Penetration testing courses is a study of how to exploit networks, servers and applications.
These courses also help in understanding how to prevent attacks on the security system. These courses are also called as Pen testing courses and are helpful to students who wish to settle in high profile jobs.
These courses are available offline and online. Pen testing courses are offered at all levels - diploma and graduation. Even certificate courses are available on various platforms like Udemy, Edx etc.
- The duration of these courses varies from level to level. It is from 3-4 years at the graduate level, 1-2 years at diploma level.
- Certificate programs related to pen testing courses can be a few hours and even up to 1 year.
- Many online platforms offer these pen testing courses like Udemy, Coursera etc
The top skills which a candidate should possess are networking skills, programming skills, communication skills etc.
The top job profiles offered after pursuing these courses are a pentester, Corporate trainer-Penetration testings, Ethical hacker, information security analyst etc
Table of Content
- Penetration Testing Courses: Highlights
- Certificate Penetration Testing Courses
- Diploma & PG Diploma Penetration Testing Courses
- Bachelor Penetration Testing Courses
- What are the Top Job Options After Penetration Testing Courses?
- What Skills are Required for Penetration Testing Courses?
- Penetration Testing Courses Online Fees and Rating Comparison
- Penetration Testing Courses: FAQs
Penetration Testing Courses: Highlights
These courses are much in demand and offered at different levels. Here is the table showing the details of all the programs offered in the country.
| Popular Courses |
|
| Duration |
|
| Eligibility |
|
| Average Fees |
|
| Online Courses | Available |
| Types of Online Courses | edx, Coursera, Udemy, etc. (Includes Paid and Unpaid courses) |
| Top Job Prospects | Pen Tester, Corporate Trainer-penetration Testings, Ethical Hacker, Information Security Analyst, etc |
| Average Salary |
|
Certificate Penetration Testing Courses
These courses are available online and offline. There are various prestigious situations available which are offering these courses. These courses are specially designed for students who want to gain in-depth knowledge of the subject.
- The duration of these courses differs from one institution to another institution.
- The average salary of these courses is INR 5,97,559
Online Certificate Penetration Testing Courses
| Certificate Name | Provider | Fees | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penetration testing | Hacker school | INR 12,000 | 50-60 hours |
| Penetration Testing, Incident Response and Forensics | Coursera | INR 3,616 per month | 17 hours |
| Website Hacking / Penetration Testing & Bug Bounty Hunting | Udemy | INR 360 | 9 hours |
Offline Certificate Penetration Testing Courses
| Certificate Name | Institution Name | Fees | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Network Penetration Testing Training in Bangalore | Indian cybersecurity services (ICSS) | INR 14,000 | 2 hours per class |
| Certified Web application Penetration tester | IEMLabs | INR 12000 | 40 hours |
| Certified penetration testing | IP Solutions | - | 40 hours |
How are Admissions in Certificate Programs of Penetration Testing Courses Done?
Admissions in certificate programs are done easily and there are no entrance tests conducted for admission into these courses. Enrollment in online programs is done by directly applying to the provider’s website. In the offline method, your profile is selected on a merit basis by a few institutions. Many other institutions directly get admission to these courses and they may ask you for class X or class XII.
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The duration of these courses differs from one college to another college. The average duration is 40-60 hours both in online and offline
Top Penetration Testing Certification Programs
CEPT
A certified expert penetration tester certification helps the candidate to gain advanced knowledge in pen-testing. The certifications cover domains like exploit creation, Linux and UNIX shellcode, Network attacks, Network recon etc.
CM WAPT
This certification allows the candidate to work in mobile and web apps. The exam which is conducted at the last includes domains like Android application attacks, Android application components and iOS application attacks.
Certified pen tester CPT
This certificate helps the candidates to understand where he stands in terms of knowledge related to pen-testing. These are offered by IACRB.
Certified red team operations professional
This is offered by IACRB to understand the ability of the candidates to carry out functions allotted by Red team
Comp TIA
This is a certified provider in the field of IT security. Pen Test is conducted to understand the candidate’s ability.
GPEN
This certification is conducted by GIAC. This certificate assures that a candidate is good in pen testing and can attack networks
Diploma & PG Diploma Penetration Testing Courses
Diploma in pen testing courses is offered by various colleges and universities. These courses are offered online and offline. These courses avail students to gain knowledge of security systems and penetration testing processes. These courses are usually preferred by students who wish to gain a job and settle in an early stage of life.
