https://engineering.pacific.edu/engineering
Certificates Offered
The School of Engineering and Computer Science offers the following graduate certificates:
Certificate in Secure Software Systems
Certificate in Cyber Defense and Offense
General Information
Certificate in Secure Software Systems
The Certificate in Secure Software Systems is a four course, for-credit, certificate that is designed for students interested in learning how build software systems with strong security foundations, as well as analyze existing software in order to understand its vulnerabilities and capabilities.
Certificate in Cyber Defense and Offense
The Certificate in Cyber Defense and Offense is a four course, for-credit, certificate that is designed for students interested in learning how to defend systems and networks using multiple layers of security. This certificate includes strong fundamentals in computer networking.
Eligibility
Students enrolled in a graduate or blended program in the School of Engineering and Computer Science are eligible for the certificates.
Students not enrolled in a graduate or blended program in the School of Engineering and Computer Science must apply for admission. After admission, these certificates can be earned as standalone options independent from any graduate degree.
Admissions Criteria
Students who are not already enrolled in a graduate or blended program in the School of Engineering and Computer Science must apply for admission in order to earn a standalone certificate. The admission requirements are:
- Bachelor’s degree
- Official university transcript(s) showing a 2.65/4.0 GPA on the last 60 units of undergraduate study
- Educational qualifications and/or industry experience to satisfy knowledge of computer programming and data structures, equivalent to COMP 053.
- Two letters of recommendation
Certificate Requirements
Students must complete their certificate courses with a minimum Pacific cumulative grade point average of 3.0 in order to earn the certificate.
Certificate Stacking
Students who have completed either the Certificate in Secure Software Systems and/or the Certificate in Cyber Defense and Offense are eligible, upon written request, to be admitted to the MS in Cybersecurity program without the need to reapply. Courses completed as part of these certificates will count towards satisfying the MS in Cybersecurity degree requirements.
This certificate stacking is subject to university policy regarding residence and time limits. Specifically, a Master's degree must be completed within five years subsequent to admission to the program, which in this case is defined as admissions to the certificate. The five-year period begins the first semester students are enrolled and is calculated from the date of degree conferral. Credit that is more than five years old will not be counted toward a Master's degree.
Certificate in Secure Software Systems
Students are required to complete the following courses for the certificate.
| COMP 280 | Cybersecurity Bootcamp | 4 |
| COMP 270 | Secure Software Systems | 3 |
| COMP 271 | Vulnerabilities | 3 |
| COMP 272 | Software Reverse Engineering | 3 |
Certificate in Cyber Defense and Offense
Students are required to complete the following courses for the certificate.
| COMP 280 | Cybersecurity Bootcamp | 4 |
| COMP 275 | Network Security and System Administration Essentials | 3 |
| COMP 277 | Advanced Computer Networking | 3 |
| COMP 278 | Cyber Defense and Offense | 3 |
Student Learning Outcomes
Certificate in Secure Software Systems
Students completing a certificate in Secure Software Systems will be able to demonstrate the following learning outcomes:
- Security Fundamental Principles – Students will possess a thorough understanding of the fundamental principles underlying cybersecurity, how these principles interrelate and are employed to build secure systems.
- Vulnerabilities – Students will possess a thorough understanding of the various types of security vulnerabilities (design and/or implementation weaknesses), their underlying causes, their identifying characteristics, the ways in which they are exploited, and potential mitigation strategies.
- Software Reverse Engineering – Students will be able to deduce the design of a software component, determine how it works, and discover the data and communication protocols it uses, without knowing its design in advance.
Certificate in Cyber Defense and Offense
Students completing a certificate in Cyber Defense and Offense will be able to demonstrate the following learning outcomes:
- Security Fundamental Principles – Students will possess a thorough understanding of the fundamental principles underlying cybersecurity, how these principles interrelate and are employed to build secure systems.
- Cyber Defense – Students will have a sound understanding of the technologies and methods utilized to defend systems and networks. They will be able to describe, evaluate, and operate a defensive network architecture employing multiple layers of protection using technologies appropriate to meet security goals.
- Networking – Students will have a thorough understanding of how networks work at the infrastructure, network and applications layers; how they transfer data; how network protocols work to enable communication; and how the lower-level network layers support the upper ones to enable communications and data transfer.
