Cybersecurity and Networking Pathway Guide

At a glance

This guide covers a high school cybersecurity and networking pathway in Michigan, Virginia, North Carolina, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Missouri and Hawaii. It sets out the rules that differ by state. The how-to for staffing, partnerships, approvals, facilities, curriculum and scheduling sits in six implementation toolkits, linked in the launch steps at the end.

What the pathway leads to

This pathway is different from the trades and health pathways in this series. No state among the seven was found to license IT workers, no federal hazardous-work rules limit the work, and the main credentials are national industry certifications (CompTIA, Cisco, ISC2) that students can earn in high school. The fast-growing, high-paying jobs (information security analysts) usually come after more education and experience; the entry-level jobs open to a high school graduate are in IT and network support. The pathway also feeds directly into college computing programs, and in several states its courses count toward computer science or math graduation requirements.

The decisions you face

1. Cybersecurity, networking, or both. Michigan, North Carolina and Hawaii run them as separate programs; Arizona’s Network Security program combines them.
2. Who teaches it. The CTE teaching routes for IT are different from the trades: North Carolina requires a degree, and Virginia requires a business certificate or associate degree.
3. Which certifications. CompTIA, Cisco and ISC2 each have age rules for minors, and each state’s credential list counts a different set.
4. AP or CTE, or both. AP Cybersecurity launched in fall 2026 and AP Networking follows in fall 2027, which gives districts a college-credit option inside the same pathway.

Where the states differ most

Items are labeled Confirmed, Confirm with the agency, or Changing. Last checked October 2, 2026.

Jobs and pay

Security analyst jobs are projected to grow far faster than network support jobs

Projected change in jobs, 2024 to 2034 (SOC 15-1212 and 15-1231)

Show the numbers

State	Information security analysts	Network support specialists
Arizona	+34.8%	+2.7%
Virginia	+29.5%	+5.8%
North Carolina	+27.7%	+2.3%
Missouri	+27.2%	+2.2%
Pennsylvania	+26.3%	+1.6%
Hawaii	+24.6%	+0.3%
Michigan	+22.0%	−0.5%

The two occupations this pathway leads to move in very different directions. Information security analyst jobs are projected to grow 22% to 35% in every state, and Michigan’s 2026 Hot 50 lists them. Network support jobs, the kind a high school graduate with certifications can usually reach first, are projected to stay roughly flat. Present the pathway to families as a start: certifications and a support job now, with security roles after further education and experience.

Virginia stands out, with about 1,820 security analyst openings a year, nearly as many as the other six states combined (about 2,000). Wages are May 2025 medians from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics state file.

Credentials students can earn

The main certifications and their age rules

Security+ is approved for 11 Department of Defense cyber work roles under DoD Manual 8140.03, which matters for students headed toward defense contractors or the military.

Build parental consent into your testing calendar. With CompTIA’s June 2026 change and Cisco’s signed agreement, a test day can fall through if the paperwork is not done ahead.

What each state counts

Note that Arizona’s list still uses the retired IT Fundamentals name, and Arizona does not list CCST. Check your state list before you choose between CompTIA and Cisco.

Work-based learning

No federal hazardous occupations order covers office or IT work, so the federal limits that apply are the hour and time-of-day rules for 14- and 15-year-olds. The state hour limits and work permits in the other guides still apply (for example, Pennsylvania requires a work permit for every minor, and Michigan’s youth work permits now run through LEO’s online portal). No state rule specific to IT internships for minors was found, with one exception: North Carolina bars workers under 18 from work with a fall risk over 10 feet and from electrician’s helper work, which can reach cabling in ceilings. Keep ladder and ceiling cabling out of a minor’s tasks in North Carolina unless an approved exemption covers it.

The real barriers are the employer’s, not the law’s:

• Background checks and drug screening. Common for any role with system access; federal roles go further.
• Confidentiality agreements. Expect a nondisclosure agreement, and have the school and a parent review it for a minor.
• Limited access. Employers often keep interns away from production systems and personal data. Agree in advance on what the student will actually do: help desk tickets, device setup, network documentation, or a supervised project.
• Devices and accounts. Settle who provides the laptop and accounts, and what happens to them at the end.
• Citizen-only requests. Some employers ask for U.S. citizens only. Export-control rules require a license before a non-citizen sees controlled technical data; they do not require citizen-only hiring, and federal law (8 U.S.C. 1324b) bars citizenship discrimination unless a law, regulation, executive order or government contract requires it. Do not collect or screen students by citizenship. Ask the employer to state in writing the legal basis for any restriction, and line up enough other placements that no student is left out.
• IT work at a hospital or clinic. Interns doing IT work at a hospital or clinic count as its HIPAA workforce. The hospital decides what patient information they can see. Agree a task list before the placement starts, and have a parent co-sign the confidentiality agreement.

Examples in the seven states

• NSA High School Work Study (Hawaii is one of eight locations nationally): 16 or older, a high school junior when applying, a U.S. citizen, and eligible for a Top Secret clearance. The application window runs in September.
• Commonwealth Cyber Initiative high school internship, Northern Virginia: rising seniors 17 or older; a two-week bootcamp and a five-week industry placement with a $2,650 stipend.
• Cybersecurity youth registered apprenticeship, Michigan Upper Peninsula: launched in 2023 by UP Michigan Works! with an employer partner. Confirm with the sponsor whether it is still running.

