MS in Applied Computer Science

Talked everything over with my boss and settled on applying for the MS in Applied Computer Science at Dakota State University. I'll be doing my concentration in Cyber Operations. My counterpart has a friend who is completing his PhD there and he had nothing, but good things to say. They are priced very competitively and given my current workload programming is becoming very important. I suspect I'll have a number of pre-reqs to complete and I'm hoping that I can do those before a Fall 2015 start. I'll be keeping a thread active with my progress and reviews of DSU.

Find more posts tagged with

SAVE $250 on Your Boot Camp — Use Code "EXAM26"

Exclusively for TechExams members for Infosec Boot Camps starting before April 30, 2026

View Boot Camps

Comments

aftereffector

I'm very interested to hear about your experience with the prereqs for that degree. I have a liberal arts undergrad and I would like to butress that with a CS graduate degree, but I'm worried that I would need two years of prereq coursework.

moe12

Congrats! Keep us posted. Is this an online program?

the_Grinch

I have a BS in Computing and Security Technology, but only took one course in Java some time ago and since we weren't programmers a lot wasn't expected. In looking at the pre-reqs for the graduate courses I think I am looking at five classes before I can start the graduate courses. Thus I suspect I can probably be ready by the Fall of 2015, but I'll let you know what they say once I put everything in.

the_Grinch

I officially applied today! Sent in all my documents via mail and just waiting to hear back. I will say I dislike all the paper they make you use. Manually fill out the application and having to get letters of recommendation actually filled out was a bit cumbersome. But now the wait begins!

N2IT

Grinch keep us posted. Gratz!

philz1982

Talk with your advisor. I got a lot of the coding pre-reqs waived by sending in code I had written and architectual designs I had done.

philz1982

the_Grinch wrote: »

I officially applied today! Sent in all my documents via mail and just waiting to hear back. I will say I dislike all the paper they make you use. Manually fill out the application and having to get letters of recommendation actually filled out was a bit cumbersome. But now the wait begins!

Bug they crap out of them. I got them to accept me before the next review by bugging them. Also you can scsn your papers and send them in ( they don't tell you this on the website).

the_Grinch

Thanks philz! They should really tell you that on the website! I'll see how much they require, I'm under the impression it might be one course. But I'm not a professional coder so I could use the refresher.

the_Grinch

Got the email today....I was officially accepted into the DSU MSACS for Fall of 2015!!!! This was just an informal email to say I was accepted and that an official letter was to follow. I assume that this letter will cover what pre-reqs I need to take. For those wondering, my degree is in Computing and Security Technology. I did take one Java course and a few web development courses, but other then that it was a non-programming degree.

philz1982

Email your advisor its most likely mees. As what pre-reqs you have. I bypassed pre-reqs by sending in some code I've written

the_Grinch

Nice! Thanks Phil!

UnixGuy

Good luck mate! I'm about to submit the first assignment of my MS degree, I'll post an update soon

NotHackingYou

Please let us know how this goes for you.

nelson8403

Good luck! I'm submitting my application for their Doctorate in Cyber Security next week, hope to get accepted as well! Keep us posted!

the_Grinch

My boss is currently in the Doctorate program and loves it. Very technical, which is awesome.

N2IT

Hard skills > Soft skills? I tend to believe so.

philz1982

the_Grinch wrote: »

My boss is currently in the Doctorate program and loves it. Very technical, which is awesome.

My advisor was trying to sell me on the Doctorate and I was totally on board, I'd get a MS in ACS and a Doctorate! Then my wife walked in the room and said Phil, your taking to 2 masters and 7 certs, you are not doing more school!

