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University of Pittsburgh    
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
 
  Oct 03, 2024
 
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog

Cybersecurity in Emerging Engineering Systems, Undergraduate Certificate


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The certificate includes courses in three focus areas: cybersecurity, systems, and artificial intelligence. In the first focus area, students are expected to study the essence of cybersecurity, different types of attacks on systems, and the available tools to secure systems. Students will explore emerging technologies in various engineering domains in the second focus area. No one solution fits all in cybersecurity since every system is unique in vulnerabilities, requirements, tools, and criticality. The second focus area will elaborate on system needs in one or more engineering contexts. In the third focus area, students will learn about artificial intelligence, which provides emerging tools enabling novel cybersecurity techniques.

Undergraduate students in SSoE from all departments can attain this certificate. The certification requires a total of five courses (15 credits) from the list of courses provided in the three different focus areas: cybersecurity (A1), systems (A2), and artificial intelligence (A3). Students seeking this certificate must choose at least two courses from A1 and one from each A2 and A3.  As a capstone, a three-credit-hour project with a cybersecurity focus is required, which can be satisfied by a project-based course, internship/Co-Op, senior design project, or a faculty-guided research project/independent study course. At least nine credits beyond core courses required for a major should be taken to attain this certificate.

Systems courses (choose one)


Students will explore emerging technologies in various engineering domains in the second focus area. No one solution fits all in cybersecurity since every system is unique (e.g., in vulnerabilities, requirements, tools, and criticality). The second focus area will elaborate on system needs in one or more engineering contexts. Students seeking this certificate should complete one course from the list below.

Capstone Experience


At least one three-credit hour project with a focus on cybersecurity is required. The project is expected to combine the three focus areas. For example, a project concentrates on the cybersecurity of one engineering system and applies tools of artificial intelligence to address a cybersecurity problem. Other projects with a cybersecurity focus can also be accepted. The project can be achieved by:

  1. a project-based course such as ENGR 2811 - INNOVATING FOR PUBLIC IMPACT  or ME 2812 - HACKING FOR ENERGY 
  2. a senior design project with a major cybersecurity component.
  3. a semester-long project, independent study/faculty-guided research project with a major cybersecurity component.
  4. an internship or co-op, where the intern’s work focuses on cybersecurity.

Students should prepare a description of the project, approved by the direct project supervisor, and send it to the certificate coordinator to request to have the project counted toward the certificate. The description should explain the cybersecurity aspects of the project.

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