Cloud Engineering Certificate
The Department of Computer Science is in the final stages of approval for the Cloud Engineering Certificate to be offered beginning Spring 2026. The certificate aims to provide Computer Science undergraduates with specialized knowledge and practical skills in cloud computing through coverage of essential topics, including networking, operating systems, cloud computing fundamentals, and cloud engineering. The certificate will equip students with the expertise to design, deploy, and manage cloud-based infrastructure and services.
Program Purpose: The primary objective of this certificate is to bridge the gap between academic coursework and industry demands, ensuring that graduates possess the both the underlying theoretical knowledge and technical proficiency required for careers in cloud architecture, DevOps, site reliability engineering (SRE), and cloud security. To accomplish this goal, the Cloud Engineering Certificate integrates foundational computing principles with advanced cloud technologies, fostering both theoretical understanding and practical expertise. The program enhances students' computational thinking, problem-solving abilities, and systems design skills, preparing them to tackle complex challenges in modern cloud infrastructure. Some of the key intellectual values of the program includes:
- Bridging Theory and Practice: The certificate reinforces fundamental concepts in networking, operating systems, and distributed computing while applying them to cloud-based systems. It helps students understand the concepts of virtualization, scalability, automation, and security
- Encouraging Systems Thinking and Design: Students develop a holistic perspective on cloud architecture, learning to design and optimize systems for efficiency, reliability, and scalability. The project-based approaches of the two core cloud courses in the curriculum will encourage a multi-layered approach to large-scale system engineering.
- Enhancing Computational and Analytical Skills: The program emphasizes automation, container orchestration, and infrastructure-as-code. This will encourage analytical thinking in optimizing cloud environments.
Required Course:
The Cloud Engineering Certificate requires the following technical elective courses:
| Course Number | Course Title | Semester Offered |
|---|---|---|
| CSC 331 | Operating Systems | Fall only |
| CSC 335 | Data Communications and Networking | Fall, Spring, Summer |
| CSC 468 | Introduction to Cloud Computing | Spring only |
| CSC 478 | Cloud Engineering | Fall only |
Learning Outcomes:
- Be able to formulate the definition of cloud computing based on essential characteristics, service models, and deployment models.
- Be able to understand enabling technologies including virtualization, containerization, and orchestration.
- Be able to develop various services and applications inside containers.
- Be able to deploy and enable access to containers inside cloud infrastructure.
- Be able to write programs that describe the deployment, installation, and configuration of complex services in the cloud.
- Be able to demonstrate understanding of -as-a-service (networking, firewall, storage).
- Be able to develop a complex infrastructure that support a full-stack set of services inside the cloud.
If you have any question, please contact Dr. Linh Ngo (Office: UNA 138 – Email: lngo@wcupa.edu)