DCs in CyberSecurity at DSU

NetworkNewb

Has anyone ever done the DCs in Cyber Security at DSU on here?

The courses look very interesting! I got my BS in CIS right now, so not sure what if that would qualify as the prereq. Just sent them an email asking what I would need to do to get in.

Doctor of Science in Cyber Security | Dakota State University

nelson8403

I looked at DSU and the program does look great but I went a different direction so I didn't end up taking it, I know there are members who are in the Masters program (one in particular his boss is in the doctorate program) so they might be able to give you an idea.

Prereq would be a Master in Computer Science or Information Security, GRE or GMAT test with a good enough grade for admission and letters of recommendation from teachers/peers

NetworkNewb

on their site it says:

To apply, you need to have:

• Baccalaureate degree from an institution of higher education with full regional accreditation for that degree. International students must have an undergraduate (bachelor’s) degree that is the equivalent to a four-year undergraduate degree in the U.S. Students must have a bachelors or master’s degree in computer science.

Since it says bachelors or masters that why I'm curious... I don't know if a CIS degree would count though. The CIS degree at my college was literally only 2 different classes than the CS degree

nelson8403

It most likely means you can have your masters degree in something other than computer science as long as you have a bachelor degree in computer science.

ajs1976

NetworkNewb wrote: »

on their site it says:

Since it says bachelors or masters that why I'm curious... I don't know if a CIS degree would count though. The CIS degree at my college was literally only 2 different classes than the CS degree [/SIZE]

Do you have 2 courses of the same programming language and a data structures course? On an older version of the site they listed that as a minimum for some of the programs that asked for a CS bachelors degree.

NetworkNewb

I don't like their wording in the requirements if that is the case Either way, I'll probably end up getting my Master's there if that is case... Looks like some of their Master's courses over lap into the Doctor's required courses.

Hopefully hear back from them soon.

nelson8403

the_Grinch is in that program now, he can probably tell you more information about the program

NetworkNewb

ajs1976 wrote: »

Do you have 2 courses of the same programming language and a data structures course? On an older version of the site they listed that as a minimum for some of the programs that asked for a CS bachelors degree.

Oh yea, a bunch of programming courses. I know there was at least 1 data structure course in there. Been a few years since I looked at those transcripts.

BlackBeret

Do a search on here, I believe it was philz that posted the other day about it. He's doing something along the lines of Masters-Doctorate program.

NetworkNewb

yea, I sent him a PM. He has to the Master's because his Bachelor's wasn't computer science if I can remember right.

philz1982

Yep they are strict on the cs degree either ms or bs. Talked to the dept head and he said they had a 5% acceptance on the first cohort. The DSc is focused on software exploitation.

If i remember right they bring in one of the creators of IDA pro for the reverse engineering course and during the on campus seminars they have folks from us-cert, DoD, and the NSA.

I have a 4.0 with two classes left in the MSIA and then will be doing the ACS to bridge into the DSc.

xeruan

If you, or anyone else enrolls in the program, I'm interested to hear how it goes. I've been trying to (very tentatively) plan for the future, and the DSc has peaked my interest.

the_Grinch

My BS is in Computer and Security Technology and I have only taken two college level programming courses (Java and Visual Basic). After they reviewed my transcripts they told me I would need to take the following courses in order to start the program:

CSC300 - Data Structures
CSC314 - Assembly Language
CSC461 - Programming Languages
CSC466 - Language Processing

Given that you have a BS that was two courses different then a Computer Science degree you probably won't need to take any pre-reqs. I believe my boss's BS was in a program similar (CIS, but it was really CS). They did give him an issue about it, but when he asked that they review the transcripts they let him in with no pre-reqs (for the DSc). I'd suggest applying and then talking to them if there are issues. They seem to be very reasonable with just about everything.

the_Grinch

My boss is in the DSc program and has really enjoyed it. He has told me on multiple occasions that not only are the instructors really good, but the students are as well. In particular one course required each student present for 15 minutes on a given topic each week. He told me that he was really impressed with a lot of the student videos. I will say it is a ton of work as he is taking three courses at a time and I won't say that he's stressed, but you can definitely tell he is busy. This week he started Advanced Malware Analysis, I will post an update on his thoughts about it when he gets a bit further in, if people are interested.

cbolar

That would definitely be appreciated, I am currently working on my Bachelors at WGU and I'm interested in DSU or Capitol once everything's finished.

xeruan

the_Grinch wrote: »

I will post an update on his thoughts about it when he gets a bit further in, if people are interested.

I'd definitely be interested. Even though it'll be a few years before I can even start the program - it is something that I want to keep in mind for tuition reimbursement in the future.

NetworkNewb

the_Grinch wrote: »

This week he started Advanced Malware Analysis, I will post an update on his thoughts about it when he gets a bit further in, if people are interested.

Definitely! Those DCs courses look so interesting, the more I look at them the more I want to do them. Might have to do the MSACS first. But I was happy to see they have CyberOperations specialization in there.

zxbane

I just enrolled in their MSIA program and I will be starting in August. Pretty excited about it after hearing nothing but great reviews and feedback.

