
CYBERSECURITY II – CIS 501
Course Description
Cybersecurity II Program
Course Code: CIS 501 — Advanced Cybersecurity Career Pathway
The Cybersecurity II Program provides advanced, career-focused training designed to prepare
students for success in modern cybersecurity roles. Building on core IT skills, this comprehensive
pathway expands into specialized knowledge, hands-on labs, and industry-recognized certifications.
Learners progress through a sequenced curriculum—Helpdesk Support, Cybersecurity Fundamentals,
DISA STIGs Implementation, CompTIA Security+, Risk Management Framework (RMF),
CompTIA CASP+, and Certified Ethical Hacker (C|EH)—culminating in a portfolio-ready capstone.
from foundational support skills to advanced cybersecurity operations, compliance, and offensive security.
Program Outcomes
- Apply defense-in-depth strategies across endpoints, networks, and cloud environments
- Implement and document DISA STIGs; align activities to RMF for authorization and compliance
- Detect, analyze, and respond to threats; collaborate with SOC/IR teams using playbooks and SIEM
- Design and engineer secure solutions for complex, enterprise-scale environments (CASP+ scope)
- Plan and execute ethical hacking engagements using the five-phase methodology (C|EH)
- Earn stackable credentials and build a portfolio of lab artifacts, reports, and a capstone project
Pathway Structure & Certifications
- Helpdesk Support (HEL 101) — Ticket triage, OS & hardware troubleshooting, documentation
- Cybersecurity Fundamentals (CIS 101) — Core concepts, risk, controls, and threat landscape
- STIGs Implementation (STI 101) — SCC & STIG Viewer, findings, POA&Ms, remediation
- Security+ (CIS 202) — Vendor-neutral baseline in risk, network/app security, and incident response
- Risk Management Framework (RMF 101) — NIST 800-37 lifecycle, SSP/SAR/POA&M development
- CASP+ (CIS 203) — Advanced enterprise security architecture, integration, and response
- Ethical Hacker (C|EH 101) — Recon → Exploitation → Post-exploitation → Reporting (Cyber Range)
Hands-On Experience
- Virtual Lab Environment: guided scenarios for hardening, scanning, monitoring, and response
- Compliance Practicum: STIG checklists, RMF documentation, and audit-ready evidence
- Offensive Security Labs: tool walkthroughs (e.g., Nmap, Burp, Metasploit, Wireshark) in a safe range
- Capstone Project: design, secure, and test a small enterprise environment; produce full report
Topics Covered
- Endpoint & network hardening, identity & access management, logging & SIEM
- Threats, vulnerabilities, and detection engineering; incident response playbooks
- DISA STIGs, SCAP content, compliance scoring, continuous monitoring
- RMF: categorization, control selection/implementation, assessment & authorization
- Enterprise security architecture, cryptography, cloud & virtualization security (CASP+)
- Ethical hacking methodology across on-prem, cloud, hybrid, and IoT targets (C|EH)
Format & Materials
- Instructor-led sessions, guided labs, and scenario-based exercises
- Downloadable lab guides, templates (SSP/SAR/POA&M), and exam prep resources
- Performance-based assessments and portfolio feedback
Prerequisites
- Baseline IT skills (e.g., Helpdesk or equivalent experience)
- Completion of Cybersecurity Fundamentals (CIS 101) or comparable knowledge recommended
Career Paths
- SOC Analyst • Cybersecurity Specialist • Network Security Engineer
- Security Control Assessor/ISSO • RMF/Compliance Analyst
- Security Architect • Penetration Tester • Incident Responder
Course Info
- Duration: 202 hours
- Prerequisites: No
- Skill Level: advanced