Computing and Security Technology BSCST

Major: Computing and Security Technology
Degree Awarded: Bachelor of Science in Computing and Security Technology (BSCST)
Calendar Type: Quarter
Minimum Required Credits: 185.0
Co-op Options: Three Co-op (Five years); One Co-op (Four years); No Co-op (Four years)

Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Code: 11.1003
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Code: 15-1122

Note: The on-campus CST major (full-time only) admits new and transfer students in Fall Quarter. The online CST major (part-time only) admits transfer students in Fall and Spring Quarters.

About the Program

The College of Computing & Informatics' Bachelor of Science in Computing and Security Technology (BSCST) prepares students for work related to securing and managing large-scale computing infrastructure. Students gain experience with core information technology (IT) areas including servers, databases, networks, the Web, virtualization, cloud computing, information security, and cybersecurity technologies. The program emphasizes practical education and fundamental concepts that are supplemented by laboratory experience.

Core courses provide students with practical knowledge and skills related to managing servers, network administration, database administration, cloud computing and cybersecurity fundamentals. Students take advanced electives and a concentration in either Computing Technology or Computing Security. The advanced courses include topics such as mobile applications, wireless networks, risk assessment, intrusion detection, security audits, computer forensics, ethical hacking, cloud security, disaster recovery, and continuity of business.

CCI's bachelor degree programs in Computing and Security Technology, Data Science, and Information Systems share a common first year. This allows students to easily switch among the degrees early in their studies. In addition, some of the electives in each degree are accessible to students in the other two majors; this provides a deeper and broader set of advanced topics for students in all three majors.

The BS in Computing and Security Technology is offered as a full-time, on-campus bachelor's degree program or as an online, part-time degree completion program for students who have completed approximately two years of college work.

Additional Information

For more information about this program, please visit the BS in Computing & Security Technology webpage on the College of Computing & Informatics website.

Degree Requirements

Students completing this major must select either a concentration in Computing Technology or a concentration in Computing Security.

Computing & Security Technology Core Requirements
CT 140Network Administration I3.0
CT 200Server I3.0
CT 201Information Technology Security I3.0
CT 210Open Server I3.0
CT 301Information Technology Security II3.0
CT 310Open Server II3.0
CT 320Server II3.0
CT 330Network Administration II3.0
Students completing this major must select either a concentration in Computing Technology or a concentration in Computing Security. see below21.0
Information Science Requirements
INFO 101Introduction to Computing and Security Technology3.0
INFO 102Introduction to Information Systems3.0
INFO 103Introduction to Data Science3.0
INFO 200Systems Analysis I3.0
INFO 210Database Management Systems3.0
INFO 215Social Aspects of Information Systems3.0
INFO 310Human-Centered Design Process & Methods3.0
INFO 324 [WI] Team Process and Product3.0
INFO 355Systems Analysis II3.0
INFO 365Database Administration I3.0
INFO 420Software Project Management3.0
Programming Requirements9.0
Choose one of the following sequences
Web Systems and Services I
and Computer Programming I
and Computer Programming II
Web Systems and Services I
and Web Systems and Services II
and Applied Data Management
Computing & Informatics Requirements
CI 101Computing and Informatics Design I2.0
CI 102Computing and Informatics Design II2.0
CI 103Computing and Informatics Design III2.0
CT 491 [WI] Senior Project I3.0
CT 496 [WI] Senior Project II3.0
CCI elective *6.0
Mathematics Requirements
Choose Mathematics Sequence8.0
If a Math seqence of 8 credits is taken, additional 1 credits added to free electives
Introduction to Analysis A
and Introduction to Analysis B
and Introduction to Analysis C
Calculus I
and Calculus II
MATH 180Discrete Computational Structures4.0
STAT 201Introduction to Business Statistics4.0
Natural Science Requirements **8.0
Liberal Studies Requirements
ENGL 101Composition and Rhetoric I: Inquiry and Exploratory Research3.0
or ENGL 111 English Composition I
ENGL 102Composition and Rhetoric II: Advanced Research and Evidence-Based Writing3.0
or ENGL 112 English Composition II
ENGL 103Composition and Rhetoric III: Themes and Genres3.0
or ENGL 113 English Composition III
COM 230Techniques of Speaking3.0
Liberal Studies Electives ***12.0
University Requirements
UNIV CI101The Drexel Experience2.0
or CI 120 CCI Transfer Student Seminar
CIVC 101Introduction to Civic Engagement1.0
COOP 101Career Management and Professional Development1.0
Free Electives 28.0
Total Credits185.0
*