NetworkNewb

Well after talking with DSU it sounds like they are pretty strict on the "Computer Science" degree. They are going to forward my transcripts to the Program Director but she didn't sound too confident. I was thinking maybe just finish the 2 classes for the CS at my previous college but in the few years since I graduated they redid alot of the programs...

Looks I will be needing to take the MSACS at DSU! Going to start working on getting the application filled out tonight

NetworkNewb

Just got another email back from DSU today and they said:

"The committee has encouraged you to apply for our D.Sc. in Cyber Security program. If you would like to still apply for Fall 2015, I would suggest getting your materials in as soon as possible since the deadline has already passed."

Going to start filling out the application for this one today now, here goes nothing!!

zxbane

Awesome, congrats! Be sure to keep us updated on how the program goes, I am keeping that in my long term sights after completing my MSIA with DSU. That is a big part of the reason I chose them for my MSIA

the_Grinch

Yup you should be fine. As I said, my bosses undergraduate degree was in CIS (Computer Information Systems I believe), but it was for all intensive purposes a computer science degree. They review his transcripts and course descriptions, then they admitted him to the program. Good luck!

NetworkNewb

Asked DSU if they awarded the MSACS along way, this was their exact response:

"It is a possibly to do that but in order to apply for our D.Sc. in Cyber Security program you would need a bachelor’s or master’s degree in Computer Science. If you already have a master’s in computer science it wouldn’t make sense to get your MSACS degree from our school too J. But if you are coming in with a bachelor’s of computer science you could get your MSACS from DSU. If you got admission into our D.Sc.in Cyber Security program and then decided you also wanted the MSACS you would apply for our MSACS program, see if you get admitted and go from there.

I hope that made sense J."

NetworkNewb

Interesting... after looking into the MSASC more. It looks like if you take the MSASC and specialize in the CyberOperations everyone of those classes are in the DSc CyberSecurity program. Think that person I talked to didn't actually realize that.

edit: so if anyone is interested in the doing the DSc CyberSecurity, might as well register for the MSASC if you are worried about getting in!

I'm pretty sure I'm just going to apply to the Master's program just to make sure I get in and start doing the classes...

xeruan

Building on your most recent information, NetworkNewb, I called the other day because I will begin working on my MS in CS at another school in January 2016. If you already have a MS CS from a regionally accredited school, they will allow you to transfer up to 27 credit hours, which removes the Computer Science and Cyber Operations Masters Core.

LithopeL

So I talked with someone in admissions for the DSc in Cyber Security and the lady said if I can get my application to them by June 8 that I can still be considered for Fall 2015 entry.

kurosaki00

the_Grinch wrote: »

My BS is in Computer and Security Technology and I have only taken two college level programming courses (Java and Visual Basic). After they reviewed my transcripts they told me I would need to take the following courses in order to start the program:

CSC300 - Data Structures
CSC314 - Assembly Language
CSC461 - Programming Languages
CSC466 - Language Processing

Given that you have a BS that was two courses different then a Computer Science degree you probably won't need to take any pre-reqs. I believe my boss's BS was in a program similar (CIS, but it was really CS). They did give him an issue about it, but when he asked that they review the transcripts they let him in with no pre-reqs (for the DSc). I'd suggest applying and then talking to them if there are issues. They seem to be very reasonable with just about everything.

If they recommend Assembly for a cyber sec degree, I really hope they get into the nitty gritty security details. You're basically dealing with architecture, physical component n stuff. I mean, debugging binary code.
If the degree does not get into that, then it's a waste of money.
If it does get into that, thats a pretty sweet degree.

philz1982

The degree is focused on software and 4 of the courses require x86/64

[h=3]CSC 842 - Security Tool Development[/h]3 creditsA software development class that emphasizes custom scripts and software tools to conduct specialized security assessment in an automated manner. Students will learn to rapidly develop custom tools that are applicable in both attacking and defending software systems and network environments. The course will also include analyzing current open sources security tools to identify and develop extensions and additional functionality.

[h=3]CSC 844 - Advanced Reverse Engineering[/h]3 creditsAn in-depth investigation into advanced software reverse engineering procedures and associated software packages. Heavy emphasis will be placed on reading, understanding, and manipulating Assembly language and computer architecture.

[h=3]CSC 846 - Advanced Malware Analysis[/h]3 creditsThis course covers advanced techniques used in malware analysis. Topics will focus heavily on static analysis of unknown binaries utilizing reverse engineering tools and procedures. The course will also cover advanced anti-malware analysis processes such as: Anti-reverse engineering methods and advanced obfuscation practices employing packers and anti-debugging processes. A solid understanding of x86 assembly language and a familiarity of IDA pro are suggested.

[h=3]CSC 848 - Advanced Software Exploitations[/h]3 creditsThis course is designed to expose students to advanced software exploitation techniques including but not limited to: heap and ROP exploitation, by passing DEP and ASLR, reverse engineering, and custom shell code creation. Students should be familiar with the use of automated exploitation tools and have a solid understanding of manual exploitation in a Windows and Linux environment including: crash analysis, debugging, fuzzing, shell code generation and more.

LithopeL

@philz what type of computer would you recommend? I have a Mac Pro and I also have a toshiba....