Cybersecurity Center
The National Security Agency has designated Wilkes Community College as a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense. Students can obtain the Validated Program of Study in Cyber-Defense recognition with the Information Technology: Network Management 2-year degree. However, we have other degrees and diplomas that can be reviewed options under Academic Pathways. In addition to degrees and diplomas, students will receive training to prepare for industry level IT certifications that are highly recommended after completing certificate related courses. The following industry certification content is embedded in courses within our degree and diploma pathways:
- Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)
- EC-Council Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)
- Cisco Certified CyberOps Associate
- VMWare Certified Technical Associate – Data Center Virtualization (VCTA-DCV)
- Palo Alto Certified Network Security Administrator
- AWS Cloud Practitioner
- EC-Councial Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator (CHFI)
- CompTIA A+
Pathway Learning Outcomes
- Examine networking systems and identify security risks.
- Develop a website using HTML and CSS.
- Develop LAN/WAN solutions for a given network scenario. (Network Management)
- Analyze a network for vulnerabilities to provide security recommendations. (System Security)
- Develop an application in a programming language. (Software Development)
Contact Information
Primary Point of Contact
Alternate Point of Contact
Academic Pathways
Network Management Pathways
Systems Security Pathways
Cybersecurity News & Events
Academic Memberships & Resources
- AWS Academy
- Cisco Networking Academy
- CompTIA IT Academy
- EC-Council Academia Partner
- Palo Alto Cybersecurity Academy
- Red Hat Academy
- VMWare IT Academy
- Try Hack Me
Agencies & Organizations
- Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency
- Information Systems Security Association (ISSA)
- National CyberWatch Center
- The SANS Institute
- Women in Cybersecurity
Standards & Practices
Cybersecurity Faculty

WCC Cybersecurity Faculty
Cybersecurity Advisory Council
- Captain Nancy Graybeal, Wilkes County Sheriff’s Office
- Ben Logan, Cloud Operations Architect at Calix
- Jim Martin, Director of Information Technology and Security at Wilkes Communications | RiverStreet Networks
- Jason Shropshire, Chief Operating Officer at InfusionPoints, LLC
- Michael Wingler, Vice President of Information Technology and Operations/CIO at Wilkes Community College