Accelerate your career in cybersecurity in 24 weeks, online
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April 30, 2024
24 weeks, online
15–20 hours per week
US$7,650
Explore financing options available for this program.
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Cyberattacks are becoming more frequent, complex, and targeted, collectively costing organizations billions of dollars every year. This is why cybersecurity is one of the fastest growing industries in the US, as every year more companies and government agencies seek to hire cybersecurity professionals with the specialized technical skills needed to defend mission-critical computer systems, networks, and cloud applications, against cyberattacks.
Enroll today in the MIT xPRO Professional Certificate in Cybersecurity program, which focuses on both defensive and offensive aspects of the technology. It also includes personalized feedback from program leaders, insights from guest speakers, career coaching, mentorship, and the opportunity to create a capstone project on network development to use for a job portfolio.
Take the next step to advance your career with the MIT xPRO Professional Certificate in Cybersecurity program.
The projected value of the cybersecurity market through 2027
The number of unfilled cybersecurity positions in the US in 2022
This program is a career accelerator for those who want to learn the essentials of cybersecurity from MIT faculty.
The MITRE ATT&CK knowledge base is explored deeper in the offensive and defensive aspects of this program. It contains adversary tactics and techniques that are utilized as the foundational development of specific threat models and methodologies.
The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) Cloud Controls Matrix (CCM) is discussed in the defensive cybersecurity section. This framework includes domains covering the aspects of cloud technology.
The NIST CSF framework is threaded throughout the entire program. It is a widely used cybersecurity framework that encompasses guidelines for organizations to prepare themselves against cybersecurity attacks.
The first eight weeks of this program serve as an introduction to cybersecurity with a focus on fundamental concepts and identity and access management (IAM).
The second set of eight weeks focus on defensive cybersecurity. Take a deeper dive into concepts that include cryptography, SOC (security operations center), IR (incident response), secure systems and network administration, and cloud security.
The final set of eight weeks addresses the importance of offensive cybersecurity through topics such as penetration testing, social engineering, artificial intelligence, privacy, regulation and data governance, and OT (Operational Technology) and IoT (Internet of Things) risk.
Earn a certificate and 36 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) from MIT xPRO
Insights and case studies from renowned MIT faculty
Foundational cybersecurity knowledge
Completion of a capstone presentation to share with potential employers
A great foundation towards a degree or certification in cybersecurity
Whether you are just starting your IT career or expanding into an adjacent field, this comprehensive program will equip you with the foundational knowledge needed to succeed in the field of cybersecurity. This 24-week program includes the following modules:
Stepping into a career in cybersecurity requires a variety of skills, both hard and soft. This program offers guidance in navigating a career path in tech, including crafting your elevator pitch and providing communication tips. These services are provided by Emeritus, our learning collaborator for this program. The program support team includes course leaders who help you reach your learning goals and career coaches to guide you through your job search. The program offers career preparation and guidance, however, job placement is not guaranteed.
Emeritus provides the following career preparation services:
Career exercises focused on launching a career in cybersecurity include:
Keri Pearlson
Nickolai Zeldovich
Stuart Madnick
Danny Weitzner
Larry Susskind
Una-May O'Reilly
Barbara Johnson
Rajiv Shridhar
Howard Shrobe
Keri Pearlson
Executive Director of Cybersecurity at MIT Sloan (CAMS): The Interdisciplinary Consortium for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity at the MIT Sloan School of Management
Dr. Pearlson is the executive director of the Cybersecurity at MIT Sloan: The Interdisciplinary Consortium for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity (IC)3. Pearlson has held positions in academia and industry, including Babson College, The University of Texas at Austin, Gartner's Research Board, CSC, and AT&T. She founded KP Partners, a CIO advisory services firm and the IT Leaders' Forum, a community of next-generation IT executives. She is the founding director of the Analytics Leadership Consortium at the International Institute of Analytics. She began her career at Hughes Aircraft Company as a systems analyst.
Dr. Pearlson's research spans MIS, business strategy, and organizational design. Her current research studies how organizations build a culture of cybersecurity and how organizations build trust to share mitigations for cyber breaches. Dr. Pearlson holds a doctorate in business administration in MIS from Harvard Business School along with an M.S. in industrial engineering and a B.S. in mathematics from Stanford University. She is the founding president of the Austin Society for Information Management and was named "2014 National SIM Leader of the Year."
