Students who complete Barton Community College’s Network Specialist Program will now be able to add “Information Systems Security Professional” to their list of credentials, thanks to a recent certification the program received from the National Security Agency and the Committee on National Security Systems.
The certification process involved assessing the quality of Barton’s curriculum through a formal, rigorous training standard by the National Information Assurance Education and Training Program. The NSA established the NIETP to standardize computer security training to improve the state of training in our nation’s education programs.
Information Technology Instructor and Coordinator Cristi Gale said this certification will most likely become a standard for similar educational programs and it will benefit students.
“It will show potential employers that our students have a basic understanding of the security issues involved in computer systems,” she said.
Part of the certification process was adding an Information Security class to the program curriculum that will be offered for the first time in the spring 2013 semester.  Anyone with computer experience can enroll and students that have been through the curriculum prior to the certification can complete this course and add the certification.
Gale said the certification enhances the already solid Network Specialist program that Barton offers.
“We have a lot of great professionals on campus that work in our IT department, who also help out and teach some of the classes for the program, and they can offer a lot of hands-on, real world learning opportunities for our students,” she said.  “These individuals are working professionals in the industry that are helping our kids learn.”
For more information on the program or the certification, contact Gale at galec@bartonccc.edu or (620) 786-1183.