One course must be a CCI 300 level or higher course.

**

Students select any non-required courses from the following: ANAT, BIO, CHEM, ENVS, FDSC, NFS, PHEV, PHYS, HSCI, GEO, ENSS. 

***

Students select any non-required courses from the following: ANTH, COM, ENGL, HIST, PHIL, PSCI, PSY, SOC, WRIT, ECON, ENTP, ARTH, FMST, MUSC, TVST, VSST

Please note: If a Computing & Security Technology student pursues a Business Administration Minor, MIS classes do not count towards the Business Administration Minor for Computing & Security Technology students. Students must choose another option to fulfill the Business Administration Minor requirements.

Concentration in Computing Technology

Computing Technology Concentration Requirements
CT 335Mobile Applications3.0
CT 353Virtual Environments and Cloud Security3.0
CT 355Wireless Network Security Technology3.0
CT 415Disaster Recovery and Continuity Planning3.0
INFO 366Database Administration II3.0
Computing Technology Electives
Select two of the following:6.0
Network Auditing Tools
Information Technology Security Risk Assessment
Information Technology Security Policies
Advanced Database Management Systems
Total Credits21.0

Concentration in Computing Security

Computing Security Concentration Requirements
CT 212Computer Forensics I: Fundamentals3.0
CT 312Access Control and Intrusion Detection Technology3.0
CT 400Network Security3.0
CT 412Information Technology Security Policies3.0
CT 432Information Technology Security Systems Audits3.0
Computing Security Electives
Select two of the following:6.0
IT Security Awareness
Applied Cryptography
Information Technology Security Risk Assessment
Ethical Hacking and Penetration Testing
Disaster Recovery and Continuity Planning
Total Credits21.0

Writing-Intensive Course Requirements

In order to graduate, all students must pass three writing-intensive courses after their freshman year. Two writing-intensive courses must be in a student's major. The third can be in any discipline. Students are advised to take one writing-intensive class each year, beginning with the sophomore year, and to avoid “clustering” these courses near the end of their matriculation. Transfer students need to meet with an academic advisor to review the number of writing-intensive courses required to graduate.

A "WI" next to a course in this catalog may indicate that this course can fulfill a writing-intensive requirement. For the most up-to-date list of writing-intensive courses being offered, students should check the Writing Intensive Course List at the University Writing Program. Students scheduling their courses can also conduct a search for courses with the attribute "WI" to bring up a list of all writing-intensive courses available that term.