Nickolai Zeldovich
Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and a member of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at MIT
Dr. Zeldovich is a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at MIT and a member of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. He received his Ph.D. from Stanford University in 2008. His research interests are in building practical secure systems. Recent projects by Prof. Zeldovich and his students and colleagues include the CryptDB encrypted database, the STACK tool for finding undefined behavior bugs in C programs, the FSCQ formally verified file system, the Algorand cryptocurrency, and the Vuvuzela private messaging system.
Dr. Zeldovich has been involved with several startup companies, including MokaFive (desktop virtualization), PreVeil (end-to-end encryption), and Algorand (cryptocurrency). His work has been recognized with "best paper" awards at the ACM SOSP conference, a Sloan fellowship (2010), an NSF CAREER award (2011), the MIT EECS Spira teaching award (2013), the MIT Edgerton faculty achievement award (2014), the ACM SIGOPS Mark Weiser award (2017), and an MIT EECS Faculty Research Innovation Fellowship (2018).
Stuart Madnick
John Norris Maguire Professor of Information Technologies, Emeritus, Sloan School of Management, Professor of Engineering Systems, School of Engineering and Founding Director, research consortium Cybersecurity at MIT Sloan (CAMS)
Dr. Madnick is the John Norris Maguire Professor of Information Technologies, Emeritus, at the MIT Sloan School of Management and the founding director of Cybersecurity at MIT Sloan: the Interdisciplinary Consortium for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity. His involvement in cybersecurity research goes back to 1979, when he co-authored the book Computer Security. Currently, he heads the Cybersecurity at MIT Sloan Initiative.
Dr. Madnick holds a Ph.D. in computer science from MIT and has been an MIT faculty member since 1972. He served as head of MIT's Information Technologies Group in the Sloan School of Management for more than 20 years. He is the author or coauthor of more than 300 books, articles, and reports. Besides cybersecurity, his research interests include big data, semantic connectivity, database technology, software project management, and the strategic use of information technology.
Danny Weitzner
3Com Founders Principal Research Scientist Founding Director, MIT Internet Policy Research Initiative, MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab
Prof. Weitzner is founding director of the MIT internet Policy Research Initiative and principal research scientist at CSAIL. In addition, he teaches internet public policy in MIT's Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department. His research pioneered the development of accountable systems to enable computational treatment of legal rules.
Prof. Weitzner was U.S. deputy chief technology officer for internet policy in the White House, where he led initiatives on privacy, cybersecurity, copyright, and digital trade policies promoting the free flow of information. He was responsible for the Obama administration's Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights and the OECD internet Policymaking Principles. He has a law degree from Buffalo Law School, and a B.A. in philosophy from Swarthmore College. His writings have appeared in Science, the Yale Law Review, Communications of the ACM, Washington Post, Wired Magazine and Social Research.
Larry Susskind
Ford Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning, MIT Vice Chair and Co-founder, Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School
Prof. Susskind's research interests focus on the theory and practice of negotiation and dispute resolution, the practice of public engagement in local decision-making, cybersecurity for critical urban infrastructure, entrepreneurial negotiation, global environmental treaty-making, the resolution of science-intensive policy disputes, renewable energy policy, water equity in older American cities, climate change adaptation, socially responsible real estate development and the land claims of Indigenous peoples.
Prof. Susskind is director of the MIT Science Impact Collaborative. He is founder of the Consensus Building Institute, a Cambridge-based not-for-profit company that provides mediation services in complex resource management disputes around the world. He also was one of the co-founders of the interuniversity Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, where he now directs the MIT-Harvard Public Disputes Program, serves as vice chair for instruction, and leads PON's Master Classes in Negotiation. He is the recipient of ACSP's prestigious Educator of the Year Award and recipient of MIT's Award for Digital Instruction.
Una-May O'Reilly
Principal Research Scientist and Leader of ALFA Group at MIT-CSAIL
Dr. O'Reilly's research group, AnyScale Learning for All, develops new, data-driven analyses of online coding courses, deep learning techniques for program representations, adversarial attacks on machine learning models, model training for adversarial robustness, and cyber hunting tools and cyber arms race models.
One of the main areas Dr. O'Reilly is investigating is cybersecurity and how to stop destructive and escalating arms races. She hopes to understand the nature of adversarial intelligence by computationally replicating it—that is, by developing "artificial adversarial intelligence." This will help reveal the dynamics of conflicting behavior and how adaptation drives it, so that we can put a stop to these types of arms races. Dr. O'Reilly holds a PhD from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada.
Barbara Johnson
Senior Security Consultant, Security Certification Educator, Lecturer at MIT Sloan School of Management, Education: BSISE, MBA, (ISC)² Certifications: CISSP and ISSMP, ISACA Certifications: CISA, CISM, CRISC, CDPSE, Business Continuity Certifications: CBCP and MBCI
Securing information systems is Barbara’s purpose and educating security professionals is her passion.