Yes Boss!

the_Grinch

N2IT - Yup, but they do push soft skills throughout the course. As an example, my boss has to post weekly videos explaining various security topics and the class critiques them.

philz1982 - Haha! Yeah I looked at it, but felt it was best to just get the Masters and see where I am at that point. Big thing with a Doctorate is employability after. I mean I am happy in my position now and could stay until retirement, but if I were to look outside of here a lot of places would probably not call me since the D.Sc would be on the resume.

philz1982

I so want to pursue the MS ACS but I really need to stop going to school. I'm doing 4 classes this summer, 3 Fall, and 3 Spring and then technically I'm done with both my Masters, but then they came out with the ACS and MSA and I'm like oohhh ahhh comp sci and analytics... so tempting! I need a job where I get paid to learn.

the_Grinch

Yeah man I am really interested in the MSA and feel it would be assume to combined it with Cyber Operations. No use in collecting all that data if you can't make sense of it right?

philz1982

Actually the webex is discussing that right now. That is the biggest flaw of IDS/IPS, the velocity/volume of data and traditional analytics to respond with insight. Newer NoSQL architectures and in-memory data stores paired with phython/r driven analytics is very promising

the_Grinch

Exactly what I do now! Collect the data, clean it up, and right into Elasticsearch for analysis. Getting my Hadoop cluster up and running shortly for longer term analysis. A coworker just started building an analytics system using Python to trigger for certain things. Told him from the beginning Python was the way to go, but he now sees the light.

the_Grinch

Got my official acceptance letter today! The letter stated that I would have to complete four pre-req courses and I'm ok with that. I don't come from a computer science background and if I did make the jump from what I do now to developer I would want to know I do have the right knowledge. The courses I need to take are as follows:

Data Structures
Assembly Language
Programming Languages
Language Processing

Let the journey begin!

JoJoCal19

Hey Grinch, I take it you are about a month and a half in. Can you post an update and your current thoughts? I'm taking a look at the MSACS. I know for sure I'd have to take the pre-reqs as I don't have any programming background or classes to my name. What classes are you in this term? I was also wondering how your background in the various maths is. I've looked through some info (required and recommended readings, math) on the data structures and algorithms classes of CS degrees at various schools and I can't even begin to comprehend it.

zxbane

Grinch,

I'm requesting the same thing as JoJo - an update!

I originally was considering their MSIA degree, then changed my mind to MSIS to be more general, but now I am actually leaning towards the MSACS. Reason being that I am a Fedgov employee and I currently fall under the 2210 series (B.S. in IT and a MBA) and I've been mentored that pursuing the 1550 (Engineer/Scientist) path would be the most beneficial long term in terms of high band potential down the road. I already have the math requirements from my MBA however I need to meet the 15 credit hours of CompSci to qualify for the 1550 series.

Long story short, I am interested in this program but much like you Grinch and JoJo I also do not have a programming background and I anticipate I will likely need to take some pre-reqs, sort of sucks since it will extend the timeline to complete the program but it also means that I will have a valuable foundation.

How are the pre-reqs so far? Also, how is the workload in terms of work/life balance. I am set on pursuing a M.S. degree but I also have a little one and another on the way and want to maintain a healthy work/life balance too. Are you taking two courses at a time?

JoJoCal19

Hey zxbane, I actually heard from grinch directly via PM. He's pursued a different route. I will PM you what he sent me with regards to these questions.

NetworkNewb

I'm just going to bump this older thread up instead of starting a new one...

So has anyone here actually completed this MSACS program at DSU, or is currently in it? Wondering what you thought of the school, the courses, and teachers.

I've actually been chatting back and forth with a professor there and because my Bachelors wasn't in Comp Sci I would need to take 3-4 knowledge courses to make up for it. Possibly the same ones as Grinch mentioned earlier. My BS was in Computer Information Systems. The program definitely looks intersting to me and believe learning more programming and about software would be beneficial for the future.

Here is the course for those curious of what I'm talking about (would do the Cyber Operations specialization)
Program: Applied Computer Science, MS - Dakota State University - Acalog ACMS

JoJoCal19

I believe Philz is doing the MSACS.

NetworkNewb

Sounds good, I'll have to bug him... sent message to Grinch to ask about it as well.