Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD)

Coastline College Cyber Center

Director: Tobi West, Ph.D., CISSP, GCFE
Contact: twest@coastline.edu

CAE-CD Program Goal

The goal of the CAE Cyber Defense program is to reduce vulnerability in our national information infrastructure by promoting higher education and research in cyber defense and producing professionals with cyber defense expertise.

The program helps students to proactively increase their understanding of robust cyber defense technology, policy, and practices to work collaboratively as professionals to enable our Nation to effectively prevent and respond to a catastrophic cyber event. This program will contribute significantly to the advancement of state-of-the-art cybersecurity knowledge and practices.

The Cyber Center provides guidance and oversight of the cybersecurity and technology programs at Coastline College. Our NSA designated CAE-CD program of study is our Associate of Science in Cybersecurity.

Through our center, you'll have the advantage of interacting with experienced instructors who care about your development and growth as an upcoming professional in the field. The Cyber Center is committed to helping you prepare for success in the rapidly growing field of cybersecurity. Gain all the benefits that come along with an active Cyber Center that encourages hands-on skill development, service, and the effective application of technology in a variety of industries.

Coast Community College District Information Assurance Plan

• Vision

  The vision for Coastline College’s CAE-CD program is to:

  • Provide a program that is committed to excellence in the field of Cyber Defense education.
  • Strengthen the cybersecurity workforce by providing Cyber Defense education through certifications and an Associate of Science degree program.
  • Build an effective education pathway model with K-12 schools to encourage students at an early age to enter cybersecurity fields of study.
  • Provide the Nation with a pipeline of qualified students poised to become the future skilled technical workforce.
  • Continuously improve the quality of its Cyber Defense education program, curriculum, faculty, students, and other institutions.
• Degrees and Certificates

  Cybersecurity consists of information security knowledge and skills along with some vendor-specific and vendor-neutral certificates. Coastline College provides students with the opportunities to earn a transfer AS-option 1 degree, but also industry specific certifications.

  Certificate Types and Unit Requirements

  Certificate Type	Unit Requirement
  Associate of Science Degree	60 units and over
  Certificate of Achievement	18 units and over
  Certificate of Accomplishment	12 units and over
  Certificate of Specialization	Under 12 units

  AS Degrees

  • Cybersecurity, Associate of Science (60 units)
  • Data Analytics, Associate of Science (60 units)
  • Digital Forensics and Incident Response, Associate of Science (60 units)
  • Information Technology, Associate of Science (60 units)
  • Information and Computer Sciences, Associate of Science (60 units)

  Certificates of Achievement

  • Cybersecurity, Certificate of Achievement (24 units)
  • Cybersecurity Analyst, Certificate of Achievement (27 units)
  • Data Analytics, Certificate of Achievement (27 units)
  • Data Science, Certificate of Achievement (25-26 units)
  • Digital Forensics and Incident Response, Certificate of Achievement (27 units)
  • Information Technology, Certificate of Achievement (28 units)
  • IT Foundation, Certificate of Achievement (16 units)
  • IT Support Specialist, Certificate of Achievement (19 units)

  Certificates of Accomplishment

  • Cybersecurity Fundamentals, Certificate of Accomplishment (15 units)
  • Introduction to Programming, Certificate of Accomplishment (12 units)

  Certificates of Specialization

  • Data Analytics, Certificate of Specialization (9 units)

  Proposed for Fall 2025

  • AI for Cybersecurity, Associate of Science (60 units)
• Course Scheduling Pattern

  All courses are expected to be offered in the online asychronous format, unless otherwise noted.

  Computer Information Systems Courses

  Course	Fall	Spring	Summer
  CIS C100 Intro to Information Systems	16 weeks	16 weeks	8 weeks
  CIS C105 Intro to Office Technology	1st 8 weeks	1st 8 weeks
  CIS C111 Info Systems, Programming, and Database Management	16 weeks	16 weeks
  CIS C155 Intro to Programming Using Java	16 weeks
  CIS C156 Web Development with JavaScript and Cloud Services		16 weeks
  CIS C157 Intro to Python Programming	16 weeks; 1st 8 weeks; 2nd 8 weeks	16 weeks; 1st 8 weeks; 2nd 8 weeks	8 weeks
  CIS C190 Intro to Geographic Information Systems (GIS)			8 weeks
  CIS C205 Principles of Information Systems	2nd 8 weeks	2nd 8 weeks
  CIS C240 SQL Database Development	16 weeks
  CIS C250 Intro to Data Analytics	16 weeks	1st 8 weeks
  CIS C260 Systems Analysis and Design		2nd 8 weeks
  CIS C270 Predictive Analytics		1st 8 weeks
  CIS C275 Data Mining and Analytics (Data+)		2nd 8 weeks
  CIS C280 Data Visualization	2nd 8 weeks
  CIS C285 Data Governance, Privacy, and Policies	2nd 8 weeks
  CIS C290 Data Science and Machine Learning			8 weeks

