer Science (MS)
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Master's in Cyber Security
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Take the First Step Today

Interested in learning more or applying for WPI’s new graduate certificate in Teaching Cyber Security for High School Teachers?

 

Contact Professor Jun Dai