Choosing a pathway to a promising career in cybersecurity.
Columbus State University
CSU’s CyberSkills2Work, known as the Cybersecurity Nexus program, is Columbus State University’s unique and effective response to help rapidly solve the world’s shortage of trained, work-ready cybersecurity professionals. Through the Nexus program, our students gain both theoretical knowledge and hands-on skills that help them become ready for a career in cybersecurity in as little as 12 months! Our Certificate is a 30-hour “Rapid Workforce Development” program that Nexus students complete in 12 months. The Certificate consists of ten 3-hour classes for a total of 30 hours. The program is cohort-based, so Nexus students stay with their “team” the entire duration of the program. This allows rich community and collaboration to develop within each cohort and between cohorts. The intent is to simulate a work team environment collaborating with other work teams as much as possible in an academic setting. The Certificate is delivered in a boot-camp style with classes meeting 3 hours per day 4 days per week.
The Cyber Defense Analyst Pathway prepares students to Use data collected from a variety of cyber defense tools (e.g., IDS alerts, firewalls, network traffic logs.) to analyze events that occur within their environments for the purposes of mitigating threats.
Students who complete this pathway are prepared for an entry level SOC position.
This pathway is offered in person only.
*VA funding, Pell grant, and Hope grant all qualify
*Limited scholarships available
In-Person (On Campus)
Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
Must be a veteran, transitioning service member, first responder, military spouse, or government personnel.
Must have at least a high school diploma, GED, or equivalent. (School transcripts of the highest level education completed are required.)
Must become accepted as a student at CSU to participate in the Cybersecurity Nexus program, and have a strong desire to learn and succeed!
Winter 2025 - Summer 2026
Start Date: August 11, 2025 • End Date: July 31, 2026
Application deadline: August 10, 2025
Spring 2026 - Winter 2026
Start Date: January 12, 2026 • End Date: December 8, 2026
Application deadline: January 1, 2026
The National Cybersecurity Workforce Development Program, CyberSkills2Work, is led by the University of West Florida and funded by the DoW CIO Cyber Academic Engagement Office and the NSA National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity Program.