Northland Pioneer College (NPC) is taking the lead among Arizona’s community colleges in addressing the serious problem of cyber crime as the first to launch a program that trains students for careers in cybersecurity. This fall NPC will offer four classes in this program: Information Security Fundamentals, Computer Applications and Information Technology, Effective Communication with Digital Media and Microsoft Operating Systems. “You expect to see cybercrime in bigger places, but it hits close to home here in northeastern Arizona, too,” says Eric Bishop, professor of Computer Information Systems (CIS) at NPC. Under his direction, NPC is now offering a full cybersecurity specialist program. In 2017, there were 350,000 open cybersecurity positions in the U.S., including 7,000 in Arizona. That number is projected to multiply to 3.5 million, by the year 2021, according to an estimate by Cybersecurity Ventures. NPC is training students to help meet that demand. NPC is also working with Grand Canyon University and the University of Arizona to make the Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree in cybersecurity transferrable for students seeking a bachelor’s degree. Students can complete the first two years of a bachelor’s degree at NPC and save more than $18,000 in university tuition alone. Classes are available at the Show Low campus and online. NPC also offers a 45-credit Certificate in Applied Science (CAS) and an 18-credit Certificate of Proficiency (CP) in cybersecurity that allow people working at local businesses to gain the skills needed to protect their company’s privacy. This dynamic new field of study offered at NPC provides truly great career opportunities for residents of northeastern Arizona. If you have the interest and the aptitude for this type of work, speak to an NPC academic adviser today and find out how to enroll in NPC’s exciting cybersecurity program. For additional information, please contact Bishop at (929) 532-6153.