Barbara Johnson is a Senior Security, Audit and Compliance Management Consultant with over 20 years of experience. She designs and manages information security programs for the government, automotive, entertainment, financial, and travel sectors. Her security, privacy, risk, and audit frameworks include ISO 27001, ISACA COBIT, NIST, HIPAA and PCI. She brings global best practices into her client’s enterprise security governance, policies and standards, architecture, and operations, inclusive of cryptography, incident response, and business continuity and disaster recovery. However, she tailors a security strategy to a client’s industry and risk appetite.
Barbara enhances educational delivery as a security, audit, and compliance practitioner. Barbara is a Lecturer at MIT Sloan School of Management and a courseware developer for MIT xPro Cyber Program. For (ISC)² CISSP and ISSMP: she develops courseware, teaches as a senior and lead instructor, speaks at Security Congress, and was Chair of (ISC)² Common Body of Knowledge. Furthermore, she imparts ISACA global best practices through its CISA, CISM, and CRISC certification classes. As a security educator, she has readied thousands of security professionals for certification exams.
Rajiv Shridhar
Information Security Officer and Director of Research Computing, MIT Sloan School of Management
Rajiv Shridhar is the Information Security Officer and Director of Research Computing at MIT Sloan School of Management. He leads the team that enables the research of MIT Sloan faculty, students and collaborators by providing specialized computing infrastructure, data sets, software tools, support and technology consulting. As Information Security Officer, he is responsible for the development and oversight of risk and security frameworks in alignment with the information security needs of MIT Sloan.
Rajiv is a senior lecturer at Northeastern University, where he teaches graduate level courses in computer engineering, cyber physical systems and telecommunication networks. In his teaching he seeks to maximize student learning outcomes by reinforcing and extending in-class learning with experiential education via extensive hands-on projects, labs and assignments. Rajiv received an MS in Computer Systems Engineering from Northeastern University.
Howard Shrobe
Principal Research Scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (MIT CSAIL), Cambridge, Massachusetts
Howard Shrobe is a Principal Research Scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (MIT CSAIL), Cambridge, MA. He is a former Associate Director of CSAIL and former Director of CSAIL’s Cybersecurity@ CSAIL initiative. His research interests include AI, cybersecurity (particularly of control systems), and new computer architectures for inherently secure computing. Howard has a PhD from MIT.
Caren Shiozaki
Erica Wilson
Ion Santotomas
Daniel Gorecki
Josh Schwartz
Matthew Lange
Keri Chisolm
— Mark Hughes, Integration Manager, QTS Global
— Euclides Garcia, Global IT Director, Infrastructure and Security, Del Monte Fresh Produce
— Allison Hamm, SOC Analyst, Solutions Granted Inc.
— Berndt Pilgram, Principal Lead of IT Systems and Data Science, Infineon Technologies
— Richard Napalan, FC Associate, Amazon
Get recognized! Upon successful completion of this program, MIT xPRO grants a certificate of completion to participants and 36 Continuing Education Units (CEUs). This program is graded as a pass or fail; participants must receive 75% to pass and obtain the certificate of completion.
Download BrochureAfter successful completion of the program, your verified digital certificate will be emailed to you, at no additional cost, in the name you used when registering for the program. All certificate images are for illustrative purposes only and may be subject to change at the discretion of MIT.
After reviewing the information on the program landing page, we recommend you submit the short form above to gain access to the program brochure, which includes more in-depth information. If you still have questions on whether this program is a good fit for you, please email learner.success@emeritus.org, and a dedicated program advisor will follow up with you very shortly.
Some programs do have prerequisites, particularly the more technical ones. This information will be noted on the program landing page and in the program brochure. If you are uncertain about program prerequisites and your capabilities, please email us at learner.success@emeritus.org for assistance.
This is a graded program. You must complete a combination of individual assignments, quizzes, and a final project. Each component carries a certain number of points, and a cumulative score of 75 percent is required to pass and obtain your professional certificate.
The primary objective of this program is to give you the skills you need to be prepared for a job in this field. While eligible participants will receive career coaching and support and may receive introductions to our hiring partners, job placement is not guaranteed.
Each program includes an estimated learner effort per week. This is referenced at the top of the program landing page under the “Duration” section and in the program brochure, which you can obtain by submitting the short form at the top of this web page.
You will divide your learning time between viewing recorded coding demos, and video lectures, contributing to class discussions, completing assignments, projects, and knowledge checks, and attending optional live sessions with industry experts and program leaders.
