CyberCREWS

Program Details
In response to the recent surge in cybercrimes targeting critical government, business, and social infrastructures, the field of cybersecurity has emerged as one of the most promising career paths of the decade. With an expected growth rate of over 30% by 2032, the demand for highly skilled professionals in information and cybersecurity is skyrocketing. To address this need, the University of North Texas's Department of Information Science is excited to offer an innovative cybersecurity certificate program with the support from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. This program equips students to tackle security threats comprehensively, covering both the human and technological aspects. If you are a domestic undergraduate or graduate student looking to enhance your expertise in this crucial field, you may be eligible for financial support to cover the program's costs. Check the eligibility criteria and scholarship requirements today, and take the first step toward a rewarding career in cybersecurity!

Program Details

• 12-credit hour undergraduate certificate in Cybersecurity for Data Scientists with classes designed by expert UNT faculty with support from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. 
• Can be completed as a standalone certificate program or as part of your undergraduate degree (simply complete the required classes below to count towards the certificate). 
• Funding opportunities are available for some students (see details below)!

Course Requirements and Rotation

Four classes are required to complete the certificate:

Funding Eligibility Criteria
Tuition funding support is available to 15 students each year. Funding decisions are competitive and are not guaranteed. In order to apply for tuition funding, prospective students should meet these minimum qualifications:

• Be a U.S. Citizen.
• Applicants should have an undergraduate GPA of 3.5 or higher. Those who have completed a graduate program should have a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
• Demonstrate prior coursework, knowledge, or experience of basic cybersecurity principles, or have an undergraduate major or minor in cybersecurity, data science, or information science.

Students who identify as members of traditionally marginalized groups are encouraged to apply! 

Students who are selected to receive funding will receive $2500 credited to their student account for the first semester they are enrolled (2 courses) and another $2500 for their second semester (2 courses), contingent on successful completion of the first two courses. 

Certificate Program Funding Application Form:

• Enrollment for Fall 2025 Opens March 20, 2025 for Seniors (find all dates on registrar's website). 
• Enrollment for New Undergraduate Students Opens April 10, 2025. 
• Deadline for Submitting Funding Application: Wednesday, April 30, 2025 at 11:59PM Central US Time. 
• Funding Decisions Will Be Announced by Friday, May 16, 2025. 

For information about admissions and enrolling in the certificate program courses, please contact the UNT College of Information advising office at ci-advising@unt.edu. 

CyberCREWS Research Projects

The following are major faculty research projects supported by CyberCREWS. If you are a U.S. Citizen enrolled at UNT who is interested in collaborating on one of these projects, please contact the lead researcher for more information.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) as Teammates for Cybersecurity Data Science: Achieving Cyber Threat Intelligence through Collaborative Information Behavior

Lead Researcher: Dr. Hsia-Ching Carrie Chang

The Artificial Intelligence (AI) as Teammates for Cybersecurity Data Science project aims to address gaps in cybersecurity data science (CDS), particularly in data management, cross-domain collaboration, and scientific methodology. This project focuses on collaborative efforts between individuals, specifically early career academic members and students, to understand how human-AI interaction influences the collaborative search, retrieval, use, and sharing of threat information in the context of cyber threat intelligence (CTI). Using ethnographic decision tree modeling (EDTM), the study will explore the decision criteria at key points in the CTI cycle, investigating how human-AI teams make decisions in cybersecurity data science.

 

EAGLE'S EYE: Effective Agents for Vulnerability Detection and Visualization in Critical Cyberinfrastructure Protection

Lead Researchers: Dr. Gahangir Hossain and Dr. Suliman Hawamdeh

The EAGLE'S EYE project aims to examine suitable cognitive models for automatically monitoring vulnerabilities in critical cyberinfrastructures. This project seeks to experiment with cognitive cybersecurity models to predict and respond to emerging cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities. It aims to bring forth an effective prediction model and visualization solution that can collect and present real-time data from various sources of cyberinfrastructure at minimal energy, memory, and time costs.

 

Cognitive CyTutor: Development of Intelligent Cybersecurity Training System in Re-Skilling or Up-Skilling Cybersecurity Knowledge

Lead Researchers: Dr. Gahangir Hossain and Dr. Kinshuk

The CyTutor project focuses on integrating intelligent tutoring systems suitable for cybersecurity training, emphasizing hands-on experience, team skill development, and real-life fidelity. Leveraging various ITSs such as AutoTutor, MetaTutor, Deep Tutor, and Virtual Reality-based tutor, the project aims to link active learning with information systems, web-based projects, and cybersecurity courses. This project will support flexible, individualized learning, allowing students to take skill tests, search for courses, and rebuild necessary skills for cyber challenges.

 

ACTOR: Anticipating Cyber Threats in Organizations

Lead Researcher: Dr. Tozammel Hossain

The project focuses on anticipating cyber threats by understanding the stages leading to an attack through mining digital traces left by cyber actors during target selection, identification of vulnerabilities, acquisition of exploits, and communication with other actors. The project will develop an end-to-end prototype for forecasting emerging cyber threats, employing machine learning methods for time series prediction based on historical data. The models will capture patterns in historical data to enhance predictions of new cyber-attacks. Additionally, external web data sources will be leveraged to improve prediction accuracy.

 

Blockchain for Cybersecurity: Improving Accessibility and Inclusivity for Minority Communities

Lead Researcher: Dr. Brady Lund

The continuous evolution of technology has heightened cybersecurity threats, necessitating secure methods for data storage and management. Blockchain technology, with its decentralized and transparent attributes, holds promise for revolutionizing cybersecurity. However, challenges persist, particularly in ensuring accessibility and inclusivity for minority communities. The Blockchain for Cybersecurity projects seeks to address these challenges by understanding the cultural and linguistic needs of minority communities and devising culturally responsive strategies for implementing blockchain technology in cybersecurity.

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Cyber-CREWS Research Publications and Presentations

Lund, B. D., Lee, T., Wang, Z., Wang, T., & Mannuru, N. R. (2024). Zero trust cybersecurity: Procedures and considerations in context. Encyclopedia, 4(4), 1520-1533. 

Lund, B. D. (2024). Blockchain Applications in Higher Education Based on the NIST Cybersecurity Framework. Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice, 2024(1), article 18.

 

Cyber-CREWS Graduate Assistants

 

Cyber-CREWS Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows

Many of our alumni are actively seeking employment opportunities and would love to hear from potential employers! 

Year 1 (Summer 2024)
Erin Beuerlein
Srikar Kanthala
Caitlyn Mote
Isaac Setford

For information about our Year 2 (Summer 2025) cohort, please contact Gahangir.Hossain@unt.edu. Applications will be available in Spring 2025. 

 

Affiliations

Critical Infrastructure Resilience Institute at the University of Illinois, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence 

Funding for this project was generously provided by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Scientific Leadership Award.