How networks really work
Addressing, routing, DNS, and the traffic you can see when you look. Everything after this depends on understanding what normal looks like.
Cyber Security
A defensive-first introduction to security: how networks behave, how they are attacked, how attacks are detected, and how an incident is documented and reported under pressure.
Length
14 weeks
Weekly load
6 classroom hours + 6 court hours weekly
Format
In person at the ACT learning lab, with a live practice network
Who it's for
Student-athletes from 15 upward; curiosity about systems matters more than experience
The curriculum, module by module.
Nothing here is a video library. Every module ends with something you built, ran, or defended in front of a person who does this for a living.
LinuxNetworking fundamentalsPacket analysisHardening baselinesLog and SIEM reviewIncident reporting
Systems and hardening
Operating systems, permissions, patching, and building a baseline that survives contact with real users.
The attack pattern library
Phishing, credential abuse, misconfiguration, and supply-chain exposure. You run the attacks in a sandboxed lab so the defence makes sense.
Detection and monitoring
Logging, alert triage, and reading a queue without panicking. Most of the job is deciding which of sixty alerts actually matters.
Incident response
Containment, escalation, evidence handling, and the written report. A clear paragraph at 2am is a skill, and we practise it.
Live practicum
A team defends a live network across a simulated week of pressure, then walks the panel through what they saw and what they changed.
What you leave with.
Every outcome below is a thing you can point at, not a feeling about the course.
Hands-on time in a real practice network
A written incident report reviewed by a practitioner
Preparation for a first certification attempt
A clear picture of which security role actually suits you
Credential
ACT Security Practicum, plus preparation for a first industry certification
The other track
Full Stack Development
Build the product end to end. 16 weeks, same weekly rhythm, taught by the same classroom team.
Compare the tracksSeats are limited by mentor time, not by demand.
Every cohort is capped so each athlete gets real review. Tell us where you are starting from and we will place you honestly.
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