Cyber Security Analyst

Credential:: Post-Diploma Certificate
Program length:: 54 weeks (spread over 18 months)
Campus:: Main
International applicants:: Not Accepted
Faculty:: School for Advanced Digital Technology

Credit credentials

A credit credential includes courses with post-secondary credit applied.

These credits will be used towards your specific program and may be accepted towards a credential at SAIT or a different post-secondary institution.

The credit credentials include a bachelor's degree, applied degree, diploma, certificate and post-diploma certificate.

Bachelor Degree

SAIT has bachelor's degree programs in business, construction, and hospitality and tourism management.

Bachelor's degrees are generally four-year programs, but you have up to 10 academic years to complete your courses.

Applied Degree

SAIT's full-time applied degree programs involve one year of study through classes and lab work followed by one year of directed studies in a workplace setting. This builds on the completion of a recognized two-year diploma, which you must have to be admitted to an applied degree program.

You then have seven academic years to finish your applied degree, starting from the day you begin the first course in that program.

Diploma

At SAIT, over 40 full-time diploma programs cover a broad range of areas, from aircraft maintenance to travel and tourism.

Most diploma programs are completed in two years, though you can take up to seven academic years to complete the requirements.

Certificate

SAIT has several certificate programs in the sciences, health and trades.

These programs provide the essential skills to start a career but are shorter in length than SAIT's diploma programs - usually a year or less. However, you have up to five years to complete your program.

Post-Diploma Certificate

These programs build on skills developed through a diploma or degree program and combine classroom instruction with a workplace practicum.

They are often completed in a year or less.

Journeyperson

A certified journeyperson is recognized as a qualified and skilled person in a trade and is entitled to the wages and benefits associated with that trade. You must complete all apprenticeship periods and pass the exams to earn a journeyperson designation.

Non-credit credentials

A non-credit credential comprises courses and programs designed for professional or personal development.

Because these do not have post-secondary credits attached, they cannot be used towards any of the credentials above. We also cannot guarantee an external institute will accept these courses or credentials for transfer credit.

SAIT's non-credit certificates of achievement and completion are offered through Continuing Education and Professional Studies.

Certificate of Achievement

Certificates of achievement recognize the completion of a program that includes a formal evaluation of performance and a minimum of 144 (required and elective) course hours.

Certificates of achievement typically develop broader, complex skill sets. As of July 1, 2022, you have up to three years to complete the certificate. If you began these programs before July 1, 2022, you still have five calendar years to complete the program from when you began the first course.

Certificate of Completion

Certificates of completion recognize the completion of a program that includes a formal evaluation of performance and a minimum of 30 to a maximum of 143 course hours.

These certificates are shorter in duration than certificates of achievement and offer a focused education program. As of July 1, 2022, you have up to three years to complete the certificate. If you began before July 1, 2022, you will have five calendar years to complete the program from when you began the first course.

Professional Certificate

Program certificates recognize completion of a program that includes the formal evaluation of performance, and that is a minimum of one year in length.

These certificates have program-specific admission requirements.

Micro-credential

A micro-credential recognizes the completion of a non-credit course that includes a formal performance evaluation and verifies you have demonstrated specific competencies.

Micro-credentials focus on the mastery of specific skills. You receive a digital, shareable badge upon completing a SAIT micro-credential (SAITMicro).

Mandatory requirements

To apply for this program, you must:

be sponsored by your current employer
submit your application through Apply Alberta.

Overview

Enhance your current IT skills with training in cyber security. At the same time, you develop a broad knowledge of cyber security risk and compliance, incident response, and security operations to drive business value.

You will become a cyber security professional and play a critical role in today's tech-driven economy, helping support critical data and infrastructure from cyber threats and attacks. Taught by experienced instructors using an industry-supported curriculum, you will gain broad exposure to cybersecurity domains, best practices, and technologies. By enhancing your skills, you’ll be set for a career in cyber security.

Demand for cyber security professionals will continue as the growth of the IT sector creates more opportunities. Position yourself for a rewarding career supporting critical business operations in the dynamic and ever-evolving tech sector and have a vital role in any organization.

The opportunity to advance your education by transferring into this program or gain credit for previous postsecondary courses may be available.

There may also be opportunities to further your education by transferring to another institution once you graduate.

Learn more about program and institution transfer options.

This program has a cooperative work term course that provides the opportunity to apply your classroom learning in a practical workplace setting and gain valuable industry experience.

Upon successful completion of this program, graduates will be awarded a SAIT Cyber Security Analyst post-diploma certificate.

Download program info

Careers and opportunities

Our graduates may work in the following occupations. Some careers require additional experience and education.

Career counselling and support

Unsure which career path is for you? SAIT offers career planning services to help you decide your future.