The duration of these courses is 1 year -2 years
Top Diploma Penetration Testing Courses
| Course Name | Institution Name | Fees | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diploma in Web Application penetration testing courses | Indian cybersecurity solutions | Online INR 35,300 Offline INR 37,300 | 9 months ( 2 hours per week) |
| Diploma in Web application security courses | IEMLabs | INR 46,000 - 50,000 | 18 months (2 days per week) |
| Advance diploma in pen testing | Learn skill | - | 1 year |
Top PG Diploma Penetration Testing Courses
| Course Name | Institution Name | Fees | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Post-graduation diploma in ethical hacking and penetration testing | Technology Incubation Center Cambridge intercontinental University Institute of chartered telecom professionals | INR 30,000-80,000 | 12 months (Online) |
| Post-graduation diploma in penetration testing | Speedycourse | INR 45,000 | 24 weeks |
| Post-graduation diploma in ethical hacking and penetration testing | Technology Incubation centre | INR 24,000 | 1 year (Online) |
How are Admissions Diploma & PG Diploma in Penetration Testing Courses Done?
- Candidates who completed their class 10th or Class 12th can pursue diploma courses. A minimum knowledge of hacking and computers is needed to join this course.
- Candidates who completed their graduation can pursue PG Diploma Penetration testing courses.
- Admissions are done easily but students must possess knowledge of relevant subjects related to hacking.
Bachelor Penetration Testing Courses
Network Penetration Testing course for beginners that takes you from wondering what hackers are doing to setting up a laboratory, studying Kali Linux, and running your own network penetration tests. For Bachelor Courses, candidates must have passed 10+2. The duration of course is 2 years.
Top Undergraduate (UG) Penetration Testing Courses
| Course Name | Institution Name | Fees | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| B.Sc in penetration testing |
|
INR 1,20,000 - 3,00,000 | 2 years (Online) |
| The graduate certificate program in pen testing and ethical hacking | SANS Technology Institute, USA | - | 18-24 months |
How are Admissions in Bachelor Penetration Testing Courses Done?
- Candidates need to complete class 12th with maths, Stats and Computer sciences as subjects to pursue this bachelor degree courses.
- Admissions are done directly without any entrance tests but students need to possess knowledge on Pen testing courses and hacking.
What are the Top Job Options After Penetration Testing Courses?
Security Analyst
These people are responsible for protecting data from attacks. They design and implement firewalls to protect the data. They also build software systems and help the organization from attacks
Average Salary: INR 4,84,646
Skills Required
- Analytical skills
- Communication skills
- Analysing security systems
Corporate Trainer-Penetration Testings
A corporate trainer or advisor helps the employees to understand the hackings concepts and penetration testings concepts. These professionals are very much needed for the companies to educate the employees of all the needed skills.
Average Salary: INR 4,51,181
Skills Required
- Technical skills
- Communication skills
- Programming languages
Penetration Testing Engineer
He is responsible for finding out vulnerabilities and attacks from others to a business or organization. He identifies and imagines all the possible ways of vulnerabilities to the organization. He makes sure that the data and systems are safe from the attacks.
Average Salary: INR 3,03,000
Skills Required
- Strong networking skills
- Programming languages skills
- System administration skills
Ethical Hacker
Ethical hackers reports and identifies the vulnerabilities to the organization. He uses his knowledge to improve the security system of the organization. He identifies all the attacks and safeguards the data of the organization.
Average Salary: INR 5,44,000
Skills Required
- Programming skills
- Networking skills
- Computer skills
Information Security Analyst
He is responsible for maintaining the system networks in an organization. He updates and recommends the security system in the organization to protect from malicious attacks.
Average Salary: INR 5,55,615
Skills Required
- Communication skills
- Analysing skills
- Knowledge of programming languages
Cybersecurity Analyst
He is responsible for protecting networks and systems in cybersecurity systems. He makes sure that all the systems are safe and free from attacks.
Average Salary: INR 5,06,000
Skills Required
- Analysing skills
- Networking skills
- Communication skills
Retail Security Tester
This kind of tester protects data in the retail industry. They are hired usually in retail industries, financial industries etc. Their job is to secure the data and protect the systems from vulnerabilities.
Average Salary: INR 597,559
Skills Required
- Knowledge of the retail industry
- System skills

What Skills are Required for Penetration Testing Courses?
Students need to possess all the skills in the right mix to become a pentester. There are plenty of opportunities available if a student is perfect with all the skills which are required. Here are the skills required.
Programming
Programming languages like Python, Perl, PHP, CSS, javascript and SQL are needed and useful for pen testing students. These skills help to improve the knowledge of the student on penetration testing skills.
