Important changes as of July 1, 2024
On July 1, 2024, IUPUI begins its next chapter as two separate universities—IU Indianapolis and Purdue University in Indianapolis. Computer & Information Science is no longer part of the School of Science at IU Indianapolis.
The information on this page is applicable only to current students who enrolled at IUPUI prior to the summer 2024 semester.
New students (fall 2024 semester or later) looking for information about computer science programs, majors, and certificates can visit Purdue University in Indianapolis and IU Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering.
The graduate certificate in Biometric Computing is a Purdue University degree offered in the Department of Computer and Information Science.
Biometrics is the study of how people use their biological features, such as fingerprints, irises, retina, face or voice for personal identification or verification. This method of identification is preferred over traditional methods involving passwords and PIN numbers for various reasons. First, the person to be identified is required to be physically present at the point-of-identification. Also, identification based on biometric techniques doesn’t require someone to carry a token or remember a password.
With the increased use of computers as vehicles of information technology, it is necessary to restrict access to sensitive/personal data. By replacing PINs, biometric techniques can potentially prevent unauthorized access to or fraudulent use of ATMs, cellular phones, smart cards, desktop PCs, workstations, and computer networks. While keys and passwords can be lost, forgotten, replicated, or stolen, biometric authentication requires an inherent part of a physiological being.
Various types of biometric systems are being used for real-time identification, the most popular are based on face, iris and fingerprint matching. However, there are other biometric systems that utilize retinal scan, speech, signatures and hand geometry.
A certificate in biometric computing will prepare you for careers in information security and human-computer interfacing. You will take courses in:
- Biometrics computing
- Computer graphics
- Data mining
- Pattern recognition
- Statistics
Understand the certificate requirements
You will complete 12 graduate credit hours. Upon completion of the certificate, you could opt to finish the requirements for a Master of Science degree. (Admission into the M.S. program is not guaranteed.)
These are the courses you will take:
- STAT 51100 (Statistics) or 59000 (Pattern Recognition)
- 59000 (Biometric Computing)
- 54900 (Intelligent Systems) or 57300 (Data Mining)
- 55700 (Image Processing and Computer Vision) or 55000 (Computer Graphics)