Concentrations: Sample Plans of Study

Computing Security Concentration 

4-Year, 1 co-op

First Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
CI 1012.0CI 1022.0CI 1032.0VACATION
ENGL 101 or 1113.0CIVC 1011.0ENGL 103 or 1133.0 
INFO 1013.0ENGL 102 or 1123.0INFO 1033.0 
INFO 1513.0INFO 1023.0INFO 153 or CS 1723.0 
MATH 1713.0INFO 152 or CS 1713.0MATH 1733.0 
UNIV CI1011.0MATH 1723.0UNIV CI1011.0 
 15 15 15 0
Second Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
COOP 101*1.0CT 3103.0CT 2003.0CT 3013.0
CT 1403.0CT 3303.0CT 2013.0CT 3203.0
CT 2103.0INFO 2103.0CT 2123.0INFO 3553.0
INFO 2003.0STAT 2014.0MATH 1804.0Liberal Studies Elective3.0
INFO 2153.0Free Elective3.0Science Elective I4.0Science Elective II4.0
Free Elective3.0   
 16 16 17 16
Third Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
COOP EXPERIENCECOOP EXPERIENCECOM 2303.0CT 4123.0
  CT 3123.0INFO 3243.0
  INFO 3103.0INFO 4203.0
  INFO 3653.0Computing Security Elective3.0
  Liberal Studies Elective3.0Free Elective3.0
 0 0 15 15
Fourth Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCredits 
CT 4003.0CT 4323.0CT 4963.0 
CCI Elective3.0CT 4913.0CCI Elective3.0 
Computing Security Elective3.0Free Electives9.0Free Elective6.0 
Free Elective3.0 Libral Studies Elective3.0 
Liberal Studies Elective3.0   
 15 15 15 
Total Credits 185
*

COOP 101 registration is determined by the co-op cycle assigned and may be scheduled in a different term. Select students may be eligible to take COOP 001 in place of COOP 101.

5-Year, 3 co-ops

First Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
CI 1012.0CI 1022.0CI 1032.0VACATION
ENGL 101 or 1113.0CIVC 1011.0ENGL 103 or 1133.0 
INFO 1013.0COOP 101*1.0INFO 1033.0 
INFO 1513.0ENGL 102 or 1123.0INFO 153 or CS 1723.0 
MATH 1713.0INFO 1023.0MATH 1733.0 
UNIV CI1011.0INFO 152 or CS 1713.0UNIV CI1011.0 
 MATH 1723.0  
 15 16 15 0
Second Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
COOP EXPERIENCECOOP EXPERIENCECT 1403.0CT 3103.0
  CT 2103.0CT 3303.0
  INFO 2003.0INFO 2103.0
  INFO 2153.0STAT 2014.0
  Free Elective3.0Free Elective3.0
  MATH 1804.0 
 0 0 19 16
Third Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
COOP EXPERIENCECOOP EXPERIENCECT 2003.0CT 3013.0
  CT 2013.0CT 3203.0
  CT 2123.0INFO 3553.0
  Liberal Studies Elective3.0Free Elective3.0
  Science Elective I4.0Science Elective II4.0
 0 0 16 16
Fourth Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
COOP EXPERIENCECOOP EXPERIENCECOM 2303.0CT 4123.0
  CT 3123.0INFO 3243.0
  INFO 3103.0INFO 4203.0
  INFO 3653.0Computing Security Elective3.0
  Liberal Studies Elective3.0Free Elective3.0
 0 0 15 15
Fifth Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCredits 
CT 4003.0CT 4323.0CT 4963.0 
CCI Elective3.0CT 4913.0CCI Elective3.0 
Computing Security Elective3.0Free Electives9.0Free Electives3.0 
Free Elective3.0 Liberal Studies Elective3.0 
Liberal Studies Elective3.0   
 15 15 12 
Total Credits 185
*

COOP 101 registration is determined by the co-op cycle assigned and may be scheduled in a different term. Select students may be eligible to take COOP 001 in place of COOP 101.

