Being our nation’s capital, the District of Columbia is home to all sorts of exciting opportunities in the field of information security, both in the public sector and in the private sector. As the seat of the federal government, the District of Columbia is chock full of government agencies that rely on cybersecurity professionals to keep them running smoothly. These include, but are not limited to:
- The Department of Defense, which relies on information security specialists to keep its internal information network secure
- The National Security Agency, which falls under the heading of the Department of Defense, uses cybersecurity professionals in various capacities, including lending support to commanders around the globe and strengthening the United States’ ability to fight and survive cyberattacks.
- The Central Intelligence Agency, which combats cyberattacks and threats from terrorist organizations and other countries.
- The Department of Homeland Security, which employs thousands of information security speciali8sts to help protect the United States from cyberattacks, natural disasters and accidents.
- Agencies falling under the DHS umbrella such as the Secret Service, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Transportation Security Administration
- The U.S. Government Accountability Office, which investigates federal expenditures and activities relating to government ethics.
- The Federal Bureau of Investigation with a growing cybersecurity department not only in Washington, D.C. but in its 56 offices across the country.
Whether your dream is to work for one of the above-mentioned government agencies, or if you’d rather work for a private company, getting an associate degree or certificate in cybersecurity is the first step towards meeting your goal of working in the information security field in the District of Columbia. Keep reading to discover how to start along this path.
Cybersecurity in the News in the District of Columbia
Working in cybersecurity in the District of Columbia has its benefits. Those who work in the public sector are often tapped to fill higher-paying jobs in the private sector. For example, in August 2020, it was announced that Venable recruited the former Chief Information Security Officer for the White House to join its cybersecurity team as Senior Director of Cybersecurity Services.
Another example of this occurring happened the same month, when a cybersecurity veteran who had worked in the public sector for 30 years was recruited by Avineon, Inc., a global company providing enterprise transformation, spatial intelligence, and engineering support services, to become its Vice President of Growth Operations.
No matter what your choice, public or private sector, there are many cybersecurity jobs that need to be filled in the District of Columbia. Getting an associate degree or certificate in cybersecurity is your first step towards fulfilling your goal of working in the cybersecurity field in the District of Columbia.
Jobs for Cybersecurity Associate Degree and Certificate Bearers in District of Columbia
There is a wide variety of jobs for associate degree and certificate bearers in cybersecurity in the District of Columbia. Some of them might include:
- Cyber Security Technician – CareFirst, Washington, D.C.
- Cybersecurity Analyst – Booz Allen Hamilton, Washington, D.C.
- Cyber Security Engineer – Leidos, Washington, D.C.
- Cyber Security (IDS) Analyst – ManTech International, Washington, D.C.
- Cyber Security Analyst – Noblis, Washington, D.C.
- Cyber Security Specialist 2, D.C. Metro Region – M.C. Dean, Washington, D.C.
- Application Security Specialist – InquisIT, Washington, DC.
District of Columbia Associate Degrees and Certificate Cybersecurity Programs
District of Columbia offers many graduate programs in cybersecurity, but few undergraduate programs. All schools that you choose should be regionally accredited by an agency listed with the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
Centers of Academic Excellence (CAE)
The National Centers of Academic Excellence program, established in 1999 by the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), gives recognition to outstanding cybersecurity undergraduate and graduate degree programs as Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD) and Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations (CAE-CO).
District of Columbia Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education
Unfortunately, there are no CAE-CD programs at the associate or certificate level in District of Columbia. Instead, you may wish to choose from the following nationally recognized programs, which are CAE-CDs in nearby Maryland and Virginia:
Maryland:
- Anne Arundel Community College –
—Associate of Applied Science in Digital Forensics, Information Assurance and Cybersecurity
—Associate of Applied Science in Networking, Information Assurance and Cybersecurity
—Associate of Applied Science in Security, Information Assurance and Cybersecurity
—Certificate in Advanced Digital Forensics
—Certificate in Advanced Network Security
—Certificate in Cyber Technology
—Certificate in Digital Forensics
—Certificate in Network Security
—Certificate in Server Administration and Security
—Certificate in Computer Network Management, UNIX/LINUX System Administrator
School of Science, Technology and Education, Cybersecurity, Networking and Digital Forensics
101 College Parkway
Arnold, MD 21012-1895
CAE- Cyber Defense Education- Accredited through 2020
Mary Wallingsford, Contact
(410) 777-7173; mewalllingsford@aacc.edu
- College of Southern Maryland –
—Associate of Applied Science in Cybersecurity
8730 Mitchell Road
La Plata, MD 20646
CAE- Cyber Defense Education- Accredited through 2020
Bernice Brezina, Division Chair
(301) 934-7556; BerniceB@csmd.edu
- The Community College of Baltimore County –
—Associate of Applied Science in Cybersecurity
—Associate of Applied Science in Digital Forensics
—Associate of Applied Science in Network Technology
Cybersecurity Institute
800 South Rolling Road
Baltimore, MD 21228
CAE- Cyber Defense- Accredited through 2021
Noell Damron, Dept. Chair
(443) 840-2811; cdamron@ccbcmd.edu
Virginia:
- Lord Fairfax Community College –
– Associate of Applied Science in Cybersecurity
—Associate of Science in Cybersecurity Engineering
—Cybersecurity Career Studies Certificate
Dept. of Computer & Information Technology, Cybersecurity Center
6480 College St.
Warrenton, VA 20187
CAE- Cyber Defense Education- Accredited through 2021
Dr. Henry J. Coffman, CISSP
- Northern Virginia Community College –
—Associate of Applied science in Cybersecurity
—Cybersecurity Career Studies Certificate
CyberCenter
4001 Wakefield Chapel R.
Annandale, VA 22003
CAE- Cyber Defense Education- Accredited through 2020
Dr. Margaret Leary, Chair – mleary@nvcc.edu
- Southwest Virginia Community College – Career Studies Certificate in Cybersecurity (online)
Cybersecurity Center
724 Community College Road
Cedar Bluff, VA 24609
CAE- Cyber Defense Education- Accredited through 2024
Michael Brown, Assoc. Professor
(276) 964-7703; michael.brown@sw.edu
Cybersecurity Certificates in District of Columbia
Some cybersecurity certificate programs, mainly at the graduate level, do exist in District of Columbia. They include:
- Graduate Certificate – Computer Security and Information Assurance – George Washington University
- Graduate Certificate – Cybersecurity – Howard University
- Online Professional Certificate in Cybersecurity Strategy – Georgetown University
- Online Graduate Certificate in Cybersecurity Risk Management – Georgetown University
Cybersecurity Salaries in District of Columbia
Per the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of the US Department of Labor, District of Columbia has the second-highest concentration of jobs in cybersecurity. As of May 2019, it employed 2020 information security analysts, who earned an average annual salary of $119,160, the third-highest wage in the nation for this occupational classification.