Cybersecurity Strategy and Risk Management

The UBC Micro-certificate in Cybersecurity Strategy and Risk Management equips you with the skills to establish, roll out and manage robust cybersecurity policies for your organization. You will come away with a holistic, foundational understanding of good cybersecurity hygiene, and the ability to develop and implement plans to anticipate, evaluate, mitigate and respond to cybersecurity risks.

By the end of this program, you’ll be able to:

• assess your organizational understanding of cybersecurity concepts, and assemble policies by applying a layered defence-in-depth approach
• integrate good cybersecurity practices into your organization, and create a cybersecurity policy document
• evaluate the current cybersecurity risks associated with your infrastructure and software while diagnosing organizational readiness for popular threat vectors and remediations
• critically assess and explain the value of implementing cybersecurity controls to manage and minimize cybersecurity risks
• communicate and advocate for your cybersecurity strategies and plans, with an emphasis on using inclusive, non-racialized language

This program is designed for:

• leaders and professionals responsible for their organizations’ cybersecurity policies and risk management planning
• executives who need to evaluate and decide on cybersecurity initiatives and budgets
• technology professionals who need to understand and manage cybersecurity risks, or who advise, design and build secure systems

Entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and business or computer and technology students can also benefit from the skills taught in this program.

A technical skill set is not required for this program, however, technical concepts are discussed and linked back to organization goals and operations. Take advantage of optional readings to become familiar with technical concepts covered in the courses.

Each course also offers optional technical deep dives for learners with an information technology background. Familiarity with management information systems, business applications, the internet of things or general technology topics is an asset.

Each course costs $950. The total cost of the program is $1,900.

All fees are in Canadian dollars and subject to change. Fees are subject to GST where applicable. Fees may be paid by Visa®, Visa® Debit, Mastercard®, American Express®, money order or certified cheque.

For details on financial support options, please see Financial Assistance.

For details on UBC’s payment policies, please see Refunds, Cancellations and Transfers.

The program consists of two courses of four weeks each. Combined, the courses take approximately 55 hours to complete.

You can take each course on its own, in any order. However, to gain the most value from the program, we recommend taking both courses as they complement one another.

Required Courses

This part-time 100% online program is instructor supported and combines weekly real-time classes with independent study.

Join the weekly online classes led by your instructor. All sessions are recorded in case you miss one. Outside of class, you can review readings, case studies, whitepapers and videos, and contribute to an online discussion board where you can connect with other participants.

Expected effort

Expect to spend approximately five to seven hours a week to complete all learning activities, including weekly real-time classes.

Technology requirements

To take this program, you need access to:

• an email account
• a computer, laptop or tablet, using Windows or macOS
• the latest version of a web browser (or previous major version release)
• a reliable internet connection
• a video camera and microphone (to access real-time classes)

Assessment

You are assessed on successfully completing weekly activities and developing a baseline cybersecurity program, including a cybersecurity standard policy document and a risk management plan. These are assessed using a rubric based on competencies.

While you are not assessed on your attendance of the weekly real-time classes, you are encouraged to attend as they offer an opportunity to interact with your instructor and other participants. All sessions are recorded in case you miss one.

Our program instructor and developer are cybersecurity experts with industry and adult education experience.

ANTHONY GREEN, Course Author and Instructor, is the Manager of Security Operations and Compliance at Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia (CPABC), where he leads the team responsible for CPABC’s security program. He holds a Bachelor of Technology from the British Columbia Institute of Technology with majors in network security administration and human computer interface.