14 Cyber Security Courses Online in Australia

Cyber security is a growing field in which the job is to protect networks and systems from digital attacks. Demand for expertise is expanding along with our reliance on IT systems and the methods cyber criminals devise to hack into our networks.

Cyber-attacks may be carried out by individuals or groups. The intention is to steal information or disrupt the proper functioning of an enterprise. Every business or online organization needs some level of protection, and many are paying for IT professionals to ensure the integrity of their information systems.

Cyber security experts protect businesses and government from potential criminal activities. Cybercrimes have multiplied in recent years. These attacks can impose huge costs on individual companies. Industries around the world are looking for trained, certified professionals to prevent or respond to threats.

With the right training, you'll be able to set yourself for a lucrative career. Experts are paid handsomely by companies as they invest in properly securing their information systems.

To work in cyber security, it helps to have a strong background in information and communication technology. Many pros have a university degree in information technology, often majoring in network engineering or similar. Short industry-accredited courses are also popular as a way to build and demonstrate technical capability.

With respect to online university courses, you can now do specialist bachelor degrees. At a postgraduate level, online graduate certificates and master’s degrees are available. Universities cater to both IT professionals and, through non-technical programs, business managers who have the role of coordinating cyber security efforts.

If you are completely new to the subject, you may want to go for a university degree to learn about cybersecurity from a foundation level. A bachelor degree takes three years to complete in Australia.

Shorter courses are available as well for postgraduate students. A master’s degree is around one and a half years of full-time study. You can choose to do parts of a masters program and qualify with a graduate certificate (6 months usually) or graduate diploma (12 months).

If you haven't studied at university before and want to become a cybersecurity professional, a Bachelor of Cyber Security or other technology degree is the best cyber security course to do.

The vast majority of professionals in the industry have a university degree, most commonly a Bachelor of Information Technology or similar. The ideal foundations for a career is to specialise in your chosen field. But you don't have to specialise in cyber security necessarily, as a general technology education complemented by cyber studies can work as well. Many cyber experts have a network engineering background.

If you already have a degree or significant experience, then look towards a postgraduate course. You can start with a graduate certificate, for which general and specialised training is available. Do a general program if you don't have much previous education or experience. Either way, you're able to progress to complete a graduate diploma or master's degree.

Postgraduate cyber security courses are almost always embedded in masters program. A graduate certificate consists of four subjects from the program, a graduate diploma is eight subjects, and a masters is 12-16 subjects long.

For postgraduate study, you can choose a technical or management study stream. Programs for managers have limited technical content but offer the knowledge to provide effective oversight or coordination of security operations.

Of the technical sub-fields with the industry, key examples are network security (for which many jobs are available), cybersecurity analytics (which provides a versatile skillset that you can extend into data analytics jobs), and security engineering (which is one of the more demanding and lucrative specialisations).

You may notice that cybersecurity job postings often don't mention a university degree requirement. However, if you're able to, getting a bachelor degree is worth it.

A degree gives you a competitive edge against people who don't have one, especially for entry-level positions. Just a slight advantage in this regard can easily translate into better jobs and hundreds of thousands of dollars in extra pay over your career.

A degree opens up the full spectrum of career opportunities within the field. You can apply for essentially any role once you have appropriate experience. Not having a degree would be a limiting factor considering that an estimated 86% of cybersecurity professionals have a bachelor's degree or higher qualification (Source: ISC2).

Studying IT at university level builds a strong all-round knowledge base. You won't suffer from knowledge gaps that can arise by relying on self-education. The ideal candidate for a job has everything: experience, any relevant technical certifications, and a degree.

Masters and other postgraduate cybersecurity courses are available in both professional and management streams. You should normally be a university graduate, though you can make up for a lack of university education with relevant professional experience.

Professional or technical programs are designed for people with IT skills already. You should have an IT-related degree or relevant experience. Common bachelor degrees for students entering professional classes are computer science, information technology and information systems.

Management or non-technical courses are open to people from different backgrounds. Classes may be made up of IT experts as well as managers who have never coded. They might have a background in marketing, communications, law or commerce for example.

Most postgraduate university courses, including graduate certificates and diplomas, are part of masters programs. Entry requirements may be lower for graduate certificates, providing pathways into graduate diploma and master's courses. Completed subjects in a graduate certificate almost always count as credit towards higher qualifications.