SPRINGFIELD — Lincoln Land Community College is offering a cybersecurity certificate designed for students who wish to enter the workforce as cybersecurity professionals in 18 months.

“We increasingly hear about cybersecurity attacks in the news. As the number of people and devices that are online continues to grow, so do the opportunities for cybercrimes,” explains Dr. Carmen Allen, professor of computer science. “There is a great need for professionals trained in cybersecurity to protect data, networks and programs.”

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, information security is expected to grow 31% through 2029, which places it among the fastest growing career fields nationally.

Developed through a National Science Foundation grant, most of LLCC’s cybersecurity certificate courses are in a flexible-paced, competency-based education (CBE) format, which allows students to move ahead of schedule where skills are strong.

“Each student must meet established deadlines and complete required work but has the option to accelerate through the course and finish before the end of the standard semester,” explains Dr. Allen. “This is done through learning modules students can individually access and complete. The teacher is a subject expert and coach that guides, grades work and encourages students along the way.”

In the cybersecurity certificate program, students explore attacks against networks and computer systems along with necessary defense mechanisms, such as end user tools, tips and techniques to counter attackers. Hands-on projects, competitions and case studies are used to master the cybersecurity concepts.

Fall semester registration at LLCC is underway and open through Aug. 21. Learn more about LLCC’s cybersecurity certificate on the cybersecurity webpage.