Cybersecurity, Data Protection and Digital Forensics for International Students

Build the skills to solve the cybersecurity challenges ahead

Cyber threats are an ever-growing issue for organizations. Our Certificate in Cybersecurity, Data Protection, and Digital Forensics for International Students is designed to give you the skills and experience you need to succeed as a cybersecurity expert in the Canadian market. This certificate goes beyond the basics and gives you the edge you need in a competitive field. Our program is fully aligned with the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) exam and its eight cybersecurity domains, helping boost your chances of securing employment. Our cybersecurity courses offer hands-on cybersecurity experience with safeguarding data and leading industry tools to help you enter and excel in Canada’s cybersecurity field. You’ll gain expertise in penetration testing, network assessment and protection, intrusion detection, and encryption and decryption methods, along with mastering the basics of forensics analysis.

Through virtual labs and real-world projects, you’ll develop your technical investigative skills, learn to identify and close security vulnerabilities, and practice collecting evidence after a cybersecurity incident.

So, are you ready to start an exciting career in cybersecurity? We’re here to help you make it happen, every step of the way.

Key Program Details

Credential: Cybersecurity, Data Protection and Digital Forensics	Program Length: 8 months, full-time
Fall 2025 Start Date: September 8, 2025 (currently accepting applications)	Delivery Options: In-person Location: Toronto Metropolitan University campus

Study permit processing time may vary from country to country, and you may need to defer to a later term if your study permit is not approved in time. All acceptance letters will contain Toronto Metropolitan University's Designated Learning Institution number (O19395677651).

Our Cybersecurity, Data Protection and Digital Forensics certificate is aligned to the following CIP code 43.0403 Cyber/computer forensics and counterterrorism (STEM)

Ready to launch your cybersecurity career in Canada? We're here to help you thrive.

Apply Now

Four people sitting around a table in an office meeting room having a conversation.

Is our program right for you?

The Cybersecurity, Data Protection and Digital Forensics certificate is a great way to kickstart your career if:

You’re an offshore or on-shore international student with some post-secondary experience or an undergraduate degree
You prefer a program that allows you to study full-time and work part-time simultaneously

What will you learn?

In our Cybersecurity, Data Protection and Digital Forensics program, you’ll learn to:

Extract evidence using investigative protocols and report on a variety of complex issues that may arise in enterprise information systems, like:
- Ransomware
- Social engineering and AI fraud
- Network and computer-hacking
- Cyber extortion
- Organized cybercrime
- Cyber-espionage detection
Understand privacy and security protocols in compliance with complex legal and regulatory parameters
Apply best-in-kind cybersecurity technical practices to real-world problems, like:
- White- and black-box penetration-testing
- System- and network-vulnerability identification
- Security-weakness remediation
Manage and evaluate information security and data protection within the greater organizational governance structure
Understand AI Security, Cloud Security Cyber Secure Coding, Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) and to prevent and mitigate AI fraud threats, proprietary IP attacks, and data leaks

You’ll also learn how to use these tools:

Data analytics fundamentals of data types and structures, data manipulation and cleaning, statistical analysis, data visualization, machine learning techniques, and programming languages for querying data
- Penetration testing
- Kali Linux, Metasploit
Network assessment and protection
- Wireshark, Nmap, Ncrack, Nessus, hping3
WebGoat
Online virus scanners
Intrusion detection
- iptables
- Snort
Encryption and decryption methods
- Certificate authority, digital signatures, and digital watermarking
- Hash functions
- CrypTool, S-Tools
Forensics analysis
- Autopsy
- Honeypots
- FTK Imager
- Mobile: iPhone Analyzer

An undergraduate degree or equivalent from a recognized post-secondary institution is strongly preferred.
An applicant’s complete academic record, including secondary school as well as all post-secondary studies (e.g. college, university, or other post-secondary institutions) will be reviewed and considered as part of the competitive selection process.
In alignment with university English Language Requirements, international student applicants must provide evidence of achieving a minimum of a 6.5 Academic IELTS or equivalent. Exemptions may apply for students who have completed programs where the primary language of instruction is English.
Knowledge of TCP/IP is recommended. You can gain some basic TCP/IP knowledge by reviewing videos (5-10 minutes) on YouTube.

To earn the certificate in Cybersecurity, Data Protection and Digital Forensics, you must complete these courses:

Semester 1	Semester 2
CKDF 110 Computer Network Security	CKDF 140 Security Architecture and Design
CKDF 120 Computer Cryptography and Digital Steganography	CKDF 145 Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
CKDF 130 Digital Forensics Systems	CKDF 150 Digital Forensics Investigation

The International Student Program does not accept transfer credits. Students are required to take the complete course schedule as outlined.

Fee Description	Balance Due	Fee Amount
Non-refundable application fee	Upon application	$155
Non-refundable tuition deposit	Upon acceptance	$2,350
First semester	60 days before first semester start date	$6,400
Second semester	60 days before second semester start date	$8,750
University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP) fee*	60 days before semester start date	$756
Total (2 Semesters)		$18,411

All amounts are expressed in Canadian dollars (CAD).

* Students in this program are required to purchase UHIP health insurance, which is currently $756 per year. Future annual rates are subject to change. UHIP provides coverage for the policy year, which is September 1 to August 31. All international students studying in Ontario with a valid study permit are required to be enrolled in UHIP.

There is no payment plan for this program; therefore, all tuition and UHIP fees outlined above must be paid in full according to the deadlines before you start your first class. If tuition and UHIP fees remain unpaid after the published deadlines, enrolment restrictions will be applied and students may be withdrawn from the program for current and future terms.

Fee Refunds

The non-refundable tuition deposit is only eligible for a full refund due to a study permit denial. You must present the denial letter from the government of Canada to be eligible for a refund.
In the case of a study permit denial, tuition payments are also eligible for a full refund minus the non-refundable application fee. You have to submit your request in writing or by email and include the study permit denial letter.
For all other reasons, students are eligible for a full refund minus the non-refundable application fee and non-refundable tuition deposit, provided the request comes in writing or by email at least ten (10) business days prior to the semester start date. After ten (10) business days prior to the start of the semester, no refunds will be provided. It may take up to 30 days to receive your refund. Exceptions to this policy will not be made for students who register late.
Currency rates fluctuate regularly. The amount of your refund may differ from the original amount paid based on the rate of exchange on the date of the transaction.
Refunds will be paid to your financial intermediary institution according to International Payments. For example, if you used CIBC International StudentPay when you sent us the money, we will refund the money back to CIBC International StudentPay . The financial intermediary institution may charge you a service fee to receive money.
You will need to contact the financial intermediary institution directly to find out how soon they would be able to release the money back to you. You will receive an email to your TMU university address with the directions to initiate the refund once we approve your refund request. You will need to log into the my.torontomu portal to access your university Gmail account. If you need help to reset your password, please contact Computing and Communications Services (CCS).

For further information or to request a refund please contact iapps@torontomu.ca.

Cybersecurity, Data Protection and Digital Forensics for International Students

Key Program Details

Ready to launch your cybersecurity career in Canada? We're here to help you thrive.

Is our program right for you?

What will you learn?

Admission Requirements

Certificate Courses

Fees

Questions?

Thank you for your inquiry!