Education

Clemson offers a broad range of cybersecurity courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. These courses, offered by the Clemson School of Computing and the Holcombe Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, range from basic computer security principles and include topics such as censorship, malware design, and penetration testing. Clemson offers a minor in cybersecurity that covers these areas and more that is overseen by the Cyber Center Director, Dr. Harlan Russell. See below for more information on this.

In addition to the classroom, students can take advantage of the various resources and opportunities offered by Clemson. The CU Cyber team gives students a chance to compete against other schools and hone their skills in a more realistic setting on the best cyber team in South Carolina for three of the last four years. Also, the newly constructed Cybersecurity Operations Center (CSOC) allows students to monitor Clemson’s network traffic and perform forensic investigations while also creating predictive analyses to avoid future attacks. And lastly, with specialized facilities for power grid security and soon for autonomous vehicle testing, Clemson can offer unique educational opportunities in these areas as well.

Working on computer at Clemson University, Clemson SC

Cybersecurity Minor

Clemson University’s Cybersecurity Minor combines rigorous technical courses with classes in departments such as management and economics to provide the type of multidisciplinary education that is vital to success in a cybersecurity career

The Cybersecurity Minor provides students with recognition for completing a deeper examination of cybersecurity topics than is required for a conventional degree. The requirement for the Cybersecurity minor is 15 credits in courses on the cybersecurity list. In addition, the student must select one pathway, and all of the courses in that pathway must be completed.

Please note that prerequisites for the courses in Pathway I include CPSC 2120, CPSC 2150, CPSC 3220, and CPSC 3600. Pathway II prerequisites include ECE 2230, ECE2720, ECE 3170, and ECE 3220. Some elective classes may have additional prerequisites. See course descriptions for detailed prerequisite information.

Pathway I: CPSC 2920, CPSC 4200, CPSC 4240, CPSC 4620, and one additional course from the cybersecurity list 

Pathway II: CPSC 4200, CPSC 4620, ECE 4490, ECE 4491, one of ECE 4380 or ECE 4400, and one additional course from the cybersecurity list

Cybersecurity list:

  • CPSC 2920
  • CPSC 4140
  • CPSC 4180
  • CPSC 4200
  • CPSC 4240
  • CPSC 4620
  • ECE 4270
  • ECE 4380
  • ECE 4400
  • ECE 4490/1
  • ECE 4550
  • ECON 4220
  • MATH 2190
  • MATH 4100
  • MGT 3180
  • MGT 4360
  • MGT 4540
  • MGT 4550