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University of San Diego
Cyber Bootcamp

Get the Skills You Need to Fight Cybercrime

Through the University of San Diego Cyber Bootcamp powered by Fullstack Academy, you’ll gain the tools to land a job in one of the world’s fastest-growing industries—all in 12 weeks full-time or 26 weeks part-time.

Interested? Learn more:

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Program at a Glance

12-26

Weeks

10/10

Apply By

10/16

Next Start Date

$1,500

Potential Scholarships

Why Learn Cybersecurity

Technology enables us to be more productive and efficient than we ever have, but it's also a liability. U.S. businesses lose approximately $14.8 million per year to phishing scams (cybersecuritydive.com). Companies rely on cybersecurity professionals to defend their critical systems and sensitive information against hackers. Right now, companies aren’t able to find enough qualified entry-level cybersecurity professionals to hire, leaving the U.S. government, countless businesses, and many individuals exposed to cyberattacks. Considering the high demand for cybersecurity professionals, the cybersecurity field offers a multitude of career and financial opportunities.

The Demand for Cyber Talent

There are many opportunities in California and remotely across the United States. According to research from cyberseek.org, in the San Diego area alone, there are currently over 10,000 open cybersecurity roles.

As of early 2023, there were more than 700,000 cyber jobs available in the U.S., according to CyberSeek, with nearly 30,000 of them designated for entry-level professionals.

Nationally, there are over half a million cyber jobs that employers are looking to fill. Businesses actively seeking cybersecurity professionals span across all industries and sizes, and they include local high-tech employers like Deloitte, Accenture, and Sony Electronics Inc., to name a few.


These companies are hiring for roles like IT Help Desk Specialist, Systems Support Specialist, and Cybersecurity Analyst. Grads studying the University of San Diego Cyber Bootcamp curriculum have been hired for all of these roles—and more.

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Bootcamp Application & Start Dates

    Part-Time Online Cybersecurity Bootcamp
    Oct. 16, 2023 - May 12, 2024
    Part-Time
    Open
    Apply by Oct. 10, 2023
    Full-Time Online Cybersecurity Bootcamp
    Nov. 13, 2023 - Feb. 16, 2024
    Full-Time
    Open
    Apply by Nov. 07, 2023

Fullstack Academy is one of the longest-running and most reputable bootcamps in the nation, with incredible student reviews, years of experience in education, and impressive graduate outcomes.

Now, it brings its expert-led live online learning approach to USD’s first cyber bootcamp to develop professionals to fight the global threat of cybercrime.

How the University of San Diego Cyber Bootcamp Works

The University of San Diego Cyber Bootcamp is designed for students to pursue high-quality tech education while continuing to balance work or other commitments. Our program provides you with the flexibility to fit career development into your life.

  • Part-time and full-time bootcamp programs are available.

  • Bootcamp classes combine live online instruction taught by industry-experienced professionals with independent learning assignments.

  • All classes are held Monday-Friday.

    • 7:30am-12:00pm PT

  • Select one class schedule and time from the options below when you apply.

    Tuesday and Thursday Classes (With an Optional Lab on Wednesdays)

    • 6:30am-9:30am PT

    • 3:30pm-6:30pm PT

    Monday and Wednesday Classes (With an Optional Lab on Tuesdays)

    • 5:30pm-8:30pm PT

    Labs correspond with the start time of your regular classes. Participation in the weekly lab is optional, but strongly encouraged.

  • Saturday and Sunday Classes (With an Optional Lab on Wednesdays)

    • 6:30am-9:30am PT

    Participation in the weekly lab is optional, but strongly encouraged.

In addition to classroom lessons, part-time students can anticipate spending 6-8 hours studying and working on outside assignments each week. Full-time students can expect to spend 12-15 hours each week on outside assignments.

Class time options vary by month and are subject to change. To see available class times for your cohort of choice, complete your application or schedule a call with a student advisor.