The program is accessed through the custom learning portal. This portal will give you access to all program-related content such as video lectures, assignments, and discussions. Live office hours will be conducted using a webinar tool.
The video lectures and assignments are accessible weekly throughout the program. In the event you miss a live session, a recording will be made available.
Faculty video lectures are recorded, allowing you to watch these on your own schedule. However, participation in optional live sessions and discussion boards is highly encouraged. Live sessions will give you the opportunity to draw on the coding experience of our industry-experienced program leaders to answer your questions and help reach your learning goals. The discussion boards are also an integral part of the learning experience, giving you and your peers the opportunity to learn together and receive guidance from the moderators.
You can download video transcripts, assignment templates, readings, etc. However, the video lectures are only available for streaming and require an internet connection.
You can communicate with other participants through our learning platform. You will be able to form groups based on your interests and location. A direct messaging feature is also available through the platform.
More than 300,000 learners across 200 countries have chosen to advance their skills with Emeritus and its educational learning partners. In fact, 90 percent of the respondents of a recent survey across all our programs said that their learning outcomes were met or exceeded.
All the contents of the course would be made available to students at the commencement of the course. However, to ensure the program delivers the desired learning outcomes the students may appoint Emeritus to manage the delivery of the program in a cohort-based manner the cost of which is already included in the overall course fee of the course.
A dedicated program support team is available 24/5 (Monday to Friday) to answer questions about the learning platform, technical issues, or anything else that may affect your learning experience.
Emeritus and MIT xPRO collaborate to create and deliver educational programs. None of these programs are Title IV-eligible.
Each program includes an estimated learner effort per week, so you can gauge what is required before you enroll. This is referenced at the top of the program landing page under the “Duration” section and in the program brochure, which you can obtain by submitting the short form at the top of this web page. All programs are designed to fit into your working life.
This program is scored as a pass or no-pass; participants must complete the required activities to pass and obtain the certificate of completion. Some programs include a final project submission or other assignments to obtain passing status. This information will be noted in the program brochure. Please contact us at learner.success@emeritus.org if you need further clarification of any specific program requirements.
Upon successful completion of the program, you will receive a smart digital certificate. The smart digital certificate can be shared with friends, family, schools, or potential employers. You can use it on your cover letter, résumé, and/or display it on your LinkedIn profile.
The digital certificate will be sent approximately two weeks after the program, once grading is complete.
No, only verified digital certificates will be issued upon successful completion. This allows you to share your credentials on social platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.
No, there is no alumni status granted for this program. In some cases, there are credits that count toward a higher level of certification. This information will be clearly noted in the program brochure.
You will have access to the learning platform and all program materials (videos excluded) for one full year following the program end date. Access to the learning platform is restricted to registered participants per the terms of agreement.
To successfully complete this course/program(me) online, you must have access to a device meeting the minimum requirements, found here. In addition, Microsoft Office or similar product and a PDF viewer are required to access documents, spreadsheets, presentations, PDF files, and transcripts in all programs. Technical programs might have additional tech requirements. Please check the learning platform on the first day of class.
Yes, the learning platform is accessed via the internet and video content is not available for download. You can download files of video transcripts, assignment templates, readings, etc. Video lectures must be streamed via the internet and webinars and small group sessions will require an internet connection.
The program fee is shown at the top of this page and payment must be made in US dollars only.
Flexible payment options, group enrollment benefits, and referral bonus are available.
Tuition assistance may be available for participants who qualify. Please contact your program advisor to discuss.
Yes, you can do the bank remittance in USD via wire transfer. Please contact your program advisor for more details.
Yes flexible payment options are available for this program. We partner with loan providers to offer you flexible and transparent loan options. More information about loan financing is available here. Installment payments are also available—; you can find the options here.
Yes, the program fee is inclusive of any taxes with the exception of GST for Singapore residents.
Emeritus collects all program payments, provides learner enrollment and program support, and manages learning platform services.
For the program refund and deferral policy, please click the link here.
We offer several options to help you afford tuition for the Professional Certificate in Cybersecurity Program.
Available opportunities to lower tuition fees include:
Referrals – You and a colleague can each receive $765 off your tuition when you enroll together. Refer now
Group enrollments – A discount of up to 20% is available for group enrollments. For more information, email group-enrollments@emeritus.org
*At the time of loan application, please select ‘Undergraduate students’ when prompted.
You can opt for any one of the financing options to cover up to the full cost of the program tuition. If you are considering financing your program through one of our partners, the enrollment process can only be completed with the assistance of your program advisor.
