Oregon State University is home to one of the most highly regarded online learning programs in the country and one of the first to have an honors option. Since 2023, students pursuing degrees online – who make up a third of all Oregon State learners – have had the option to complete their major through the Honors College, offering new opportunities for research, faculty collaboration and academic distinction to students studying across the world.
Fourth-year computer science major Derek Greene, who lives in Southern Oregon and works full time, is among the growing number of students navigating the Honors College experience online through Ecampus. When he started his degree, he didn’t expect to pursue undergraduate research — but the opportunities and mentorship he found in the honors program opened the door to research and helped him build lasting faculty connections.
“Living in Southern Oregon, about four hours away from Corvallis, I was looking for a four-year university in the state that I could enroll in without having to move,” Derek says. Balancing his education with a daytime work schedule, flexibility was a must. OSU’s nationally recognized online computer science program stood out. “It was the best nationally accredited program I could find,” he says.
“I’ve always known I wanted to study computer science, but I never planned on doing research,” says Derek. “I was initially drawn to the honors degree, and the Honors College introduced me to the possibility of research, which has now become a highlight of my undergraduate experience.”
With a year left in his bachelor’s degree, he has defended his thesis, Mapping the Attack Surface of Domain Control Validation in TLS Server Certificate Issuance. His project examines web public key infrastructure (PKI) and domain control validation (DCV). The most memorable part of his research, Derek says, was “developing a novel approach to measure how DCV methods are used across certificate authorities (CAs).”
Mentorship is one of the most valuable aspects of the honors thesis experience, helping students navigate challenges, refine their ideas and build confidence as researchers. For Derek, that support came from Zane Ma, an assistant professor in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. After reaching out to several faculty members during his third year, he connected with Ma and began focusing on cybersecurity — a topic that quickly became central to his academic interests.
Derek’s research has already “sparked interest from the Chrome security developers at Google,” and he is preparing to present a paper at USENIX, one of the top cybersecurity conferences in the country. “It’s been a great experience, and the work I’ve done with Dr. Ma has shaped not just my thesis, but the direction I want to go in my career,” he says.
With his honors thesis completed, Derek is looking forward to graduating in spring 2026. He plans to continue his research through a master’s program at Oregon State, building on the foundation he developed as an honors student.
“The Honors College is definitely the reason I’m where I am today,” he says. “It pushed me to think more critically, connect with faculty and dive into research — it’s completely shaped the direction of my academic journey.”
By Shion Britten, Student Writer