  Cybersecurity Courses

  Course	Fall	Spring	Summer
  CYBR C101 Intro to Cybersecurity	16 weeks; 1st 8 weeks; 2nd 8 weeks	16 weeks; 1st 8 weeks; 2nd 8 weeks	8 weeks
  CYBR C132 Intro to Ethical Hacking	16 weeks	16 weeks
  CYBR C150 Intro to Digital Forensics	16 weeks
  CYBR C160 Intro to Incident Response	2nd 8 weeks
  CYBR C170 Cybercrime and CSIRT Coordination	1st 8 weeks
  CYBR C225 Cybersecurity Governance, Risk, and Compliance	16 weeks
  CYBR C230 Network Security (Security+)	16 weeks	16 weeks	8 weeks
  CYBR C234 Web Application Security		16 weeks
  CYBR C242 Vulnerability Assessment (PenTest+)	16 weeks
  CYBR C250 Intermediate Digital Forensics		2nd 8 weeks
  CYBR C255 Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+)		16 weeks
  CYBR C260 Intermediate Incident Response		2nd 8 weeks
  CYBR C270 Certified Information Systems Security Professional	2nd 8 weeks
  CYBR C280 Emerging Trends in Cybersecurity		16 weeks

  Information Technology Courses

  Course	Fall	Spring	Summer
  IT C104 IT Fundamentals	16 weeks	16 weeks	8 weeks
  IT C128 Computer Networking Principles (Network+)	16 weeks	16 weeks	8 weeks
  IT C158 Contemporary Operating Systems (Server+)	16 weeks	16 weeks	8 weeks
  IT C191 Linux Operating System Principles (Linux+)	16 weeks
  IT C201 Intro to Networking (Cisco CCNA 1)	16 weeks
  IT C202 Essentials of Routing, Switching, and Wireless (Cisco CCNA 2)		1st 8 weeks
  IT C203 Enterprise Networking, Security, and Automation (Cisco CCNA 3)		2nd 8 weeks
  IT C198 Cloud Foundations	1st 8 weeks	1st 8 weeks
  IT C295 Amazon Web Services Architect Associate	2nd 8 weeks

  Information and Computer Sciences Courses

  Course	Fall	Spring	Summer
  ICS C120 Introduction to Programming	1st 8 weeks	1st 8 weeks	8 weeks
  ICS C123 Fundamental Data Structures	2nd 8 weeks	2nd 8 weeks
  ICS C141 Concepts of Programming Languages	16 weeks
  ICS C230 Secure Coding and Design		16 weeks
  ICS C240 Computer Organization and Assembly Language	16 weeks
  ICS C250 Object-Oriented Programming		16 weeks
  ICS C265 Introduction to Artificial Intelligence	16 weeks	16 weeks

• Faculty

  The following is a list of Coastline's Networking/Cybersecurity Program faculty and their specializations.

  Networking / Cybersecurity Program Faculty

  Name	Role	Specializations
  	Dean of Career Education
  Tobi West, Ph.D., CISSP, GCFE	Department Chair, Professor	Cybersecurity / Data Analytics / Programming
  Hannah Bai	Instructor	Virtualization / Cloud
  Andrea Barrios, CISSP, GCFE	Assistant Professor	Cybersecurity / Digital Forensics
  Brandon Brown, Ph.D.	Associate Professor	Network Security / Cloud / Offensive Security
  Ryan Carleton	Instructor	Incident Response
  Zubin Khambatta	Instructor	Computer  Networking / Linux
  Bob Konefsky	Instructor	Cisco / Computer Networking
  Nga Le	Instructor	Programming
  Terry Nguyen	Instructor	Programming / Cybersecurity
  Craig Oberlin	Instructor	Cybersecurity
  Aeron Zentner, D.B.A.	Dean of Institutional Effectiveness, Instructor	Data Analytics / Data Science / AI

