Certificate Snapshot
Format: Sessions delivered in a virtual format with live instructors & student interaction every Friday from 9:00 - 10:30 am alongside online lessons to be completed each week.
Duration: 12 Weeks
Dates: April 10 - June 26, 2026
Cost: No cost for qualifying participants
Apply Here!
Program Description
Designed and adapted specifically for tribes in Oregon, PSU is offering a no-cost, highly collaborative training program that will use a cohort-based case study approach to learn about common cyber risks. This program is designed to enhance educational pathways for personal and career success, helping to build self-reliance for tribal members and employees. In today's interconnected world, protecting your data, infrastructure, and personal information is a vital act of self-determination.
Understanding cybersecurity risk is an essential first step in protecting data and ensuring community and organizational resilience in the event of a cyber-attack or natural disaster. Cyber risks can take the form of technical or physical threats or vulnerabilities, regulatory compliance requirements, financial loss, data loss, or reputational harm.
Participants will learn how to identify, assess, and communicate cyber risks as well as how to conduct the first step in mitigating threats through a risk assessment. A deep technical background is not required and technical concepts will be explained through the course of 12 weekly sessions.
Whether you are an experienced cybersecurity professional or in a role that intersects cybersecurity risk management, this certificate program is designed for you.
Examples of roles that will benefit from this certificate program are:
- Administrators and staff
- Information technology (IT) staff
- Legal staff
- Information, financial, and operations officers
- Disaster recovery and business continuity managers
- Vendor managers
- Contracting and procurement managers
- Security officers
While this is a non-credit program, you may be eligible for Continuing Education Units (CEUs) through your employer or professional organization. If you want to apply for CEUs with this program, please reach out to Sullivan at suswift@pdx.edu.
What You Will Learn
- How to create and implement a comprehensive cyber risk assessment program for your organization
- How to leverage internal and external collaboration to enhance risk management
- The impact of cyber threats and vulnerabilities on organizational resilience
- The importance of identifying and mitigating risks from vendors and other external partners
- How Artificial Intelligence is affecting cyber risk
Your Instructors
Your instructors are experts in cybersecurity, collaboration, and government. This unique combination of expertise and practical experience will help ensure an accessible and highly impactful program.
Dr. Margaret E. Banyan is a Research Professor at PSU and has been teaching for the last 25 years. She has a wide range of practical experience in governing organizations, including policy and organizational strategy and cybersecurity planning. She is the co-instructor for the Certificate in Building Cyber Resilience at PSU.
Ron Buchanan
About Cybersecurity Education for Tribes Programs
Portland State University has received a grant to build pathways to cybersecurity careers for Oregon’s Nine Federally Recognized Tribes. This program will offer a series of connected trainings and a mentor to facilitate education and job growth for tribal members, at no cost to tribes. For more information, please see our general programs website, our Frequently Asked Questions page, or check out this Recording of the Oregon Tribal Cybersecurity Summit!
Tribal Cybersecurity Education Programs (https://www.pdx.edu/hatfield-school/tribal-cybersecurity-education)
Introduction to Cybersecurity (https://www.pdx.edu/hatfield-school/introduction-to-cybersecurity-seminar-for-tribes)
Scholarships (pdx.edu/hatfield-school/cybersecurity-certification-scholarships)
Frequent Asked Questions (https://www.pdx.edu/hatfield-school/tribal-cybersecurity-education-frequently-asked-questions)
Oregon Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (https://www.occoe.org/)
About the Center
The Mark O. Hatfield Cybersecurity & Cyber Defense Policy Center is a NSA/DHS National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Research
Contact
If you have any questions about this program or would like more information, please contact Sullivan at suswift@pdx.edu.