Please note that loan applications should be submitted no later than four business days prior to the enrollment deadline due to processing time.
What is Sallie Mae?
Sallie Mae is one of the largest private student loan lenders in the industry.
What is the process to apply for a loan?
Once you’ve applied for your program, you can then apply for a loan with Sallie Mae. When approved, you’ll choose your interest rate and your repayment option and sign the loan documents. The lender will send the tuition directly to your school.
How long will it take until I get a decision?
You can receive a credit result is as few as 15 minutes.
Do I need a cosigner?
If you don’t have a credit history, you will need a cosigner for your loan. A cosigner can be a parent, relative, or any other creditworthy individual. Their good credit history may help you get a loan.
If my application is accepted, am I committed to using the financing?
After your loan is approved, you are required to sign the loan terms. Your loan is not confirmed without this signature. You have the right to cancel your private student loan as described in the Final Loan Disclosure before funds are disbursed to your school.
What are the terms of the loan?
You can choose between fixed and variable interest for your loan. You can also choose one of three repayment options: Deferred Repayment, Fixed Repayment, and Interest Repayment.
When does loan payback begin?
You can make your first payment about one month after your program starts (fixed repayment or interest repayment) or six months after your program ends (deferred repayment).
How long will I be making payments?
Most loans have a 10-year standard repayment. When you apply for the loan, you will be given more information on the repayment plan.
How do I find out how much my monthly payment is?
You can find your monthly payment on the Monthly Payment Calculator here.
Are there any circumstances that would allow me to put my loan payments on hold?
Delinquency occurs when you fail to pay all or part of your monthly student loan payment. You could be eligible for a student loan deferment, which would allow you to temporarily reduce or postpone payments on your student loans in special circumstances.
Can I pay off my loan early?
There is no penalty for paying your loan off early or paying extra throughout the life of your loan. You have the flexibility to make early payments of fully pay off your loan without prepayment fees.
What is Climb Credit?
Climb Credit is a new kind of student lender.
Climb believes education is an investment and should be treated that way — we partner with schools offering career-focused education, and then provide accessible and affordable loans to attend these schools.
What is the process to apply for a loan?
Simply type your school's name into the search bar after clicking "Apply now" to find a link to the application page. From there, you'll be able to complete our short online application.
You may also have received a link to apply for a Climb loan from your school’s admissions team, or you can find the link on your school’s website or Climb's website. Apply using your laptop, tablet, or phone.
You'll want to make sure you fill out an application for the specific school and program you'll be attending. We link our loans to each course, so your school will know you've been approved for a loan with us and that we'll be sending your tuition to them.
How long will it take until I get a decision?
On average, 4:01 minutes — and just applying will not impact your credit score. We know that your time is valuable, so we’ve kept our application as short as possible.
Do I need a cosigner?
No. Climb only fund loans for students who are attending the program. The program attendee should always be the primary borrower on the application.
During your application, you will have the option to add a co-borrower. If you have a co-borrower with a better credit score that you, adding them to your loan application can potentially help you get approved and/or receive a lower interest rate offer.
If my application is accepted, am I committed to using the financing?
No. Applying for Climb financing is free and comes and carries no commitment until you accept and finalize the loan. The initial application will not affect your credit score, and you are free to decline your loan offer if you change your mind about financing.
What are the terms of the loan?
To view the equation used to calculate your interest and monthly payments, check out this article HERE!
When does loan payback begin?
Depending on your program, we may offer loans with either an initial interest-only period while in class and for a few months after, a full deferral period while in class and for a few months after, or immediate full repayment.
For loans with an interest-only period or immediate full repayment, your first payment is due one month after your loan is funded.
How long will I be making payments?
Climb's standard loan tenor is 36 months, but you can pay any time before that, as there is no pre-payment penalty. You can repay your 3-year loan in 3 years or in 1 day.
Climb's goal is to make sure that your monthly payments stay low and affordable, which is why we give you the option to choose your term length when you apply.
Master’s students can choose between a 2-year or a 3-year repayment term.
Doctoral students can choose between a 4-year or a 5-year repayment term.
How do I find out how much my monthly payment is?
This amount is mentioned in your loan agreement.
Are there any circumstances that would allow me to put my loan payments on hold?
In order not to fall behind on your Climb loan payments, you can request a deferral of payments on your loan. A deferment will allow you to temporarily reduce your monthly loan payment amount.
Can I pay off my loan early?
Absolutely! You can pre-pay your loan, in whole or in part, at any time with no penalties.
Flexible payment options available.