A curricular framework for critical infrastructure protection education for engineering, technology and computing majors

The 16 critical infrastructure sectors identified by the US Department of Homeland Security employ many engineering, technology and computing graduates who increasingly face critical infrastructure protection (CIP) issues. However, most undergraduate curricula in these disciplines do not incorporate CIP in any meaningful way. This paper proposes a flexible curricular framework for integrating CIP into undergraduate education via self-contained inter-disciplinary CIP course modules; a course module is a distinct curricular unit such as a lab or teaching component for use by an instructor in existing courses without requiring any course or program modifications. The proposed course modules cover physical, human, and cyber aspects of CIP. The framework is designed for use in multiple disciplines, and the modules are designed for presentation at different levels of the undergraduate experience, with subsequent modules building on those presented earlier. This approach is intended to prepare students for careers solving problems in design, implementation, and maintenance of robust, sustainable infrastructure assets.