• Resources and Awareness

  Professional Journals

  Cybersecurity journals and articles are available through the Coastline Online Library at no charge. Just follow the login instructions on the Online Library link on the Coastline.edu home page. Lists of Professional Journals may be obtained at either the online Cybersecurity Center or the Cybersecurity Center located in the lobby or Transfer Center at the Garden Grove Center. Professional Journals available at the Online Library include:

  • National CyberWatch
  • Stop Think Connect
  • Computer Security Digest
  • Security Today

  Student Resources

  • Air Force Association's CyberPatriot
  • California Cybersecurity Apprenticeship Program (CCAP)
  • Coast Community College District Information Assurance Plan
  • Collegiate Penetration Testing Competition (CPTC)
  • Cyber Corps: Scholarship for Service
  • CyberTech Girls and GenCyber Teachers
  • Southern California Community College Consortium on Cybersecurity (SoCalCCCC)
  • Western Regional Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (WRCCDC)
  • Xploit Student Club

  CAE and CAE-CD Institutions

  Our university partners and other Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense education

  • California State University, Fullerton
  • California State University, Pomona
  • California State University, Sacramento
  • California State University, San Bernardino
  • Dakota State University
  • National University, San Diego
  • University of California, Irvine
  • University of Illinois, Springfield
  • University of Maryland

  Cybersecurity Community Resources

  • NICE Framework
  • CAE Community
  • CyberSeek (Career Pathways and Interactive Maps)
  • Cybersecurity Guide
  • Department of Defense (DoD) Cyber Exchange
  • National Cybersecurity Training and Education Center (NCyTE)
• Advisory Board

  The following is a list of Coastline's advisory board members for Cybersecurity.

  Lisa Snowden

  Director, CTE

  Newport-Mesa USD

  Advisory Board Members

  Name	Role	Organizations
  Abigail Deras	IT Security Engineer	Qualcomm
  Anand Rao	IT Director	City of Garden Grove
  Brian Hagerty	Executive Director	P3 Innovation Center for “People, Planet and Prosperity”
  Chris Simpson	Cybersecurity Program Director	National University
  Christine Kirkpatrick	Division Director, Research Data Services	San Diego Supercomputer Center, UCSD
  Doina Bein, PhD	CS Professor, Chair	California State University, Fullerton
  Gora Datta	Chair	IEEE Healthcare: Blockchain & AI Virtual Series
  Gustavo Chamorro	President	CLA-OC, Education Advance and Workforce Services
  K Singh	Demand Data Operations Analyst	Crowdstrike
  Laura Chappell	Founder	Chappell University, Wireshark University, & the WCNA Certification program
  Malia Mason	CEO & Co-Founder	CyberDEI
  Myra Clarke	Director Career Technical Education	Garden Grove Unified School District
  Ramon Garo	Cybersecurity Manager	IBM
  Steve Bolt	Cybersecurity Leadership	Bechtel Corporation
  Terry Ginsburg	Undisclosed	California State
  Zubin Khambatta	IT Applications Manager	First American Title

• Job Opportunities

  Cybersecurity Careers

  Cybersecurity careers are complex and many roles can be found with banks, retailers and government organizations. Find Degree Programs Now.

  Employment Outcomes

  Career Education Job Placement Rates

  Occupational Outcomes

• Cyber Competitions

  In addition to mentoring for CyberPatriot competitions, Coastline College students participate in a variety of cyber competitions to sharpen their hands-on skills in cybersecurity. Competitions include the Western Regional Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (WRCCDC), National Cyber League (NCL), and SoCal Cyber Cup.

  • Collegiate Incident Response Competition for Undergraduate Students (CIRCUS)
  • CyberPatriot
  • Global Collegiate Penetration Testing Competition (CPTC)
  • National Cyber League (NCL)
  • SoCal Cyber Cup Challenge
  • US Cyber Games
  • Western Regional Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (WRCCDC)

What our Students are Saying

"I had the privilege of taking a couple of your classes last year. I was able to complete my Associate's degree in Cybersecurity at Coastline and this year I passed the GIAC GSEC as well as the CISSP. Thank you for all your guidance!" -Michael Shin, Coastline student

Technology Department Programs

Computer Information Systems

Data. The fuel of the future. Learn how to uncover insight to inform decisions and strategies for a better tomorrow by making your next calculated decision: join us at Coastline. Welcome to the Information Systems Pathway.

Information Technology

Start reprogramming your future now. Coastline can help you navigate an educational path through the alternating currents of career algorithms. We’re a direct connection to your earning potential.

Cybersecurity

Build the key to decrypt your future with a career in Cybersecurity. Decipher course offerings and secure a place at Coastline today, where you'll make student life your new domain.