Competitions as work-based learning

CyberPatriot (Air Force Association) runs Open and Middle School divisions with teams of 2 to 6; fees are waived for Title I schools and all-girl teams. FBLA and SkillsUSA both run cybersecurity events. These give students hands-on practice where internships are scarce.

Who can teach

IT teaching routes differ from the trades routes in this series. Two states expect a degree or a postsecondary credential, and the person may need a computer science or business credential instead of a trade-and-industrial one.

Two things to plan for

• Academic credit may need a different teacher credential. In Pennsylvania, a CS or IT course can count as a math or science credit, and the teacher needs a computer science certificate. In Michigan, CS counts toward math only for courses that meet the state CS standards. Decide early whether the course will carry academic credit, because it may change who can teach it.
• Industry certifications for the teacher. Teachers who hold the certifications they teach toward (A+, Network+, Security+, CCST) know the exams firsthand. Budget for teacher certification exams and renewals.

IT professionals can usually earn more in industry than in teaching. The Staffing toolkit covers pay comparisons, shared instructors and college partnerships.

Program, curriculum and lab

AP options inside the pathway

AP Cybersecurity launched in fall 2026 (first exam May 2027) as part of College Board’s AP Career Kickstart. College Board describes it as low-tech, with no coding prerequisite, and built to fit existing CTE programs. AP Networking is piloting in 2026-27 and launches in fall 2027. North Carolina has already added AP Cybersecurity (0A04) to its course list. Pairing a state CTE course with an AP course gives students both an industry certification and a chance at college credit.

The lab and acceptable use

A cybersecurity lab must keep student practice away from the school’s real network. Options:

• A cloud range. CYBER.ORG Range, available to grades 6 to 12 teachers by application, runs virtual machines in a cloud environment closed off from private networks.
• An isolated physical lab. Routers, switches and computers on a network with no connection to the district network, set up with your IT department.

Whichever you use:

• Have every student and parent sign an ethics and acceptable use agreement that bars testing any system the student does not own or have written permission to test. CyberPatriot’s rulebook offers a model: it states that the competition does not teach or tolerate hacking or any unauthorized entry into a system.
• Get your district IT department’s written sign-off on the lab design.

No state among the seven was found to publish lab or ethical hacking guidance for schools.

Credit after high school

Computer science and academic credit

This pathway has more academic credit options than any guide in the series so far, and the rules differ sharply by state.

Protect college eligibility: a cyber course counted as a math credit may not satisfy a university’s math admission requirement. Check before a student substitutes.

College credit

AP Cybersecurity, and AP Networking from fall 2027, add a route to college credit through a qualifying exam score.

Launch steps

Work through these steps in order; several can run at the same time.

Review status and sources

Last checked Oct. 3, 2026. These items are open for reviewers:

1. Virginia. Cyber and networking entries on the May 2026 Board-approved credential list; whether any cyber course or AP Cybersecurity counts for math or science on the 2025 graduation list; concentration course codes.
2. Michigan. CTEIS credential entries for 11.1003 and 11.0901; renewal of the Mott agreements (expire November 1, 2026); whether the Upper Peninsula cyber apprenticeship is still running.
3. North Carolina. Articulation grade and assessment conditions; whether HB 415 (2025) passes.
4. Pennsylvania. NOCTI test code for 11.0901 (8148 or 2560); SOAR status of 11.0901; any cybersecurity program.
5. Hawaii. Credential list for the Networking and Cybersecurity programs.
6. Vendors. CompTIA prices and consent mechanics; ISC2 consent for 16- and 17-year-olds; whether Cisco’s instructor-led Networking Academy courses are free for schools.
7. Arizona. University admission impact of counting a CS or CTE course for the Algebra II-level credit.

Sources

Jobs and pay

• BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (state file) and Projections Central
• Michigan Hot 50 Job Outlook through 2034

Credentials

• CompTIA age guidance and CompTIA candidate ID policy
• CompTIA Tech+ FAQ
• Cisco exam policies and CCST FAQ
• Cisco Networking Academy
• ISC2 FAQ
• CompTIA DoD 8140 alignment
• College Board, AP Career Kickstart
• NC CTE credentials
• ADE CTE credential list
• NOCTI PA Computer Systems Networking blueprint
• DESE IRC New System Guidance
• MDE, Reporting Credentials and Competencies
• Fairfax County Public Schools, industry credentials (division example)

Work-based learning and labs

• NSA High School Work Study (USAJOBS)
• Commonwealth Cyber Initiative high school internship
• UP Michigan Works!, cybersecurity youth apprenticeship
• CYBER.ORG Range
• CyberPatriot rules book
• 8 U.S.C. 1324b (citizenship discrimination)
• DOJ Office of Special Counsel letter on ITAR and hiring, Mar. 31, 2016
• FBLA Cybersecurity

Instructors

• 8VAC20-23-230
• NC DPI CTE Licensure Policies and Procedures Manual (2025)
• ADE Network Security program description
• PDE, STEM and computer science certification FAQ
• HTSB permits and license types

Programs and credit

• MDE Career Clusters and CIP Codes
• CTE Resource Center, Cybersecurity Fundamentals
• NC CTE CMS pathways
• ADE Network Security
• NC DPI, 2026-27 CS courses satisfying the graduation requirement
• MDE Computer Science Course Requirement Guidance
• Ariz. Admin. Code R7-2-302
• RSMo 170.018
• HIDOE graduation requirements
• NCCCS High School to Community College Articulation (edited March 2026)
• Mott Community College statewide agreement, Computer Security