College of Aeronautics and Engineering
www.kent.edu/cae

About This Program

Want to design the systems that stand up to today’s most sophisticated cyber threats? The Cybersecurity Engineering program goes beyond code, preparing students to design, build and reinforce resilient systems that detect, withstand and recover from attacks to protect the critical infrastructure that powers everything from aviation and healthcare to defense and automation. Read more...

Contact Information

• cae@kent.edu | 330-672-2892
• Speak with an Advisor
• Chat with an Admissions Counselor

Program Delivery

• Delivery:
  • In person
• Location:
  • Kent Campus

Examples of Possible Careers

• Application security engineer
• Cloud security engineer
• Cybersecurity architect
• Cybersecurity engineer
• Cyber risk analyst
• Digital forensics analyst
• Governance, risk and compliance (GRC) analyst
• Identity and access management (IAM) engineer
• Incident response specialist
• Information security engineer
• Malware analyst
• Network security engineer
• Penetration tester (ethical hacker)
• Security consultant
• Security operations center (SOC) analyst
• Security operations manager

Admission Requirements

The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students who graduated from high school three or more years ago.

Admission to the Cybersecurity Engineering major is selective.

New Students: Admission into this major requires:

• Minimum 3.0 high school GPA
• Completion of high school algebra II or a college-level algebra course with a minimum C grade

Students who do not meet the above requirements will be admitted to the Computer Engineering Technology major, provided they meet the minimum admission requirements.

Current Students: Students accepted into other Kent State programs may request to change their major to Cybersecurity Engineering once they meet the following criteria:

• Minimum 3.000 overall Kent State GPA (starting with the fall 2026 admission term, minimum 12 credit hours completed at Kent State with a minimum 3.000 overall Kent State GPA is required)
• Minimum C grade in both MATH 11022 and PHY 13001 (starting with the fall 2026 admission term, minimum C grade in PHY 13001 is no longer required)

Transfer Students: Admission into this major requires:

• Minimum 12 credit hours of college-level coursework
• Minimum 3.000 overall GPA
• Minimum C grade in both MATH 11022 and PHY 13001 (or their equivalents) (starting with the fall 2026 admission term, minimum C grade in PHY 13001 is no longer required)

Transfer students who have completed fewer than 12 credit hours of college-level coursework will be evaluated on both collegiate and high school records and must submit a final high school transcript.

Students from countries or schools that do not specify math topics on their transcripts must demonstrate a minimum C grade in all math courses.

International Students: All international students must provide proof of proficiency of the English language (unless they meet specific exceptions) through the submission of an English language proficiency test score or by completing English language classes at Kent State’s English as a Second Language Center before entering their program. For more information, visit the admissions website for international students.

Program Requirements

Major Requirements

¹

ENGR 48099 and ENGR 48199 must be taken during the same academic year.

²

A minimum C grade must be earned to fulfill the writing-intensive requirement.

³

Preferred option for students: CS 10062, CS 20062, MATH 20011, PHY 13001 (and lab), PHY 13002 (and lab).

Graduation Requirements

Roadmap

This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this program. Students will work with their advisor to develop a sequence based on their academic goals and history. Courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.

University Requirements

All students in a bachelor's degree program at Kent State University must complete the following university requirements for graduation.

NOTE: University requirements may be fulfilled in this program by specific course requirements. Please see Program Requirements for details.

Kent Core Requirements

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Identify, formulate and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science and mathematics.
2. Apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental and economic factors.
3. Communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
4. Recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental and societal context.
5. Function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks and meet objectives.
6. Develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
7. Acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

The educational objectives of the program are the following:

1. Drive positive change in the community by engaging in careers in the field of cybersecurity, information systems and other engineering disciplines in a manner that promotes excellence and integrity.
2. Practice forward-thinking through continued education by way of graduate education, professional development and other continued self-motivated learning.
3. Successfully navigate the ever-changing trajectory of the world, practicing compassion while striving to meet personal career goals.

Full Description

The Bachelor of Science degree in Cybersecurity Engineering prepares students with problem-solving skills and a resourceful mindset to tackle cybersecurity threats in engineering systems. The program provides students with a working knowledge of analysis and evaluation of components and systems with respect to security and maintaining operations in the presence of risks and threats, with an emphasis on engineered systems. Students gain the understanding and skills necessary to address security issues pertaining to stakeholder needs and requirements (from a system engineering perspective) considering the lifecycle of the system from the outset. Design and development of systems, their components and associated networks to increase trustworthiness is a driving concern.