Computing Technology Concentration

4-Year, 1 co-op

First Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
CI 1012.0CI 1022.0CI 1032.0VACATION
ENGL 101 or 1113.0CIVC 1011.0ENGL 103 or 1133.0 
INFO 1013.0CS 1713.0INFO 1033.0 
INFO 1513.0ENGL 102 or 1123.0INFO 153 or CS 1723.0 
MATH 1713.0INFO 1023.0MATH 1733.0 
UNIV CI1011.0MATH 1723.0UNIV CI1011.0 
 15 15 15 0
Second Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
COOP 101*1.0CT 3013.0CT 2003.0CT 3103.0
CT 1403.0CT 3303.0CT 2103.0CT 3203.0
CT 2013.0INFO 2103.0CT 3353.0INFO 3553.0
INFO 2003.0STAT 2014.0MATH 1804.0Liberal Studies Elective3.0
INFO 2153.0Free Elective3.0Science Elective I4.0Science Elective II4.0
Free Elective3.0   
 16 16 17 16
Third Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
COOP EXPERIENCECOOP EXPERIENCECOM 2303.0INFO 3243.0
  INFO 3103.0INFO 3663.0
  INFO 3653.0INFO 4203.0
  Computing Technology Elective3.0Free Electives6.0
  Liberal Studies Elective3.0 
 0 0 15 15
Fourth Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCredits 
CT 3553.0CT 3623.0CT 4153.0 
CCI Elective3.0CT 4913.0CT 4963.0 
Liberal Studies Elective3.0Computing Technology Elective3.0Free Electives6.0 
Free Electives6.0Free Electives6.0Liberal Studies Elective3.0 
 15 15 15 
Total Credits 185
*

COOP 101 registration is determined by the co-op cycle assigned and may be scheduled in a different term. Select students may be eligible to take COOP 001 in place of COOP 101.

5-Year, 1 co-op

First Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
CI 1012.0CI 1022.0CI 1032.0VACATION
ENGL 101 or 1113.0CIVC 1011.0ENGL 103 or 1133.0 
INFO 1013.0COOP 101*1.0INFO 1033.0 
INFO 1513.0ENGL 102 or 1123.0INFO 153 or CS 1723.0 
MATH 1713.0INFO 1023.0MATH 1733.0 
UNIV CI1011.0INFO 152 or CS 1713.0UNIV CI1011.0 
 MATH 1723.0  
 15 16 15 0
Second Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
COOP EXPERIENCECOOP EXPERIENCECT 1403.0CT 3013.0
  CT 2013.0CT 3303.0
  INFO 2003.0INFO 2103.0
  INFO 2153.0STAT 2014.0
  Free Elective3.0Free Elective3.0
  MATH 1804.0 
 0 0 19 16
Third Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
COOP EXPERIENCECOOP EXPERIENCECT 2003.0CT 3103.0
  CT 2103.0CT 3203.0
  CT 3353.0INFO 3553.0
  Liberal Studies Elective3.0Free elective3.0
  Science Elective I4.0Science Elective II4.0
 0 0 16 16
Fourth Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
COOP EXPERIENCECOOP EXPERIENCECOM 2303.0INFO 3243.0
  INFO 3103.0INFO 3663.0
  INFO 3653.0INFO 4203.0
  Computing Technology Elective3.0Free Electives6.0
  Liberal Studies Elective3.0 
 0 0 15 15
Fifth Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCredits 
CT 3553.0CT 3623.0CT 4153.0 
CCI Elective6.0CT 4913.0CT 4963.0 
Liberal Studies Elective3.0Computing Technology Elective3.0Free Elective3.0 
Free Elective3.0Free Electives6.0Liberal Studies Elective3.0 
 15 15 12 
Total Credits 185
*

COOP 101 registration is determined by the co-op cycle assigned and may be scheduled in a different term. Select students may be eligible to take COOP 001 in place of COOP 101.

Co-Op/Career Opportunities

Co-Op Options

Two co-op options are available for this program:

  • five-year/three co-op
  • four-year/one co-op

Co-op is not available for online students.

Career Opportunities

Graduates of the Computing and Security Technology program who complete a concentration in Computing Technology can pursue careers as information technologists and advanced technicians in a wide range of industries. Information technologists are capable of performing multiple IT tasks and accessing various information resources. The program gives students a unique set of applied skills that allow them to fill a number of roles as part of an information systems team. Graduates with a concentration in Computing Security pursue careers as advanced technicians who operate and administer the security tools, technologists who create and install security solutions, and leaders who define the security policies.