Tuition

There are many ways to pay for your bootcamp experience including self-pay, employer-pay, local/state government assistance, scholarships and personal loans. Learn more about payment options.

  • University of San Diego Tech Bootcamps is committed to making tech education more accessible, so we’re reducing the enrollment deposit to $99* (normally $1,000) for a limited time. Get started on your journey before the deposit increases!

    Enrollment Deposit - $1,000 $99*
    Tuition During Program - $13,396
    Total Tuition - $13,495

    *Offer eligibility: Upon admittance into the program, pay the $99 refundable deposit in full prior to the enrollment date.

  • $500 Community Scholarship

    For University of San Diego alumni, current students, and employees.

    $1,000 Military Scholarship**

    For active-duty service members and military veterans.

    **Valid ID required.


Cybersecurity Roles and Salaries

In the field of cybersecurity, there are many career paths to follow based on your skills and experience. Our Career Success Team is there to assist you throughout your career journey.

With cybersecurity professionals in high demand, the cybersecurity industry offers a multitude of career and financial opportunities after you enter the field. Companies across the nation are hiring for roles like IT Help Desk Specialist, Systems Support Specialist, and Cybersecurity Analyst.

RoleAverage Entry-Level Salary in San Diego
IT Help Desk Specialist/Computer Support Specialist$40,500
Network/Systems Support Specialist$51,500
System Administrator/Network Administrator$63,900
Cybersecurity Analyst$78,000
Network Engineer/Solutions Architect$81,700

*San Diego Cybersecurity Salary Data via Lightcast™ . 2022


What You Will Learn

Students learn cybersecurity fundamentals and the in-demand skills to fight cybercrime including:

  • Asset and inventory management like networking basics, Linux command line, and bash scripting;

  • Red Team (Offense) for fighting web vulnerabilities, penetration testing, OWASP Top 10, and social engineering;

  • Blue Team (Defense) for log analysis, security information and event management, digital forensics, NIST Cybersecurity Framework, and incident response;

  • And more!

To prepare students for real-life work scenarios and environments, students also take part in career simulations alongside their cybersecurity training. Additionally, students are taught resume writing, salary negotiation, and other career preparation skills throughout the program to equip them for their job search after graduation.

Unit
  • Orientation

  • The security mindset

  • Confidentiality, integrity and availability (CIA) triad

  • Threats, vulnerabilities, and risks

  • Virtualization

  • Linux Command Line

  • File systems

  • Users and groups

  • Bash scripting

  • Networking

  • Wireshark

  • Encoding and encryption

  • Open Systems Interconnection model (OSI model)

  • Firewalls

  • Variables, loops, and conditionals

  • String and list methods

  • Dictionaries

  • Regular expressions

  • Log parsing

  • Windows administration and management

  • Active directory

  • Group policy

  • Web vulnerabilities

  • Penetration testing

  • OWASP Top 10

  • Social engineering

  • Burp Suite

  • Cross-site Scripting

  • SQL injection

  • Metasploit

  • Logs/log analysis

  • Splunk and security information and event management (SIEMs)

  • Digital forensics

  • NIST Cybersecurity Framework

  • Incident response

  • Cloud Foundations

Classes are hands-on with the majority of students’ time spent learning how to monitor and secure systems, networks, and applications as well as how to appropriately respond to cyber breaches. Along with the classroom sessions, students can attend a weekly lab where they can review key concepts, catch up on homework, and work alongside peers.

The University of San Diego Cyber Bootcamp can also help you prepare for industry-recognized certifications. With bootcamp preparation and additional studying, you’ll be equipped to take the exam for the:

AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Certification: This certification helps organizations identify talent with critical knowledge related to implementing cloud initiatives and validates cloud fluency and foundational AWS knowledge.

The price of the AWS Cloud Practitioner certification exam is not included in the program tuition.


