RE: Masters in Information Security/Assurance

["Brandon Louder" <Brandon.Louder () mckennan org>]

I know with Dakota State University's MSIA program it does not make a
difference if you are on campus or not as when the instructors deliver
lectures the students have 3 options; they can be in the classroom, they
can be in a remote classroom via videoconferencing, or they can watch
the lecture online at their convenience. All students get the same
assignments and lectures, the only negative of being an online student
is having to call or e-mail when you have questions. In order to assist
with that the instructors moderate message boards for all students and
require them to contribute. They also facilitate group projects between
distance and conventional students. Labs are setup to be done remotely
as well. 

I would be surprised if Iowa State does not deliver their MSIA program
in a similar fashion.

-Brandon

-----Original Message-----
From: listbounce () securityfocus com [mailto:listbounce () securityfocus com]
On Behalf Of Elizabeth Tolson
Sent: Monday, May 12, 2008 9:40 AM
To: Nelson, James
Cc: Deepak Nuli; security-basics () securityfocus com
Subject: Re: Masters in Information Security/Assurance

I know many people who have graduated from Capitol College through
their on-line program and have gone on to get "top-dollar" jobs.  Not
many people are able to attend a college on campus as most of us work
full time and/or have families.

You do get a "name" degree and attend a graduation on campus like
everyone else.

Elizabeth

On Fri, May 9, 2008 at 5:30 PM, Nelson, James <jnelson () ad nmsu edu>
wrote:
> A degree from a major university with on-campus residency requirements
such as Purdue or Iowa State is always going to win out over the
"night-school" type degrees. Look for full-time faculty with terminal
degrees (Ph.D., J.D., D.Sci.). Schools with part-time, non-terminal
degree faculty are seen to be "training" as opposed to "educating". This
may be biased and unfair, but it is how the world works. I'm sure many
very good people come out of those programs and have successful careers.
But, if you want a high-level position, and you want it soon, it helps
to have a "name" degree.
> As a very viable option, consider an good MBA program supplemented by
a CISSP, CISA, or SABSA CSA certificate. My research shows that this is
the big dollar combo.
> Keep on learning!
>
> Jim
>
> James A. Nelson, Ph.D.
> Chartered Security Architect
>
>
> ________________________________________
> From: listbounce () securityfocus com [listbounce () securityfocus com] On
Behalf Of Deepak Nuli [dnuli () purdue edu]
> Sent: Friday, May 09, 2008 1:55 PM
> To: security-basics () securityfocus com
> Subject: Re: Masters in Information Security/Assurance
>
>
> I am currently pursuing my Interdisciplinary Master's in Information
> Security from Purdue University. It is similar to the MSIA program in
> ISU. Check out the link for more information:
> http://www.cerias.purdue.edu/site/education/graduate_program/ .
CERIAS,
> Purdue is considered to be the best research group in the field in US.
(
> http://news.uns.purdue.edu/x/2008a/080502SpaffordRanking.html ) . If
you
> have any specific questions regarding the course let me know and I
will
> be glad to answer.
>
> Jon Gucinski wrote:
> > I received my MSIA from Iowa State University in 2005...as a
> > disclaimer, I also did my undergrad there.
> >
> > One of the unique things about their program is their roll-your-own
> > setup.  It's an interdisciplinary program, between the business,
> > political science, computer science, computer engineering, and
> > mathematics departments.  Since everyone has their own objectives,
it
> > allowed students to choose their home department and course of study
> > to best suit them, while still getting a core curriculum of general
IA
> > topics.  The faculty were mainly excellent.  I do know they offer an
> > online certificate (short of a full masters), if travel is an issue.
> >
> > Before staying at ISU for my grad work, I was also accepted to the
> > MSIA program at Northeastern University in Boston.  Comparing the
two
> > programs (at the time), I felt that ISU's had a more developed
program
> > that I'd gain more from.
> >
> > In terms of value...that's going to be largely a personal/subjective
> > decision.  For me, I felt that my undergrad work left me poorly
> > prepared for a career in InfoSec.  The in-depth work I did going
> > straight through to the MSIA definitely fixed that.  However, it did
> > put me in a bit of a quandary...my education significantly
outstripped
> > my work experience when looking for a job and I feel that it may
have
> > scared away some prospective employers.  However, it did intrigue a
> > few as well, and it landed me an excellent job, well in advance of
> > where I thought I'd be at my age.
> >
> > Hope that at least begins to answer your question.  If you've got
more
> > specific questions, fire away.
> >
> > -Jon
>
> --
> Deepak Nuli, Master's Information Security
> Center for Education and Research in
> Information Assurance and Security (CERIAS)
> Purdue University
> 765-496-6767 (off), 765-631-1416 (cell)
> http://www.linkedin.com/in/deepaknuli


-----------------------------------------
Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended 
recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure, or 
distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and 
destroy all copies of the original message.