Top Programming Courses
| Provider | Course Name | Duration | Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coursera | Java Programming and Software Engineering Fundamentals Specialization | 5 months | INR 3,116 per month |
| Coursera | Programming Languages, Part A | 30 hours | INR 2,878 |
| Udemy | Learn Advanced Level Python Programming | 26.5 hours | INR 360 |
Programming Course Syllabus
| HTML | Coding |
| Javascript | Data Structure |
Programming Job Profiles
- Software engineer
- Developer
- Analyst
Networking
These skills are required for students who wish to settle in the networking field. These skills help the students to enhance their knowledge and also helps them to acquire good jobs
Top Networking Courses
| Provider | Course Name | Duration | Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edx | Introduction to Networking | 7 weeks | Free |
| Edx | Network and Security Foundations | 8 weeks | Free |
| Coursera | The Bits and Bytes of Computer Networking | 34 hours | INR 1,106 |
Networking Course Syllabus
| Basic concepts essential to networking | Functional and technical components of network systems |
Networking Job Profiles
- Networking engineering
- Software engineer
System Administration
These skills are important for students to understand the concepts and terms of the system. These skills will move the student’s career to reach heights of success. Even these skills are required to secure good jobs in the field of pen-testing.
Top System Administration Courses
| Provider | Course Name | Duration | Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coursera | System Administration and IT Infrastructure Services | 31 hours | INR 1,106 per month |
| Udemy | Windows 10 Administration | 1.5 hours | INR 360 |
| Udemy | Apple macOS and iOS System Administration | 11.5 hours | INR 360 |
System Administration Course Syllabus
| Learn strategies for managing thousands of iOS and macOS endpoints | Install/upgrade Windows 10 and personalize your UI |
System Administration Job Profiles
- System administrator
- System Engineer
Communication
Communication skills are required for any individual as it allows others and yourself to understand in a better way. Poor communication skills will always lead to a misunderstanding between two people. So, it's better to have good communication skills to get the work done in a faster way.
Top Communication Courses
| Provider | Course Name | Duration | Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coursera | Improving Communication Skills | 10 hours | INR 5,830 per month after trial ends |
| Udemy | Communication Skills: Become A Superstar Communicator | 5.5 hours | INR 360 |
Communication Course Syllabus
| Improving how to communicate with others | Basic English grammar |
Communication Job Profiles
- Manager
- Lecturer or teacher in English
Penetration Testing Courses Online Fees and Rating Comparison
To understand and know about penetration testing courses that are available online, here is the table displaying fees and duration of these courses.
| Course | Provider | Duration | Ratings | Fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hands-on Penetration Testing Labs 2.0 | Udemy | 3.5 hours | 4.7 | INR 360 |
| Complete Ethical Hacking and Penetration Testing Course | Udemy | 27 Hours | 4.7 | INR 360 |
| Penetration Testing, Incident Response and Forensics | Coursera | 17 hours | 4.7 | INR 3,616 per month |
| Exploiting and Securing Vulnerabilities in Java Applications | Coursera | 23 hours | 4.6 | INR 2,878 per month |
| Nmap For Penetration Testing: Beginner To Advanced | Udemy | 6.5 hours | 4.6 | INR 360 |
| Website Hacking / Penetration Testing & Bug Bounty Hunting | Udemy | 9 hours | 4.5 | INR 360 |
| Hacking and patching | Udemy | 4 weeks | 4.0 | INR 3,616 per month |
Comparison of Online Platforms Offering Penetration Testing Courses
The table below gives you the difference and comparison of online platforms offering these courses. In this case, we have compared the pen testing courses.
| Parameters | Udemy | Coursera |
|---|---|---|
| Fees | INR 360 | INR 3,616 per month |
| Student Rating | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| Enrollment | 69,018 | 11,423 |
| Duration | 17 hours | 9 months |
| Created by | In house | IBM security learning |
Penetration Testing Courses: FAQs
Ques. What does pen testing courses involve?
Ans. This course is a kind of cyber attack against systems to check if any vulnerabilities are present.
Ques. Is pen-testing worthful?
Ans. Pen testing is a rewarding career and there are numerous paths available after pursuing these courses.
Ques. What skills does a pen tester should possess?
Ans. Good networking skills, administration skills, programming skills etc
Ques. Our pen testers in demand?
Ans. Pen testers are hired everywhere and they are paid high in any industry.
Ques. Is it important to hold a certificate for a pentester?
Ans. Often pen testers hold a better certificate and they hold certificates in CEP, GPEN, CISSP etc
Ques. Pen testing courses available abroad to study?
Ans. There are various institutions offering pen testing courses abroad.
Ques. What companies usually hire pen testers?
Ans. Top companies like Infosys, Tata, Microsoft and many other companies hire pen testers.
Ques. In which industry does pen testers get hired?
Ans. Pen testers are usually hired in the retail industry, Health industry, IT industry etc







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