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A Technical History of the SEI

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S<strong>of</strong>tware Assurance Curriculum for Colleges and Universities<br />

The Challenge: Demand for S<strong>of</strong>tware Assurance Expertise<br />

S<strong>of</strong>tware plays a critical and central role in our personal lives and in <strong>the</strong> workplace, but it <strong>of</strong>ten<br />

has availability, reliability, safety, and security problems. The Bureau <strong>of</strong> Labor Statistics’ Occupational<br />

Outlook Handbook 2010-2011 Edition [BLS 2011] highlights <strong>the</strong> need for s<strong>of</strong>tware assurance<br />

expertise. It states,<br />

Concerns over “cybersecurity” should result in <strong>the</strong> continued investment in s<strong>of</strong>tware that<br />

protects computer networks and electronic infrastructure. The expansion <strong>of</strong> this technology<br />

over <strong>the</strong> next 10 years will lead to an increased need for s<strong>of</strong>tware engineers to design and<br />

develop secure applications and systems, and to integrate <strong>the</strong>m into older systems.<br />

Unfortunately, <strong>the</strong>re are too few experienced pr<strong>of</strong>essionals with <strong>the</strong> breadth and depth <strong>of</strong> s<strong>of</strong>tware<br />

assurance knowledge that is essential to meet today’s needs. In <strong>the</strong> future, <strong>the</strong> demand will greatly<br />

exceed <strong>the</strong> supply <strong>of</strong> skilled engineers—unless action is taken now.<br />

A Solution: Educate Future Practitioners<br />

DHS sponsored <strong>the</strong> <strong>SEI</strong> to build a model curriculum for s<strong>of</strong>tware assurance education and define<br />

strategies to implement it. DHS had already worked with <strong>the</strong> <strong>SEI</strong> on <strong>the</strong> Build Security In website<br />

(https://buildsecurityin.us-cert.gov/) and recognized that <strong>the</strong> principle <strong>of</strong> building security in at <strong>the</strong><br />

start had to extend to <strong>the</strong> workforce. In response to <strong>the</strong> DHS request, <strong>the</strong> <strong>SEI</strong> developed a curriculum<br />

model for a master <strong>of</strong> s<strong>of</strong>tware assurance (MSwA) degree [Mead 2010a]. The <strong>SEI</strong> curriculum<br />

developers surveyed industry executives to understand <strong>the</strong>ir needs and worked with <strong>the</strong> academic<br />

community for contributions, refinement, and feedback on <strong>the</strong> curriculum. In particular, <strong>the</strong> <strong>SEI</strong><br />

collaborated with faculty from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Monmouth University, and<br />

Stevens Institute <strong>of</strong> Technology. Stevens was <strong>the</strong> first to implement a track corresponding to <strong>the</strong><br />

curriculum.<br />

The curriculum presents a body <strong>of</strong> knowledge that faculty can use to create a master <strong>of</strong> s<strong>of</strong>tware<br />

assurance degree program, ei<strong>the</strong>r as a stand-alone program or as a track in existing s<strong>of</strong>tware engineering<br />

and computer science programs. The <strong>SEI</strong> and its collaborators developed syllabi for all<br />

nine courses [Mead 2011a], a bibliography <strong>of</strong> resources, and an overview seminar. 10 The seminar<br />

was first presented as a conference workshop [Mead 2010c]. The <strong>SEI</strong> also produced a podcast describing<br />

<strong>the</strong> curriculum [Mead 2010d]. In 2011, <strong>the</strong> curriculum was recognized by <strong>the</strong> IEEE and<br />

<strong>the</strong> ACM pr<strong>of</strong>essional societies as a model curriculum for a master’s degree program in s<strong>of</strong>tware<br />

assurance, a significant achievement.<br />

10 All materials are available on <strong>the</strong> CERT website: http://www.cert.org/curricula/s<strong>of</strong>tware-assurancecurriculum.cfm.<br />

CMU/<strong>SEI</strong>-2016-SR-027 | SOFTWARE ENGINEERING INSTITUTE | CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY 73<br />

Distribution Statement A: Approved for Public Release; Distribution is Unlimited

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