Professor Deepa Kundur (ECE) and her research students discuss their data analytics research results inside the Stewart L. Blusson Visualization Facility. (photo by Matt Volpe)
U of T Engineering certificate includes a new course, ECE381: Foundations and Frontiers in Cybersecurity
A new cybersecurity certificate for undergraduate students aims to prepare students for careers in one of today’s most rapidly evolving areas of engineering.
Canada has seen a surge in high-profile cyberattacks in recent years. In 2023, both the Toronto Public Library and a group of five southwestern Ontario hospitals were hit — incidents that led to months-long disruptions in service and the theft of personal health information of more than 516,000 people.
“Cybersecurity has become a critical engineering issue from multiple perspectives, including national and digital sovereignty, economic stability and societal well-being,” says Professor Deepa Kundur (ECE), Chair of The Edward S. Rogers Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering and the Canada Research Chair in Cybersecurity of Intelligent Critical Infrastructure.
“Engineers working in sectors such as energy, manufacturing and healthcare, to name a few, need to understand how security threats intersect with design and operational decisions,” says Kundur.
“With that said, cybersecurity can no longer be treated as a niche specialty or an afterthought. Everyone entering the engineering profession needs a baseline understanding of cybersecurity.”
Kundur says that Canada is currently experiencing a sustained and accelerating demand for cybersecurity professionals, driven by increasing digitization across a range of industries.
As engineered systems — such as transportation networks, health care databases and even drinking water treatment plants — become more intelligent and interconnected, they increasingly rely on sensors, communication networks and complex computing infrastructure.
However, these complexities introduce new classes of vulnerabilities that expand the potential for cyberattacks from increasingly organized hackers from around the world. The Canadian cybersecurity market is expected to nearly double by 2030, growing from approximately US$14 billion in 2024 to nearly US$28 billion.
This expansion comes alongside a pronounced workforce shortage. As of 2024, there are an estimated four million unfilled cybersecurity jobs globally, with talent gaps expected to persist through the coming decade.
“At a national level, Canada faces a substantial and growing shortage of cybersecurity professionals, estimated at approximately 150,000 roles,” says Kundur.
“As the leading engineering school in the country, U of T Engineering is well positioned to take a leadership role in educating students who can help address this need.”
Students participating in the certificate will take ECE381: Foundations and Frontiers in Cybersecurity, a new course that introduces core cybersecurity concepts along with the analytical tools needed to understand and engage with contemporary threats and technologies.
“The curriculum emphasizes understanding how attackers think, how vulnerabilities emerge, and how cybersecurity risk can be analyzed and dealt with in complex engineered systems,” says Professor Dimitrios Hatzinakos (ECE), lead on the new certificate and one of the instructors for ECE381.
“Learning is grounded in applied perspectives and practical case studies, helping students connect theory to actual breaches and incidents along with engineering practice.”
In addition to the core course, students choose two technical electives, such as Quantum Information Processing and Algorithms and Data Structures, enabling them to explore specific areas in greater depth.
The certificate will launch in September 2026. While many of the courses are currently from ECE, the certificate is open to undergraduates from all engineering departments.
“The certificate is intentionally designed to be accessible across engineering disciplines, reflecting the fact that cybersecurity is relevant to any branch of engineering today,” says Hatzinakos.
“It was created with government, industry and not-for-profit sectors in mind, all of whom hire our graduates and increasingly require engineers who understand cybersecurity risks and responsibilities in complex systems.”
As the program grows, the department hopes to add even more course offerings and expand into a formal undergraduate minor, as well as a new professional MEng emphasis in cybersecurity.
Kundur says students who participate in the certificate will be prepared for a variety of emerging roles such as software, system and platform engineers where secure design is essential.
They will also be qualified for data, AI and automation roles where model integrity, robustness and secure deployment are critical.
“The certificate provides a formal credential in an area that cuts across every engineering discipline,” she says.
“It signals to employers that cybersecurity is part of how students think about engineering design and responsibility.”