You can also get started by taking our online career finder quiz, which can help you narrow down your search based on your current skills and interests.

Finally, you can also head to Alberta alis for various tools and resources, including additional quizzes and labour market information to help you narrow down a career path.

Services and workshops

Courses

The Cyber Security Analyst certificate requires 30 credits (10 courses) to complete.

The program spans 18 months.

Course	Credits
This course introduces you to the fundamental concepts in cyber security, including cyber risk management, host and network security, identification and access control, cryptography and organizational security. This course is mapped to the CompTIA Security+ industry certification: SY0-601, a globally recognized entry-level certification for many cyber security jobs. During lectures, activities and labs, you’ll cover attacks, threats and vulnerabilities, architecture and design, operations and incident response (IR), and implementation. The course examines governance, risk management and compliance (GRC). Equivalents: ITSC 4100	3
This course provides an overview of business operations and change management for cyber security. You’ll examine the sociological and cultural aspects of cyber security operations and the cyber security business continuity process. You’ll explore commissioning and operations for system testing and patching programs and analyze cybersecurity network architecture and operations related to network integrity and data management. You’ll also examine cyber security forensics, incident handling, and the processes involved in security operations centres (SOCs). You’ll finish the course by preparing an implementation plan for an organizational DevSecOps. Corequsites: ITSC 410 or ITSC 4100	3
This course examines the cyber security standards and frameworks essential for any organization. You will recommend components of standards and frameworks, including NIST CSF, NERC CIP and COBIT, for implementation and audit, and you’ll summarize information security governance and strategic components. You will also evaluate the functional components of an information security program, analyze existing security management models and practices, and develop robust implementation plans and procedures. You’ll examine how these standards and frameworks are generally applied in organizations and focus on specific sectors, including implementing security standards in industrial environments.	3
Students will classify security risks and threats to assess the impact on business operations. Exploration of current cyber threats will assist the students in identifying potential impacts of security breaches. Corequsites: ITSC 412	3
Students will define appropriate response and mitigation options and implement the necessary controls, monitoring, and reporting to ensure business continuity, defending and developing a response to cyber attack incidents. Corequsites: ITSC 411	3
Topics include the fundamentals of IP networking, securing routing protocols, designing intrusion detection and prevention systems, implementing modern firewalls and securing virtual and cloud networks. Corequsites: ITSC 414	3
As global cyber security evolves, industry professionals need to understand current developments. In this course, students will explore the current cybersecurity environment, security laws and ethical practices. Students will analyze cyber capabilities as the fifth domain of warfare, learn how to make an organization’s cyber assets resilient and implement incident response plans. The focus is also on communicating security-related issues to an organization’s senior management. Corequsites: ITSC 410 or ITSC 4100 ITSC 412	3
This course introduces you to the fundamental concepts in cyber security, including cyber risk management, host and network security, identification and access control, cryptography and organizational security. This course is mapped to the CompTIA Security+ industry certification: SY0-601, a globally recognized entry-level certification for many cyber security jobs. During lectures, activities and labs, you’ll cover attacks, threats and vulnerabilities, architecture and design, operations and incident response (IR), and implementation. The course examines governance, risk management and compliance (GRC). Corequsites: ITSC 416	3
This course will allow you to explore the various areas of cyber security as a career and to develop personal career goals for career growth and certification preparation.	3
This cooperative work term course provides the opportunity to apply your classroom learning in a practical workplace setting and gain valuable industry experience.	3

Progression

Students must attain a PGPA and/or a CGPA of 2.0 or better in each semester and pass the necessary prerequisite courses to progress through the program. To qualify for graduation, students must pass all courses, attain a CGPA of 2.0 or better and complete course requirements within the prescribed timelines.

Review our grading and progression procedure >

Admission requirements

Applicants educated in Canada

Applicants must demonstrate English language proficiency and meet the following requirements or equivalents:

your current employer must sponsor you
you have completed a post-secondary degree or diploma from a recognized university, institute or college
a combination of education and experience may be considered and is subject to approval by the Academic Chair.

All applicants who were educated outside of Canada must demonstrate English Language proficiency and provide proof they meet the program admission requirements with an international document assessment. Find out what educational documents are accepted and assessment options.

SAIT may also accept courses completed at certain international post-secondary institutions.

Academic Upgrading

Missing an admission requirement for this program? Upgrade your prior education to help you receive admission into one of SAIT's career programs.

Upgrade

English language proficiency

All applicants must demonstrate English language proficiency prior to admission, including students educated in Canada.

Learn more

Available intakes

This program is currently not offered for the upcoming academic year.

Costs

2023/24 tuition and fees

The following costs are effective as of July 1, 2023. They are an estimate of tuition and fees based on the recommended course load per year.

