About

Cyber Learning Network

CyberLearn

The Cyber Learning Network (CyberLearn) is a consortium among seven UA System campuses to expand and diversify workforce education in emergent cyber technologies throughout the state of Arkansas and beyond. Starting fall 2022, learners at each participating institution will be able to work towards a certificate of proficiency in cybersecurity fundamentals (available spring 2023, pending AHECB and HLC approvals) via in-person, synchronous online, or asynchronous online learning. Additional certificates and degree programs will be added in spring 2023. Each campus will have a Secure Training Operations Center (STOC) as a Zoom-enabled learning lab where teams of students can work with instructors and other learners across the network on common equipment and technology.

Our Standards

CyberLearn’s cybersecurity curriculum aligns with NIST and ABET standards and has been created with substantial input from chief information security officers (CISOs). CISOs have also assisted in the design of the STOC learning spaces and cybersecurity workouts and simulations on UA Little Rock’s cloud-based Cyber Arena. Coursework will include project-based and work-based learning, as well as opportunities for earning credit for military, on-the-job, apprenticeship, bootcamp, and other types of prior learning.

Fall 2023

In fall 2023, CyberLearn hopes to expand to include institutions of higher education and high schools throughout the state. CyberLearn also invites community and business partners to take advantage of its STOCs as training sites. Certificate and degree programs will eventually include emergent cyber technologies–such as virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and data analytics–that will be critical to Arkansas’ future success in the knowledge economy.

Our history

SINCE 2021

History

In December 2021, UA Little Rock, UA Pine Bluff, Forge Institute, and Acxiom Corporation announced the Consortium for Cyber innovation (CCI) with the purpose of promoting Arkansas as a national hub in emergent cyber technologies through strategic initiatives in workforce education, applied research, and innovation for good. CyberLearn was created out of this partnership to immediately address urgent workforce education needs in cybersecurity and to build upon UA Little Rock’s, UA Pine Bluff’s and Forge Institute’s collaborative efforts to modernize an educational ecosystem to meet the needs of today’s students and industry.

In 2022, UA Little Rock was awarded a $1.96 million through the Arkansas Office of Skills Development Large-Scale Workforce Development Grant as start-up funding for the CyberLearn consortium. An initial certificate of proficiency in cybersecurity fundamentals will be available to learners at CyberLearn’s seven partner institutions in fall 2022, and additional certificates and degree programs will be added in spring 2023.

SCHOLARSHIPS

EARN

Grant funding through the Arkansas Office for Skills Development is providing full scholarships for students enrolled in CyberLearn’s Cybersecurity Fundamentals I and II certificates of proficiency. These scholarships can be combined with existing financial aid and scholarships. To be eligible for these scholarships, students need only enroll in CyberLearn’s Cybersecurity Fundamentals I and II certificates of proficiency (they do not have to be full-time, degree-seeking students). For more information, contact cyber@ualr.edu.

CURRICULUM

LEARN

Certificate of Proficiency: Cybersecurity Fundamentals (12 hours)

Technology Ethics
Computer Programming I
Introduction to Cybersecurity
Introduction to System Security

Because a basic understanding of cybersecurity is increasingly necessary in the knowledge economy, this certificate was designed for learners of all backgrounds. The CP Cybersecurity Fundamentals includes broad and cross-cutting cybersecurity topics to supplement any discipline of study or profession so that learners can improve cybersecurity protections for the systems they encounter in their field of work. These courses also serve as a gateway to additional incremental certificates in cybersecurity and the BS Cybersecurity at UA Little Rock. Courses available fall 2022; certificate available spring 2023 pending AHECB and HLC approvals.

Certificate of Proficiency: Cybersecurity Fundamentals II (9 hours)–coming soon

Technical Certificate: Cybersecurity Fundamentals (21 hours)—coming soon; learners who complete the CP Cybersecurity Fundamentals I and II will also complete the TC Cybersecurity Fundamentals, which will “stack” into an AAS degree and UA Little Rock’s BS Cybersecurity and the multiple, “byte-sized” certificates available at the 3000 and 4000 course levels at UA Little Rock. Courses available fall 2022; certificate available spring 2023 pending HLC approval.

Technical Certificate: Advanced Cybersecurity (29-30 hours)

Computer Programming I (or equivalent course)
Discrete Mathematics
Technical Ethics (or equivalent course)
Introduction to Cybersecurity
Introduction to System Security
Network Security
Access Management
Digital Forensics (3000-level at UA Little Rock)
Incident Response (3000-level at UA Little Rock)
Applied Cryptography (3000-level at UA Little Rock)

The CP Cybersecurity Fundamentals I, CP Cybersecurity Fundamentals II, and TC Cybersecurity Fundamentals stack into the TC Advanced Cybersecurity, which includes three upper-level courses available at UA Little Rock. All of the coursework in the TC also meets the prerequisites for the multiple “byte-sized” certificates that compose the upper levels of the BS Cybersecurity at UA Little Rock.

The TC Advanced Cybersecurity was designed by chief information security officers (CISOs). Students who complete this certificate will be considered “workforce-ready” in cybersecurity and will be eligible for high-paying jobs so that they can work in the industry while completing the BS Cybersecurity through its multiple, flexible pathways. Courses available fall 2022; certificate available spring 2023 pending AHECB and HLC approvals.

workforce need

CYBERSECURITY

careers

One would be hard-pressed to overstate the current demand for cybersecurity expertise, the number of unfilled jobs, and the lucrative career opportunities open to prospective employees with the required cybersecurity qualifications. According to The 2021 (ISC)² Cybersecurity Workforce Study, there are 2.7 million unfilled cybersecurity jobs worldwide. Arkansas is also implicated in this cybersecurity workforce gap. As of this writing, LinkedIn lists 3,086 open cybersecurity jobs in Arkansas. With the tremendous initiatives in computer science and cybersecurity driven in large part by Governor Hutchinson and Anthony Owen, State Director of Computer Science, the cybersecurity industry is thriving in Arkansas. Again according to LinkedIn, the state has the highest number of open cybersecurity jobs per capita when compared to every one of the adjacent states.

The dramatic increase in cybersecurity attacks has created a significant gap in skilled workers. There are over 20,000 IT-related unfilled jobs in Arkansas and 467,000 open cyber jobs in the US, with those numbers continuing to grow exponentially. Due in large part to this cybersecurity workforce gap and the expertise required for successful careers, jobs in cybersecurity command high salaries. Nationally, entry-level salaries in cybersecurity can range from $40,000 to $130,000 with experience. According to ZipRecruiter, the average salary for cybersecurity jobs in Arkansas is $91,119, and according to salary.com the median starting salary for cybersecurity jobs in Little Rock is $66,017. These high-paying jobs can dramatically change Arkansas communities and families for the better. The State of Arkansas is well-served to foster and develop the cybersecurity industry in the state, especially for small towns, where remote work opens new possibilities for economic growth.