About the Program

Students study on laptops

About the Cybersecurity Program

The new Cybersecurity major at Carroll College is a hybrid program with six online courses as part of the curriculum through Carroll College's partnership with Rize Education. This partnership offers students cutting-edge curriculum, greater scheduling flexibility, access to nationwide experts in the field, and access to even more resume-ready skills. This approach allows students to access specialized coursework and industry experts while benefiting from Carroll’s well-rounded liberal arts education, which cultivates critical thinking, ethical decision-making, and versatile problem-solving skills essential for success in cybersecurity and beyond. Additionally, students will benefit from the close faculty mentorship and personalized learning experience at Carroll. The program will begin in the fall of 2025.

The major is designed with two goals in mind:

  1. To ensure that students stay one step ahead of evolving cyber threats.
  2. To provide students with fundamental IT skills.

While the first goal is primary and more foundational to a cybersecurity program, the importance of the second goal should not be disregarded for two major reasons. First, entry-level cybersecurity roles, and roles at smaller organizations, frequently blend elements of cybersecurity and IT work. Second, the cybersecurity function of an organization is inextricably linked with IT since both networks and team members present opportunities to bad actors. To that end, students who complete the recommended IT focus area will be prepared for numerous cybersecurity certifications, including the CompTIA A+ exam.

Within this program, students will assess modern cybersecurity challenges that threaten our privacy, security, and safety and gain both the knowledge and hands-on technical skills to protect digital assets from cyber criminals who leverage sophisticated social and cyber tactics to facilitate attacks.

Furthermore, as the cyber attack surface continues to expand via the proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, it is increasingly vital that students learn how to “harden” networks, systems, and endpoint devices against cyber attacks, topics which are covered in the course Modern Cybersecurity.

Laptop Glowing

Think like a hacker

Our students will learn how to think like a “hacker” and use industry-standard tools to find weaknesses in systems. You will also learn how to perform cyber forensics to investigate, collect, and preserve digital evidence associated with a breach.

Cybersecurity at Carroll College

Our Cybersecurity program will give you the skillset and portfolio you need. An education at Carroll College, a small liberal arts college in Helena, Montana, will help grow you into the well-rounded individual that employers are looking for.

We will teach you the combination of hard skills and soft skills you need to work in this fast-growing industry through:

  • Discussions (not lectures)
  • Projects (not exams)
  • Real-world problems
  • Instruction from industry experts

Top traits for non-coding Cybersecurity professionals:

  1. A love for learning
  2. Attention to detail
  3. A creative perspective
  4. Deep curiosity
  5. A passion for tech

Prepared for a Career

Students who complete this curriculum will not only be prepared for a career as a cybersecurity professional, they will also be well positioned to obtain a number of certifications which will increase their employability later in their career, including Certified Ethical Hacker, Certified Information Systems Security Professional, and Certified Forensic Examiner. Please note these certifications may require additional work experience and exam preparation!