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Azure,” says Associate Professor of Information Technology Patrick Smith.“ On the Cisco side, students utilize Packet Tracer to do simulated network layouts and configurations and are able to save those configurations to load on the hands-on equipment used in the classroom.”

Many of these classes culminate with hands-on final exams, bringing together the individual course assignments into singular comprehensive projects. Students benefit from Mountwest’ s collaboration with industry partners, including Ntiva, a leading managed service provider colocated on campus.

“ A student can finish a class and walk a few steps down the hall to a job where they can put the concepts they just learned to the test by helping actual clients with real-world problems,” Smith says.

Graduates typically pursue careers in network operations, system administration, help desk support or security operations roles, with many advancing to positions on network or security teams.

The Center for Cybersecurity at Mountwest has enhanced the college’ s offerings in multiple ways.

“ It helped us obtain a designation as a Center of Academic

Excellence in Cyber Defense, allowing us to show the public that the curriculum and training at our institution has been vetted and is of high quality,” Smith says.“ It also creates a space for a cyber range, creating additional hands-on experience opportunities for our students, and allows potential students and the community to come and learn about cybersecurity and how to protect themselves from scammers and hackers.”

In these courses, students are taught to work from a foundation of moral principles and standards.

“ We try to instill in our students that just as confidentiality cannot be recovered once exposed, acting amorally as a cybersecurity expert will tarnish a promising career and leave a lasting mark that will haunt them throughout their future,” Smith says.

West Virginia State University

At West Virginia State University( WVSU), students gain real-world cybersecurity experience while helping protect the state’ s small businesses, schools, hospitals and critical infrastructure through the university’ s new cybersecurity clinic, funded by a $ 1 million grant from Google.

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