The Virginia Commonwealth University College of Engineering will launch post-baccalaureate graduate certificate programs in cybersecurity and data science this spring.

These programs are designed for the working professional to remain current or gain fluency in the ever-growing fields of cybersecurity and data science.

Designed to train students to analyze and respond to threats against the security of computer systems, the Certificate in Cybersecurity will prepare graduates for entry into jobs as specialists in cyber defense for industry and the public sector and will add this current skill set to those already employed in an IT-related field.

“There is very high demand for experts in cybersecurity, as well as for software engineers working outside of cybersecurity who are aware of security risks and of approaches to mitigate them,” said Tom Arodz, Ph.D., graduate program director and associate professor in computer science. “The program will target working professionals who have education in computer science, but have not been exposed to cybersecurity. It offers a path through graduate-level cybersecurity courses without the need to invest time to cover the full breadth of an M.S. in Computer Science degree.”

Students who complete the certificate will be able to assist software developers and system administrators by analyzing the security of databases, applications, networks and computer systems; assessing security risks and identifying vulnerabilities in computer and network systems; and developing methods and techniques for defending against a range of cyber attacks.

The Certificate in Data Science will train students in computer methods for analyzing big datasets generated by industry, research and government entities. Students will learn techniques for transforming the data into knowledge; developing algorithms for constructing computer systems that automatically learn from data; and tracking and evaluating new techniques and approaches in data science. The program will prepare graduates for entry into jobs as specialists in data science for industry and the public sector and will add data science skills to those already in the workforce.

Full-time computer science faculty who are experts in various subfields related to cybersecurity and data science will teach the courses in each program.