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Cybersecurity Certification Curriculum

The Academic Partner Program works with academic institutions to create a more diverse, equitable and inclusive cybersecurity workforce. It bridges the gap between learning and careers through access to industry-recognized Fortinet NSE training and certification courses. The Academic Partner Program collaborates with higher education institutions and schools around the world to help learners become part of an elite group of skilled cybersecurity professionals.

863

Authorized Academic Partners around the world.

*Last updated 10/2025

105

countries and territories around the world host an Academic Partner Program.

*Last updated 7/2025

89%

of organizations prefer to hire candidates with certifications.

*Fortinet 2025 Global Skills Gap Report

Find an Academic Partner near you

2025 Academic Partner Awards

video academic partner awards 2025

Congratulations to the winners of our 2025 Academic Partner awards. We want to recognize and celebrate all the institutions and individuals making a significant impact in helping learners gain the skills and knowledge needed to successfully join the cybersecurity workforce. Students are also recognized for their outstanding efforts related to cybersecurity learning opportunities, ranging from achieving NSE certifications to pursuing additional education to advance their cybersecurity acumen.

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Marketing Innovation Award Winners Graafschap College, The Netherlands
San Jose State University, United States
TAFE SA, Australia
Academic Educators of the Year Adisorn Sirikham, Rajahmangala University of Technology, Thailand
Bram Bruggers, Graafschap College, The Netherlands
Khalil El-Khatib, Ontario Tech University, Canada
Outstanding Students from the Academic Partner Program Andrej Vojtek, Žilinska Univerzita, Slovakia
Emil Joshue Martínez Difo, Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña, República Dominicana
S.J. Lakshan, VSB Engineering College, India
NSE Cybersecurity Certifications

Integrating Cybersecurity Certification into the Course Curriculum

Authorized Academic Partners can integrate Training Institute certification directly into their existing courses or can facilitate the content as stand-alone continuing education. To supplement the course content institutions use Fortinet network security technologies to give students a hands-on lab experience.

Courses should be a minimum of 5 weeks.

Graduates Program

Graduates of the Program

Through the Academic Partner Program, institutions provide leading industry cybersecurity training and certification. Graduates of the program leave with in-demand cybersecurity skills to help protect networks from global cyber threats, such as phishing attacks, ransomware, and business email compromise (BEC). The program can be taught for pure skill and career development or with the goal of each graduate becoming Fortinet NSE-Certified. Free exam vouchers are provided to students. 

Academy Advantages

Course descriptions and materials
Instructor slides
Instructor training
60% discount on books
Instructor guides
No-cost licenses of Virtual Machines (VMs)
Become an Authorized Academic Partner

Student Advantages

Student guides and education pathways
Hands-on practical application
Free exam voucher upon completion of course
Access to online proctoring for certification exams
Professional credits through ISC2 CPE Submitter Program
Access to a distributed ecosystem of employer partners
Find an Academic Partner near you

Navigate NSE Training with Fortinet’s Education Pathways

Fortinet has defined four educational pathways that help Authorized Academic Partners and their students navigate Fortinet’s Training Institute learning.

Aligned to the National Initiative in Cyber Education (NICE), Cybersecurity Workforce Framework, the Education Pathways map NSE training content to NICE work roles. Mapping the content to roles helps Authorized Academic Partners better understand how and where NSE training can be integrated into their courses and curricula. And learners will understand how the courses they are taking today can transition into a cybersecurity career in the future.

Secure Networking
 Data Center Security
 Security Operations
 Cloud Security
 OT Security
 SASE

Academy Spotlights

cyber range uottawa

Partnering to Provide Students With the Real-World Knowledge and Skills to Pursue a Career in Cybersecurity

Discover how the University of Ottawa is preparing students for real-world cybersecurity careers by integrating Fortinet’s industry-recognized training and certifications into its curriculum.

“We need to support the concepts that we are teaching, so optimizing a partnership with Fortinet and using the Fortinet Certified Professional certification makes a lot of sense and is extremely beneficial for students.”
– Guy-Vincent Jourdan Professor, Faculty of Engineering, University of Ottawa

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Eddie Phillips, Ed.D., Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs at City Colleges of Chicago, Kennedy-King College

“The partnership with Fortinet has been remarkable and will provide a pathway for students to gain the knowledge and skills needed to compete in a rapidly growing global marketplace. Kennedy-King College has undertaken an equity and workforce-focused IT expansion initiative with a goal to reduce the digital divide currently separating underserved and underrepresented populations from careers in the IT industry...”

Steve Morrill, Director of Technology & Cyber Science at Loyola Blakefield

"We were looking to add to our existing robust cybersecurity training curriculum. We joined the Security Academy Program right as the world started to shift to online learning due to the pandemic, so access to the NSE training’s established online curriculum that is instructor led or self-paced was especially beneficial. The path to NSE certifications is also helpful in providing students further validation to employers of their expertise that they can immediately use in the work place.”

Dr. Deepak Garg, Professor and Head, Department of Computer Science Engineering CSE at Bennett University

“Cybersecurity training is more important than ever as the skill gap has become a critical issue for many organizations. Bennett University has signed up with Fortinet Security Academy program to help build and augment skill sets, as well as help develop the next generation of security professionals. By providing this industry-recognized certification as part of our curriculum we will ensure that our students gain the required expertise...”

cyber skills academy badge

Partnering with the European Commission’s Cybersecurity Skills Academy

As a key partner in the EU’s Cybersecurity Skills Academy, Fortinet is proud to support the Industry-Academia Network Partnership—part of a broader public-private effort to close the cybersecurity talent gap across Europe. 

Training and Certification Awards

2025 CyberSecurity Breakthrough Award Winner for Best Security Awareness Program 2025 Global InfoSec Award Winner for Best Cybersecurity Training and Security Awareness Training 2025 Globee Awards Gold Winner Cybersecurity Education and Training 2025 CS Excellence 
Cybersecurity Training & Certification Program		 2024 CyberSecurity Breakthrough Award Winner for Best Professional Certification Program 2024 Global InfoSec Award Winner for Best Cybersecurity Training and Security Awareness Training

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