IT-Cyber Compliance Specialist

Are you ready to help make sure organizations are doing everything they can to protect their systems and user data? Madison College’s Cyber Compliance Specialist associate degree program–one of a few of its kind currently offered in the US–will arm you with the skills and knowledge to resolve various cybersecurity compliance challenges.

In a world where nearly all records are digital, cybersecurity professionals specializing in compliance are in high demand.

Whether you’re looking to start, advance or change your career, this program will give you the training to help you reach your goals. No advanced skills needed—just basic computer knowledge and a passion for learning.

Cyber Compliance Careers

Cyber compliance professionals play a critical role in overseeing an organization’s governance, risk and compliance (GRC) efforts. They act as trusted advisors and champions of administrative security measures, often reporting to senior leadership.

Their work is essential across all industries—including finance, healthcare, hospitality, retail, non-profit, energy, emergency services, communications and government— as they ensure that business goals align with regulatory, legal and risk management requirements.

Cyber Compliance Specialist Program Goals

Through analysis and hands-on experience, you will gain the knowledge required to safeguard organizational assets and navigate the evolving landscape of cybersecurity compliance, policies and standards. You’ll learn to: 

• Interpret and apply regulatory and legal frameworks
• Conduct risk and compliance assessments
• Analyze and disseminate data
• Develop security standards and policies tailored to organizational needs

What Skills Do I Need?

We’ll teach you the technical skills to detect and resolve cyber compliance issues, but a successful cyber compliance professional is also:

A Critical Thinker

You like puzzles and logic games in which you need to see how all the pieces fit together. You know how to combine past experience, problem solving skills, research and a bit of intuition to find solutions. 

Highly Organized

You are the person who knows just where everything is and how to keep a multitude of details straight. You have your own “systems” of organization and are a planner. People rely on you to be the one who pays attention.

A People Person

You’ll be mentoring and helping people and acting in an advisory and advocacy position, so ease in communication and empathy are a plus. A generally friendly disposition will make collaborating with various departments easier.

A Good Communicator

All departments of an organization interact with cyber compliance. You’ll need to be able to communicate, verbally and in writing, in both technical and simple terms, where the compliance issues lie and how to fix them.

Curious

The world of technology changes quickly. To stay on top of the latest advancements, be prepared to continue your education beyond the degree through professional advancement, online user groups and industry publications.

The associate degree curriculum is designed to help you hone these skills.

Real-world, Hands-on Learning

Cyber Compliance Specialist classes are held in Madison College’s state-of-the-art online lab environment to simulate the infrastructures various industries and tech companies actually use. That same lab is available to you 24/7 from any computer. All you need is an internet connection to do your work from anywhere.

Madison College IT program students start coding on Day One. Core classes teach technical skills in:

First Year

You’ll learn cybersecurity compliance fundamentals.

• Windows and Linux operating system
• Data privacy security frameworks and laws

Second Year

You’ll build on your knowledge of security standard and framework fundamentals to learn how to tailor controls to an organization’s needs.

• Developing and implementing cybersecurity policy
• Automated detection methods
• Web application security
• Threat hunting

Final Semester Internship

In addition to coursework, you will complete an internship with one of our industry partners. If you are already working full-time, you will have the option of a project. With this real-world opportunity, upon graduation you will have not only the knowledge but also the experience to enter the workforce with the confidence that employers notice. 

Flexible Course Offerings

Madison College's IT-Cyber Compliance Specialist program students can attend full- or part-time.

Classes are a mix of online and in-person offerings at the Madison Truax campus.

If you start this program in the spring semester it may take 5 semesters to complete and classes are only offered in the daytime.