Academy track
Foundations
The pipeline-entry track. Every Virtus Academy student starts here. The four Foundations courses move a student from no prior computer-science background to fluent in the shell, in Python, in basic networking, and in the historical context of the 6502 era. By the end of Foundations a student has the vocabulary, the tooling, and the muscle memory to enter any Part-II track without prerequisite gaps.
Digital Foundations
Binary, hex, Boolean logic, computer architecture at block level, Linux shell, basic Git. Capstone: documented teardown of a discarded consumer device.
Sparking Curiosity
No-prereq motivational on-ramp. Game emulators, ROM hacking, and the 6502 historical anchor on a laptop — no FPGA. The gateway course that makes a student ready to start CSA-101.
Python and Automation
Python 3 as a professional automation language. Six working CLI tools, argparse, Git as daily practice, pytest. Capstone: student-chosen automation tool.
Cybersecurity Principles
CIA triad, STRIDE threat modeling, OWASP Top 10, crypto literacy, coordinated disclosure. picoCTF as the weekly lab spine. Capstone: written explainer of a significant historical CVE.