Job titles of recent computing and security technology graduates include:

  • Security Administrator
  • Chief Information Security Officer
  • IT Audit Manager
  • Project Manager
  • Lead Systems Engineer
  • Network Engineer
  • Server Engineer

Additional Information

Visit the Drexel Steinbright Career Development Center page for more information on career opportunities.

Facilities

3675 Market Street

The College of Computing & Informatics is located at 3675 Market. Occupying three floors in the modern uCity Square building, CCI's home offers state-of-the-art technology in our classrooms, research labs, offices, meeting areas and collaboration spaces. 3675 Market offers Class A laboratory, office, coworking, and convening spaces. Located at the intersection of Market Street and 37th Street, 3675 Market acts as a physical nexus, bridging academic campuses and medical centers to the east and south, the commercial corridors along Market Street and Chestnut Street, and the residential communities to the north and west.

The uCity Square building offers:

  • Speculative lab/office space
  • World-class facilities operated by CIC
  • Café/restaurant on-site
  • Quorum, a two-story, 15K SF convening space and conference center
  • Adjacent to future public square
  • Access to Science Center’s nationally renowned business acceleration and technology commercialization programs

Drexel University Libraries

The Drexel University Libraries is a one-stop resource for all members of the Drexel community, providing access to millions of print and online books, journals, databases and other media, as well as hundreds of online course and research guides, workshops, and tutorials. Expert librarians offer a variety of consultation services virtually or in person, including help with course-related projects, strategies for finding and evaluating authoritative information, and approaches to utilizing, organizing, and presenting scholarship.

Students in the College of Computing & Informatics also have access to the W. W. Hagerty Library where they can take advantage of the Libraries’ various learning environments, including group study rooms, collaborative and silent study areas, and 24/7 study space in the Dragons’ Learning Den. The Libraries also offers a wellness room, printing and scanning services, and laptops, portable power chargers, and other equipment you can borrow for use in the Library.

CCI Commons

Located on the 10th floor of 3675 Market Street, the CCI Commons is an open lab and collaborative work environment for students. It features desktop computers, a wireless/laptop area, free black and white printing, and more collaborative space for its students. Students have access to 3675 Market's fully equipped conference room with 42” displays and videoconferencing capabilities. The CCI Commons provides technical support to students, faculty, and professional staff. In addition, the staff provides audio-visual support for all presentation classrooms within 3675 Market. Use of the CCI Commons is reserved for all students taking CCI courses.

The computers for general use are Microsoft Windows and Macintosh OSX machines with appropriate applications which include the Microsoft Office suite, various database management systems, modeling tools, and statistical analysis software. Library-related resources may be accessed at the CCI Commons and through the W.W. Hagerty Library. The College is a member of the "Azure Dev Tools for Teaching” platform that allows students free access to a wide array of Microsoft software titles and operating systems.

The CCI Commons, student labs, and classrooms have access to networked databases, print and file resources within the College, and the Internet via the University’s network. Email accounts, Internet and BannerWeb access are available through the Office of Information Resources and Technology.

Computer Support for Teaching

The CCI server room houses a multitude of servers to support faculty research, staff operations, and student learning. Services provided include a Linux compute cluster which is open to all faculty, staff, and students, multiple virtualization environments to meet different needs of faculty, staff, and students, and other single-purpose servers to support various operations throughout the college. The compute cluster provides a common environment for students to develop software, which makes testing easier for the TAs and faculty. Our virtualization environments allow college members the flexibility of a cloud environment with local support and direct cost recovery options. For those who need dedicated hardware, we also support dedicated research systems.

