Career Occupation

This industry-leading cybersecurity program will qualify graduates for careers including:

• System Administrator
• System Engineer
• System Architect
• Network Administrator
• IT infrastructure Specialist
• PC Support Technician

Admission Requirements

The students must meet the following criteria to be accepted into the Cybersecurity Analyst program:

• Minimum Grade 12 or equivalent qualification or Mature Student Status*.
• If English is not the student’s first language, they are required to have an IELTS level 6.0 OR equivalent (in the case of other testing standards) score to be admitted to the program. If upon starting the program, their language proficiency proves to be significantly lower than the criteria mentioned, they will be required to take the English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course at Focus College before being able to continue with their program studies.

*(19 years of age upon starting the program and qualify the college’s admission test)

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of the program, the successful students will have reliably demonstrated the ability to:

• Understand the fundamental concepts and working knowledge of a Cloud-based IT infrastructure including computer systems, operating systems, networks, and application software
• Configure, install, and upgrade computer hardware, operating systems, and application software
• Create, monitor, and maintain system permissions, user accounts, and other users’ privileges
• Provide troubleshooting and technical support to end-users experiencing problems related to hardware, software, networks, and other privileges
• Configure and interconnect the components of a wired and wireless Local Area Network (LAN) and Wide Area Network (WAN) to establish the network infrastructure
• Develop and implement shell scripts and use tools to automate repetitive and time-consuming tasks for increased efficiency and rapid response to changing requirements
• Perform regular testing and security monitoring to ensure seamless and secure functioning of IT services
• Implement security design principles and apply security policies used in modern operating systems to protect the privacy and security of computer systems, software, hardware, and computer networks
• Design and implement best practices and policies to govern the acceptable use of computer systems, the management and retention of data, and other areas of regulatory interest
• Evaluate the performance and efficiency of and troubleshoot computer networks, operating systems, hardware, and application software

Method(s) of Evaluation

In the Cloud System Administrator program, learners will be assessed through both formative and summative methods and a blend of continuous Unit assessment and Graded Unit assessments. Each course (unit) has an assessment that the candidate is required to pass. The allocation of grades awarded are as follows:

• Grade A – Student has achieved 70% or above marks
• Grade B – Student has achieved marks between 60% and 69%
• Grade C – Student has achieved marks between 50% and 59%
• F (Fail) – Student has achieved less than 50% marks

Completion Requirements

To graduate, a student must meet the following requirements:

• Successful completion of all courses with a minimum 50% (C grade) in each course
• Successful completion of the Practicum
• Successful completion of all assignments and tasks required in the Career and Professional Skills course

Program Duration

Duration of the program is 52 weeks (full-time), and the total instructional hours are 1,056.

Homework Hours

Approximately 10-15 hours/week of homework is required from students to be successful in this fast-paced and intensive program.

Delivery Method(s)

The program is delivered through the following delivery models:

•   In-class instruction
•   Distance education
•   Combined delivery (both in-class and distance)

Required course materials

Various textbooks/reference books and other online educational materials will be provided. Please see the course outline forms for individual course books/materials.

Program Organization

The following table shows the titles of the courses in this program in the order they are provided, and the hours of instruction allotted to each course.