St. Ambrose University cybersecurity majors are preparing to pursue two industry-recognized EC-Council certifications: Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) and Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator (CHFI).
EC-Council is the world’s largest cybersecurity technical certificate body and has trained and certified over 400,000 information security professionals globally.
Students preparing for the CEH certification develop knowledge and practical skills related to ethical hacking, vulnerability assessment, network and system security, and techniques used to identify and address cybersecurity weaknesses. They prepare for this through a year-long course sequence: Hacking and Network Forensics I in the fall, followed by CSCI-375 Network Forensics II in the spring.
Students preparing for the CHFI certification focus on digital forensics, investigation methodologies, evidence collection and analysis, and techniques used to investigate cybersecurity incidents. Preparation for this certificate exam is also built into a year-long course sequence: Computer Forensics I in the fall followed by Computer Forensics II in the spring.
May 2027 will mark the first time SAU students can seek certification in CEH and CHFI through a partnership between the university and CE-Council, after completing the corresponding courses. The partnership makes the examination more accessible to our students by providing the certification preparation materials and exams at a discounted rate.
“Providing students with opportunities to prepare for professional certifications complements their academic coursework and hands-on laboratory experiences while helping prepare them for careers in cybersecurity, digital forensics, information security, and related fields,” said Travis Eygaboard, EdD, Computer Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Department Chair.
“A four-year cybersecurity degree demonstrates the breadth of a student's academic education, while professional certification provides an additional external assessment of specific cybersecurity knowledge and skills. This gives our students the opportunity to enter the workforce with both their St. Ambrose degree and a recognized industry credential.”
St. Ambrose University is also pleased to provide a certification exam scholarship each year, helping make the opportunity accessible to students who might otherwise find the cost of professional certification to be a barrier.
Learn how you can launch your career in cybersecurity. Visit the program page or schedule a visit today.
