Learning cybersecurity has never been easier thanks to cybersecurity free courses. These courses are also called MOOCs (massive open online courses). You’ll find hundreds of cybersecurity free courses online and their number keeps on growing rapidly. These are usually offered by universities for anyone who’s interested in cybersecurity.
How Do MOOCs Work?
As the name implies, you’ll access MOOCs online throughout the calendar year. Many universities have fixed starting dates so it’s best to check the schedule of your preferred university.
Video lectures are usually pre-recorded. However, you may interact with your instructors in virtual forums, live chats, and/or virtual hours. Meanwhile, cybersecurity MOOCs typically take 6-10 weeks. Moreover, you can expect to allot 3-6 hours of your life per week to each course.
Furthermore, there are no fixed rules on assessment. However, many MOOCs implement regular quizzes and programming labs to test comprehension. Thus, cybersecurity free courses are real and require real effort.
Popular Cybersecurity Free Courses
Foundations of Cybersecurity
This is a 37-hour free course by Springboard and spearheaded by Joh Nord. Course content is open and students may access it at any time. This course provides a strong cybersecurity foundation for anyone interested in the field. If you’re planning a career shift or brush up on your cyber skills, this course by Springboard is a great resource.
After this course, you’ll have a deeper understanding of various cybersecurity topics, such as:
- Different types of cyber attacks
- Cybersecurity best practices
- The job market for cybersecurity professionals
This course is self-paced, meaning that you may complete lessons on your own schedule. Moreover, there are no required prerequisites for this course.
Cryptography by the University of Maryland
Jonathan Katz, Director of Maryland Cybersecurity Center, is the instructor of this 7-week course. The course has a workload of 3-5 hours per week. Participants will learn the foundations and practical applications of modern cryptography. Furthermore, the course tackles topics such as:
- message authentication
- public and private-key encryption
- digital signatures.
Hence, the University of Maryland guarantees students that they will have a deeper understanding of modern cryptography after the course. You’ll also be able to use such understanding in developing modern security protocols.
Participants must have taken courses in discrete mathematics and basic probability. Moreover, familiarity with programming languages like C is also helpful.
Information Security and Risk Management in Context
The University of Washington offers this 10-week course. You can expect a 4-6 hour workload per week. Barbara Endicott-Popovsky leads the program. Information security professionals will benefit the most from this program. Participants will explore modern tools and techniques for securing and defending information systems.
Moreover, leading experts will share the insights they have gained from their long careers. Some of the topics you can expect are cloud security and legal security implications.
Usable Security
Jennifer Golbeck spearheads this course. She is the Director of the Human-Computer Interaction Lab at the University of Maryland. Moreover, the course lasts for 8 weeks with 3-5 hours of workload per week. It focuses on the role of humans in the security process. Furthermore, you must be a sophomore/junior (and beyond) college student to enter this course.
