Pikes Peak State College and UCCS have developed two articulation agreements that will allow PPSC cybersecurity students to seamlessly transfer to UCCS to finish their four-year degrees.

This innovative partnership and a new approach to building cyber security pathways will fill the industry’s demand for cybersecurity professionals. 

Now, PPSC students in the cybersecurity Associate of Applied Science program have two options to attend UCCS to continue their cybersecurity education. Both pathways can be completed in four years and accept all of the AAS credits. PPSC students can complete their undergraduate degree with either a Bachelor of Science in Business with an emphasis in cybersecurity or for those wanting to stay in a highly technical track, the Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science degree in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. The BACS program will start this fall. PPSC students will benefit from having these options locally.

Students in either of these programs will have full access to the UCCS Colorado Cybersecurity Apprenticeship Program and internship grants.

Cyberseek, a partnership of CompTIA, Burning Glass, and NICE, shows Colorado currently has more than 17,600 cybersecurity job openings. These partnerships and programs will expand the numbers of qualified applicants and strengthen educational partnerships.

About PPSC
Established in 1968 and accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, PPSC offers associate degrees, certifications in career and technical fields, and three bachelors’ degrees. With three campuses, various off-campus locations, two military education centers, and hundreds of online classes, PPSC provides access to a quality, affordable and flexible education to more than 20,000 students annually with both credit and non-credit classes. PPSC is certified by the National Security Agency (NSA) as a Center of Academic Excellence for Two-year Schools. As part of this certification, it teaches cybersecurity courses to both NSA and Department of Homeland Security standards.

About UCCS
UCCS offers 53 bachelor’s, 24 master’s, and eight doctoral degree programs with 12,000 students on campus each year. The UCCS Cybersecurity Building will include 31,000 square feet of dedicated space for up to 1,000 students by fall 2021, in addition to current space for the National Cybersecurity Center, Exponential Impact, and the Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center.