Domestic students

Length of program	Tuition fees	Additional fees	Total
54 weeks (spread over 18 months)	$12,000	$2,559.60	$14,559.60
Total cost:			$14,559.60

Books and supplies are approximately $2,3000 per full-time year.

This is a bring-your-own-device program with a custom hardware and software requirement. The recommended hardware and software requirements are:

Processor: i7
RAM: 16 GB or greater
Storage: 512 GB SSD or greater
Video card: onboard integrated
Screen size: 15" or greater
Screen resolution: 1920 x 1080 or greater
OS version: Windows 10 Pro 64-bit with antivirus/malware protection
Approximate price (CAD): $1,800

Find your booklist on the SAIT Bookstore's website. The booklist will be available closer to the program start date.

Can’t find your program or course? The bookstore didn't receive a textbook list. Contact your program directly to determine if they’re still refining course details or if you're in luck; no textbook purchase is required this term.

Financial aid

Paying for your education may feel overwhelming, but we have resources and programs that can help, including information about payment options, student loans, grants and scholarships.

Learn more

Fees

Your fees are calculated based on the number of course credits you take per semester (approximately 16 weeks of study). In most cases, your fee is determined based on whether you're taking more or less than nine (9) course credits (more than nine credits in a semester are considered full-time studies.)

Fees are adjusted for programs with start dates outside of the typical 15-week program.

2023/24 fees per semester

Fees are subject to change without notice.

Fees	< 9 credits per semester	> 9 credits per semester
SAIT fees
Campus athletic and recreation	$51.50	$103
Student support fee	$52.75	$105.50
Student technology fee	$52.75	$105.50
UPass*	N/A	$160
Total	$157	$474
Saitsa fees
Student association fee**	$16.23/credit	$146
Health plan***	N/A	$86 ($172 annually)
Dental plan***	N/A	$79 ($158 annually)
Total	$311 maximum	$476

_{*The City of Calgary has increased their UPass fee from $160 to $165 effective for Winter 2024. This increase was not reflected in the above-quoted tuition and fee amounts at the time of publishing.}

_{**Additional eligibility requirements apply for students to obtain a UPass. To check your eligibility, visit our Upass page.}

_{***Saitsa fees are paid per credit to a maximum amount of $146 per semester.}

_{****Health and dental fees are charged per semester to an annual maximum amount of $172 for health and $158 for dental. In most cases, program fees quoted are based on students paying for a full year of health and dental coverage. International students are charged these fees regardless of course load. Domestic students with existing health and/or dental plans can opt-out. Learn more at saitsa.com/benefits.}

What your SAIT fees pay for

Student support fee: supports student services and resources to help you succeed throughout your academic career, including services such as Career Advancement Services, and Student Development and Counselling.

Student technology fee: supports improvements to cybersecurity to protect student and institutional information, access to learning material outside the classroom, and technology to enhance the student experience.

Campus recreation fee: supports the provision of recreation and fitness facilities, movement classes, wellness programs, student events, intermural activities, varsity sports programs, and a variety of student engagement initiatives offered throughout the academic year. Exemptions to recreation fees are made in some circumstances.

Upass: provides you with unlimited access to Calgary Transit. Ineligible students are not required to pay this fee. Learn more about eligibility requirements.

Lab and materials fees: ensures SAIT labs and living classrooms have the required equipment and materials to support the necessary training for students.

Laundry fee: covers the cost of laundering the required uniforms. Applicable only to certain programs and apprenticeships.

Saitsa fees: supports the student-led, non-profit organization representing students. Fees support the operation of a variety of student services, activities, and programming.

Health and dental fees: provides access to thousands of dollars in coverage for prescription medication, dental treatments, paramedical services, and multiple other benefits. Domestic students with existing health and dental coverage may opt out. Find more details at saitsa.com/benefits.

Application process

Ready to apply?

Follow our step-by-step guide to submitting a successful application.

Learn how to apply

Communication during admission

Email is the primary source of communication during the selection process. Ensure your personal email account is managed appropriately to receive our emails, files and communications. We recommend you add the sadt.advising@sait.ca domain to your safe senders' list or you risk missing critical email messages.

Information sessions

Prepare for a strong start in your chosen program or get the details you need to decide your future path.

Our expert staff and faculty are ready to answer your questions and provide information about the following:

What sets SAIT apart
An introduction to the program and area of study
Admission requirements
Future career paths
Information on the earning potential and graduate employment rates.

Contact us

Prepare for a strong start and get the details you need to make a decision about your future. Our expert staff and faculty are ready to answer your questions, and provide information about:

School for Advanced Digital Technology

Phone: 403.284.8543
Email: sadt.advising@sait.ca

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Cyber Security Analyst

On this page:

Mandatory requirements

Overview