The companies/organizations in this category sell courses “for college credit” that have been evaluated by the American Council on Education (ACE). ACE credit is not as transferable as credit earned directly through a college, but can be very transferable when used with the intention of transferring to one of the partner colleges. ACE is a third party credit evaluator that evaluates all types of learning that happens outside of a college. This kind of college credit is guaranteed to transfer into partner colleges (varies by provider) but transfers poorly outside of partnerships.
Using ACE credit requires creating an account with another third party, Credly to “hold” your teen’s credit until they’re ready to use it. HS4CC List of ACE Partners
What: free college credits in Cybersecurity open to anyone!
TEEX Cybersecurity (13 college credits)
FREE COURSES
Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) offers ACE-approved courses recommended for college credit in cybersecurity. These are DHS/FEMA funded and therefore free for the general public to take.
TEEX for Cybersecurity
13 college credits
TEEX courses are available individually, but to obtain college credit, you’ll have to complete all the courses inside a group. Once the courses in the group are complete, you can add them to your Credly account for college credit. If you complete all of the courses below, you can earn 13 college credits.
- Cyber 101 – Cybersecurity for Everyone (5 credits)
- Must complete all 4:
- AWR168 Cyber Law and White Collar Crime
- AWR174 Cyber Ethics
- AWR397 Cybersecurity for Everyone
- AWR395w Cybersecurity in the Workplace
- Must complete all 4:
- Cyber 201 – Cybersecurity for IT Professionals (4 credits)
- Must complete all 5:
- AWR138 Network Assurance
- AWR139 Digital Forensics Basics
- AWR173 Information Security Basics
- AWR178 Secure Software
- AWR395w Cybersecurity in the Workplace
- Must complete all 5:
- Cyber 301 – Cybersecurity for Business Professionals (4 credits)
- Must complete all 5:
- AWR169 Cyber Incident Analysis and Response
- AWR176 Disaster Recovery for Information Systems
- AWR177 Information Risk Management
- AWR396 Network Security for Homes and Small Businesses
- AWR399 Detecting and Responding to a Cyber Attack
- Must complete all 5:
Sign up for free Cybersecurity courses here
After you are enrolled, use this login URL to take the classes: https://my.teex.org
Each course consists of reading long modules and taking many quizzes. Approximate time needed to complete EACH individual course: 3-7 days.
Non-Credit Paid Courses
TEEX offers many online courses that I have not included because they carry a fee or do not provide college credit. However, if your teen is interested in: communications, corrections, electric power, electronics/semiconductor manufacturing, explosives training, fire, forensics, law enforcement, safety and health, school safety, security, supply chain distribution management, water and wastewater, and WMD terrorism be sure to check out their full online course catalog!
Though these don’t carry college credit, you can award high school credit for all of them!