Classrooms are outfitted with laser projectors, 4K displays, class capture hardware, and the Wolfvision Cynap. The Cynap controls the AV distribution throughout the room and can display up to 4 streams simultaneously. These include the local PC, a laptop connected directly to the podium, or up to 4 streaming devices. Windows, macOS, iOS and Android devices can all connect wirelessly to the presentation system, allowing collaboration and freedom to roam the classroom for better interactivity. Wireless networking and outlets are also available for students throughout the classrooms. Laptops are available for checkout from the CCI Commons desk.

Additionally, CCI is hosting and supporting multiple Virtual Computing Lab environments for students to use that mimics the physical computer labs in CCI. This technology allows both online and face to face students to have the same experience when using computing facilities.

CCI Virtual Environments

CCI hosts a variety of virtual environments, which support all levels of research, academics, and administration at CCI. These include OpenStack, Proxmox VE, VMWare, and Xen architectures, backed by storage in CEPH. Multiple environments allow CCI IT to provide researchers with the level of control appropriate for the project at hand and make efficient use of project funding. External cloud vendors such as AWS and Google Cloud Platform are also used when appropriate.

CCI continues to invest in these virtual environments, and explores emerging environments, to continue to best support CCI research and teaching. CPU cores, storage, and memory are added at every opportunity to these flexible, scalable environments. The current capacity of the system includes:

  • 1760 CPU Cores
  • 6 TB of Memory
  • Over 556 TB of HDD-backed storage
  • 122 TB of high-performance SSD-backed storage
  • 12 GPUs with room for expansion through funded research for high-performance computing needs

CCI Learning Center

The CCI Learning Center (CLC), located in 3675 Market Street's CCI Commons student computer lab, provides consulting and other learning resources for students taking courses offered by the Computer Science Department. The CLC is staffed by graduate and undergraduate computer science students from the College of Computing & Informatics.

The CLC and CCI Commons serve as a central hub for small group work, student meetings, and TA assistance. 

Research Laboratories

The College houses multiple research labs, led by CCI faculty, in 3675 Market Street including: the Metadata Research Center (MRC), Interactive Systems for Healthcare (IS4H) Research, Economics and Computation (EconCS), The TeX-Base Lab, SPiking And Recurrent SoftwarE (SPARSE) Coding, Human-System Evaluation and Analysis Lab (H-SEAL), Applied Symbolic Computation Laboratory (ASYM), Security and Privacy Analytics Lab (SePAL), Software Engineering and Analytics Research (SOAR), Software Engineering Research Group (SERG), Social Computing Research Group, Vision and Cognition Laboratory (VisCog). For more information on these laboratories, please visit the College’s research web page.

Program Level Outcomes

The College of Computing & Informatics works continually to improve its degree programs. As part of this effort, the Computing and Security Technology degree is evaluated relative to the following Objectives and Outcomes.

BS Computing and Security Technology Program Educational Objectives

Within three to five years of graduating, alumni of the program are expected to achieve one or more of the
following milestones:

  • Be valued contributors to private or public organizations as demonstrated by promotions, increased responsibility, or other professional recognition
  • Contribute to professional knowledge as demonstrated by published papers, technical reports, patents, or conference presentations
  • Succeed in continuing professional development as demonstrated by completion of graduate studies or professional certifications
  • Display commitment and leadership within the profession and community as demonstrated by contributions towards society's greater good and prosperity

BS Computing and Security Technology Program Student Outcomes

The program enables students to attain by the time of graduation:

  • An ability to apply knowledge of computing and mathematics appropriate to the program’s student outcomes and to the discipline
  • An ability to analyze a problem, and identify and define the computing requirements appropriate to its solution
  • An ability to design, implement, and evaluate a computer-based system, process, component, or program to meet desired needs
  • An ability to function effectively on teams to accomplish a common goal
  • An understanding of professional, ethical, legal, security and social issues and responsibilities
  • An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
  • An ability to analyze the local and global impact of computing on individuals, organizations, and society
  • Recognition of the need for and an ability to engage in continuing professional development
  • An ability to use current techniques, skills, and tools necessary for computing practice