2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The State of the Practice Integrating Security in ABET Accredited Computer Science Programs

Presented at Software Engineering Division (SWED) Technical Session 1

Within the computing fields, concerns related to security continue to grow. Since the early 2000’s, cyberattacks against deployed software systems have grown significantly. In 2017, recognizing this concern, a modification to the program accreditation criteria for computing programs was proposed and accepted which explicitly required topical coverage of security accredited programs. Since taking effect in 2019, all accredited computing programs have had to demonstrate proper coverage of the topic as part of the accreditation process. While the criteria require that the topic of security be covered, the implementation is left open to individual programs. This article will provide a snapshot of the state of the practice of how security is integrated into program curricula by analyzing a subset of the ABET accredited Computer Science programs. The article will identify at a high-level scope the topics that are covered in the programs, as well as provide an overview of other aspects of the institutions which impact the depth and breadth of security coverage available to undergraduate students.

Authors

Dr. Walter W Schilling Jr. Milwaukee School of Engineering [biography]

Walter Schilling is a Professor and Cybersecurity Minor Coordinator in the Dwight and Dian Diercks School of Advanced Computing at the Milwaukee School of Engineering. He earned his B.S.E.E. from Ohio Northern University and his M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Toledo. Before returning for doctoral studies, he worked as an Embedded Software Engineer for Ford Motor Company and Visteon for several years. Schilling has also spent time at NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, and has consulted for various embedded systems companies in the Midwest.

In addition to holding one U.S. patent, Schilling has numerous publications in refereed international conferences and journals. He was awarded the Ohio Space Grant Consortium Doctoral Fellowship and has received recognition from the IEEE Southeastern Michigan and IEEE Toledo Sections. He is a member of IEEE, IEEE Computer Society, and ASEE.

At MSOE, Schilling primarily teaches in the software engineering program, where he coordinates courses in software verification, real-time systems, DevSecOps, network security, and other cybersecurity topics.

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 22, 2025, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 25, 2025

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