As sectors from health care to energy become increasingly digitized, the frequency of cyberattacks is surging - the risks made worse by a pronounced shortage in the global cybersecurity workforce.
In an effort to address this gap, the University of Toronto's Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering is introducing a cybersecurity certificate that will prepare for students for careers in one of a rapidly evolving field.
Set to launch in September 2026, the certificate will comprise several courses from the Edward S. Rogers Sr. department of computer and electrical engineering, but is open to all undergraduate engineering students.
"Cybersecurity has become a critical engineering issue from multiple perspectives, including national and digital sovereignty, economic stability and societal well-being," said Professor Deepa Kundur, chair of the Edward S. Rogers Sr. department of electrical and computer engineering. "Engineers working in sectors such as energy, manufacturing and health care, to name a few, need to understand how security threats intersect with design and operational decisions.
"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."
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.
In Canada, there has been a surge in high-profile cyberattacks in recent years. In 2023, the Toronto Public Library and five southwestern Ontario hospitals were targeted, resulting in months-long service disruptions and the theft of personal health information of more than 516,000 people.
As a result, Canada's 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 were 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, who holds a Canada Research Chair in Cybersecurity of Intelligent Critical Infrastructure.
"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 who enroll 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, lead on the new certificate program 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 or algorithms and data structures, enabling them to explore specific areas of interest in greater depth.
"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 more course offerings and expand into a formal undergraduate minor as well as a new professional master of engineering MEng emphasis in cybersecurity.
Kundur says students who participate in the certificate will be prepared for a variety of emerging roles in software, system and platform engineering, 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."