Career Success

Students will gain valuable insight into how to build a successful career in cybersecurity from day one of the course. When you opt into career success services, you’ll receive guidance in:

  • Growing your professional network

  • Resume and LinkedIn profile optimization

  • Interview and assessment prep

  • Salary negotiation workshops

  • And much more!

You’ll also graduate from the program with a portfolio of work that demonstrates your ability to solve real business problems for real companies.

Fullstack Academy grads are highly sought after by some of the world’s leading companies.

University of San Diego Tech Bootcamps are powered by Fullstack Academy. The companies listed above have hired Fullstack Academy graduates.


Who Should Attend

The bootcamps are specifically designed for beginners. There’s no experience required to apply, be accepted, or succeed. Apply today and join others just like you on the first steps to a life-changing career.

Successful bootcamp students have backgrounds in:

Teaching

Finance

Retail

Customer service

Graphic design

Admin

Biology

And more

If this sounds like you, apply today and join others just like you on the first steps to a life-changing career.


FAQs

  • The cyber curriculum is broken down into these areas:

    1. Cybersecurity Fundamentals (confidentiality, integrity, and availability Triad, virtualization, and how to identify threats, vulnerabilities, and risks)

    2. Asset and Inventory Management (Computing and networking basics, Linux command line, and bash scripting)

    3. Network Systems (Networking, Wireshark, encoding and encryption, Open Systems Interconnection/OSI model, and firewalls)

    4. Programming with Python (Variables, loops and conditionals, string and list methods, dictionaries, regular expressions, and log parsing)

    5. System Administration (Windows administration and management, active directory, and group policy)

    6. Red Team - Offense (Web vulnerabilities, penetration testing, OWASP Top 10, social engineering, Burp Suite, Cross-site scripting, SQL injection, and Metasploit)

    7. Blue Team - Defense (Logs/log analysis, Splunk, security information and event management, digital forensics, NIST Cybersecurity Framework, and incident response).

    Students also participate in career simulations throughout the program and interactive labs, as well as build the cybersecurity knowledge needed to take the AWS Cloud Practitioner certification exam.

    For a syllabus on your program of interest, click here and fill out the form.

  • Many of our part-time students continue working full-time while completing their bootcamp. Each week, students can expect to spend 9 hours in class and another 6-8 hours of studying and assignments outside of class.

    Full-time students should not continue working due to the immersive nature of our programs. By focusing solely on their training, they’re set up to thrive in our accelerated 12-week program.

  • You do need to provide your own computer for the bootcamp. It can be a laptop or desktop as long as it meets minimum tech specifications. We highly recommend Apple computers for our program, however, it is possible to use Windows with some modifications. You must have at least MacOS 10.15 or newer or Windows 10. Because the bootcamp is live-online, you are required to have a webcam and microphone in order to participate in class.

    For specific tech requirements for the cyber program, visit our Online Experience page.

  • Yes, the University of San Diego Cyber Bootcamp is beginner-friendly. It’s specifically designed for professionals who have no previous experience in cybersecurity. While some background knowledge is helpful, the only expectation is that students have general computer literacy skills in basics like efficiently using the internet/cloud and Windows.

  • There's no preparation required to succeed in the course, but we recommend familiarizing yourself with the industry and working through Cybersecurity 101.

  • Students can prepare to take the AWS Cloud Practitioner certification exam with training provided in bootcamp and additional studying. The price of the exam is not included in tuition.

  • Your time with our career success team will include everything from workshops to one-on-one office hours to phone chats before big interviews. Alumni will also have access to a job board and have the opportunity to be connected with companies and organizations in our Employer Partner Network who are actively seeking qualified candidates.


Ready to Start Learning?

Once you’re ready to start your tech journey, here are the steps you can expect in the admissions process.

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  1. Fill out our online application form
  2. Take our nontechnical assessment
    • No cyber experience required
    • Covers logical reasoning
    • Sent to you immediately upon submission of application
  3. Receive an entrance decision