SANS Masters program

kiki162

I've been curious about the SANS Master for a while, however I enrolled in UMUC instead. I've read on here about student experiences at UMUC in the cybersecurity program, and the results have been somewhat mediocre.

I wanted to see if there was anyone on here that is enrolled in the SANS Masters program at all? Obviously they will take waivers for a certain number of classes/exams that you have taken/passed, thus reducing the high tuition rates. Wanted to get a take on any users that are enrolled, what classes/exams they got waivers for, and their overall experience so far.

BlackBeret

Same situation, same schools. I'll be following this.

Robicus

Hi kiki and BlackBeret,

I'm freshly enrolled in the SANS Master's program (MSISE), so I may be able to speak to this a bit. But I have to be honest-- I just started the program a week ago. Seriously!

I had an option to waive 401 but I decided against it. This is mainly because I had yet to take a SANS class so I thought it would be a good opportunity to ease myself into the program. I decided to go with SANS because I really do think that they're a leader in this space. BlackBeret: it looks like you have your GPEN, so I'm sure you can attest to the quality of instruction.

The master's program is really just an assortment of SANS courses, with the added mandate of doing gold research papers and additional project work.

I'm afraid this feedback may not be terribly useful, but I will definitely share my thoughts as I traverse through the program!
Thanks,

kiki162

@Robicus - I got questions for you...How are you paying for the program? Are you paying outright, or is your employer helping you out? During your application process and submission, how long did it take to get a response back from SANS stated you were admitted?

With the 401, I see why you waived it since you haven't taken the class/exam for it. Probably a good call.

Robicus

Hey kiki,

Great questions! I'm pretty fortunate-- my employer has a great tuition reimbursement program. That, coupled with remaining Veteran benefits, should just about cover the program.

I received the acceptance letter about 4 weeks after submitting it.

Hope that helps,

BlackBeret

Robicus, What type of time line are looking at from beginning to end? I know that when you do the Gold Papers outside of the Masters program it can take a long time. Also, are you able to do some of the classes concurrently?

Robicus

Hey BlackBeret,

I'm aiming to complete the program within 3 years. This is aligned to what the admissions staff encourage and how the program was developed. Though, I've heard students state that they're in year 4, for example.

Yup-- you can absolutely take courses concurrently. Each "Semester" is 4 months long and you'll typically be enrolled in 2 courses at a time.

Here is how a typical course works (the security ones that require the gold paper):
- Enroll and go through the SANS course
- Study and pass the corresponding GIAC certification
- Spend the rest of the semester (~ months) researching and completing Gold paper