ACP Internet of Things (IoT): Application Development and Business Integration

Overview

Gain the knowledge and skills required to take advantage of the next major shift in IoT development, from business processes to smart data-driven products and services. Students explore the tools, technologies, services, platforms, and languages used to create innovative connected devices.

UC Irvine’s 3-month post-graduate level Accelerated Certificate Program (ACP) in the Internet of Things (IoT) allows individuals to leverage this exciting digital transformation, understand the related technologies, and create solutions that focus on the benefits of simple interactivity and large-scale connectivity.

Course Delivery Format

Students can choose to take this course either on campus (beginning Fall 2021) or remotely. Students who choose to study remotely will receive the classroom instruction via state-of-the-art technology. Simply follow all the instructions to apply and make your selection for on-campus or remote study in Section 5 of the application.

Should I study on campus or remotely?

On-campus Study	Remote Study
Meet your teachers and classmates in person Access the beautiful UCI campus and enjoy its numerous resources Live in and interact with a community where English is spoken outside your classroom Interact personally with classmates, teachers, and UCI students before, during, and after class Surround yourself with the culture of Southern California	Study from a location that you choose Save time and money on travel and housing Accommodate your studies to your life situation: working, living outside Southern California, parenting Review recorded class meetings after each lesson Connect with classmates, teachers, and UCI student services virtually

Benefits

Explain different IoT technologies and their applications
Design organic computing devices that sense perceive and react appropriately
Utilize IoT standards for interoperability, machine-to-machine communication, and security
Explain the basic functionality of the Arduino and Raspberry Pi hardware systems
Understand how to secure and monitor the entire system of devices, the connectivity, and the information exchange, related network concepts including cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth LE, ZigBee, and ZWave
Examine the IoT of services that can change how you do business
Build a cross-functional model for integrating business opportunities
Gain a competitive edge in the global job market through an internship in a U.S. company

Who Should Attend

Those who are looking to build IoT services, learn IoT concepts, and increase their career options or who seek to enter this growing field. Participants will increase their understanding of IoT technologies, applications, and business expansion.

Certificate Requirements

To earn a certificate at UCI Division of Continuing Education, students must complete all required courses with a grade of “C” or better.

Curriculum

The Internet of Things (IoT)

The explosive growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) is changing our world. Fueled by dramatic increases in technology and the rapid drop in price for typical IoT components, IoT technologies are being used to sense, connect, and automate our lives. The IoT is changing the landscape of work, business, education, healthcare, and leisure. These changes are facilitated by IoT technology embedded in common objects around us, the cloud, and big data. This course will provide an overview of the exciting world of the IoT in which we are surrounded by smart and intuitive interfaces to the digital world. The course will include topics in related enabling technologies such as IoT platforms, networks, standards, protocols, data analytics, and machine learning. It provides an overview of specific applications. In the final course project, participants will propose their own idea for an IoT device.

Designing and Integrating IoT Devices

The “Internet of Things” is changing our world and the rapid drop in price for typical IoT components is allowing people to innovate new designs and products at home. In this class, we overview the current components of typical IoT devices and trends for the future. IoT design considerations, constraints, and interfacing between the physical world and your device will also be covered. You will learn how to make design trade-offs between hardware and software. Participants will use both the Arduino and Raspberry Pi hardware/software platforms. The Arduino and Raspberry Pi sense the environment by receiving inputs from add-on devices such as sensors and can control the world around them by adjusting lights, motors, and other actuators. In this class, you will learn how and when to use the different types of sensors and actuators, and how to connect them to devices. Since the external world uses continuous or analog signals and the hardware is digital, you will learn how these signals are converted back-and-forth and how this must be considered as you program your device. You will also learn how to build more sophisticated hardware systems using Raspberry Pi and related expansion boards to create fun and exciting IoT devices.

Networking and Securing IoT Devices

In order to be effective, IoT devices must communicate with the world around them. This class will begin with an overview of networking fundamentals that are essential to efficient IoT device design. We will then dive deeper into some of the networking issues that typically occur for IoT devices and how to solve them. Another key concern for networked IoT devices is security. Since there are now so many IoT devices in literally everyone’s daily life the technology is relatively new, security is a major concern for IoT device designers and their customers. Many existing IoT devices use out-of-date software which may be vulnerable to attack. We will cover how to design strong security into IoT devices to reduce the risk of security-related issues with the device.

Expressive Design with IoT Devices

This course covers the theory, design, programming, and manufacturing of hardware/software combination products. Students will create simple programs using a Raspberry Pi microcomputer and a c kit to learn the techniques and skills required to program in an embedded environment (low power, low or no disk space availability). Students will use a variety of computer codes and specialized techniques that are required to ensure the software can communicate with and control external hardware including sensors and servomotors. Students will learn to debug and optimize their designs through physical tests and the iterative design process. Students will select a group project to design and present an IoT device.

Business Integration of IoT Products and Services

Learn how IoT technologies transform business opportunities. Various industries will now utilize IoT technologies to connect devices and develop applications to integrate consumer and device data to create smart manufacturing into their business process. This course will explore the industry integration, business impact, connected industry, industry solutions, insights, and opportunities of taking a business to a digital platform. Topics include product direction, architecture, management, and business development, including product vision and strategy. Participants will learn collaborative design, development, and the engineering process to deliver products and services. Team collaboration is emphasized. This course will also define the market strategies from developing an impactful product, customer experience, solutions with a cross-functional team to the full lifecycle.

Internships

As an optional last course and for an additional fee of $2,900, you have the opportunity to apply academic theory and gain practical experience in a variety of businesses and industries for 10 weeks. A research project provides additional training. Also included in the internship are the Resume Development and Interviewing Skills workshops.

Learn More

Frequently Asked Questions

What time are ACPs offered?

Whether you choose to study on campus or remotely, classes are scheduled variously between 09:00 and 17:00 (California time). Students will learn their specific class times when they enroll.

Are there different attendance and participation requirements for on-campus and remote students?

On-campus and remote students have the same attendance and participation requirements.

Is part-time study available?

All ACP students must study full-time only.

What are the visa requirements of the program?

A F-1 student visa is required for full-time, on-campus study. No visa is required for remote study.

Are there internship opportunities available after ACP study?

Yes. ACP programs offer internship opportunities at Southern California companies for on-campus students. Remote students may choose a virtual internship.

Can ACP students apply for an OPT after their program?

F-1 students who maintained their F-1 status for one full academic year (3 consecutive quarters) may apply for an OPT. Remote students are not eligible to apply. Contact an international student advisor at immigrationofficials@ce.uci.edu for more information.

I have more questions not listed here. Who should I contact?

Please visit our “Contact Us” page. We are ready to support and welcome you!

Program Cost

Certificate Tuition: $7,900

Current Discounts

Remote Study
A 33% tuition discount will be applied for ACP remote study for the 2021-2022 academic year, through the spring 2022 quarter. If you continue remote study to a second ACP, you can receive a total of 50% tuition discount

In-Person Study
A 25% tuition discount will be applied for ACP in-person study for the Fall 2021 quarter

Approximate Total Cost (before any discounts, excludes airfare): $14,100 USD
You can view all the tuition and fees rates on our Tuition and Fees page