Designed to Deliver Value: The University of North Dakota Introduces Certificates to its Cyber Security Program
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How do you deliver value to learners and employers alike? In the hot field of cyber security, the University of North Dakota has cracked the code with the design of its recently launched online program.
The University of North Dakota is a public research university in Grand Forks, N.D. It offers more than 120 online degree and certificate programs, encouraging students from around the world to explore more than 225 fields of study every year. UND is dedicated to its mission to provide transformative learning, discovery and community engagement opportunities for developing tomorrow's leaders.
Designing transformative online learning experiences
In consultation with Pearson Online Learning Services, Vice Provost for Online Education and Strategic Planning Jeff Holm chose to align the cyber security curriculum with highly sought-after and industry-recognized certifications. Advancing skills in cyber security can mean better job security, higher pay and more leadership opportunities for learners — program features that align with the university’s mission.
To create a program that appealed to a broad audience while meeting UND’s high pedagogical standards, UND and Pearson established a collaborative working relationship. The teams partnered on course development, tailoring courses to 14 weeks each. Both partners agreed that this gave learners the right amount of time with the material and addressed their needs for convenient, short courses that deliver work-ready skills.
The university also relied on the partnership for market research and insights, marketing and enrollment support to widen its reach. The strategy was to give more learners valuable career preparation by including certificates in the degree program. With the addition of cyber certificates to the online program, learners can gain recognizable, industry credentials as they move toward earning a full degree — making them more valuable to employers sooner.
“UND offers a variety of options so learners can tailor their M.S. in Cyber Security to fit specific interests and career goals,” Holm says. “The cyber security master’s program offers four tracks (or) stackable academic certificate options.” One certificate is mandatory. Learners can select two of three other certificate options and graduate with a master’s and three academic certificates. The tracks and certificates include:
- Cyber Security Analyst track aligned with the EC-Council Certified Threat Intelligence Analyst (CTIA) certification
- Ethical Hacking track aligned with the EC-Council Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) certification
- Computer Forensics track aligned with the EC-Council Computer Hacking Forensics Investigator (CHFI) certification
- Secure Networks track aligned with the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification
“Protecting our nation’s critical infrastructure and industries from cyber-attacks has never been more challenging. UND’s online master’s degree in cyber security offers working adults the chance to develop the skills they need to be successful in this increasingly important field.”
— Brian Tande, interim dean of UND’s College of Engineering & Mines
Delivering value into the future for UND’s online learning program
What does the future hold for the university’s online cyber program? For starters, UND is unbundling the cyber certificates from the online degree program. Each certificate will be offered on a standalone basis, giving learners new pathways and on-ramps to enter the full cyber security master’s program. If learners choose to pursue the full degree, the certificate courses can be counted toward the master’s.
Joe Morgan, vice president, university partnership development, says being intentional about the growth strategy of certificate programs is key to their success.
“I hear many question the economic value of certificates to the institution, relative to the cost of acquiring each student,” Morgan says. “In isolation and barring substantial scale, one would be hard pressed to show meaningful economic return on a modestly priced certificate. But that misses the bigger point. If viewed as a valuable student acquisition strategy, the university generates exposure, awareness and trial by delivering short-form, employment-relevant content.”
By offering standalone certificates, the university is providing a lower-cost entry point for learners to gain needed workforce skills in the growing cyber security industry. And the door is open for these learners to build toward a full master’s degree.
“Before, learners had to be ready to make the decision to matriculate upfront in order to gain certificates to show employers,” Holm says. “Now they can sign up for an individual certificate and then later on, if they so desire, they can enroll and the certificate credits will count toward their degree.”
A learner who completes a certificate is a very attractive candidate for completing the entire degree program. That's good for the institution, too. With a student who has successfully earned a certificate, UND has the opportunity to keep the learner engaged and working toward the degree.
That’s how to deliver value for the learner, potential employers and the university.
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