SANS Masters Degree program!

Looks tough but very very rewarding in the end

MSISE: Master of Science Degree in Information Security Engineering

Thoughts??

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

ChooseLife

Thread 1

Thread 2

P.S. TE does not properly parse links to its own pages in posts... Can this be fixed, please....

qwertyiop

My only issue is that their program isnt accredited

HLRS

SANS "The cost per credit hour is $1200" wow?? thats a lot and its not accretited, you might wana look in to Norwich or even WGU

dt3k

qwertyiop wrote: »

My only issue is that their program isnt accredited

Think I'll pass on $40,000 for a non accredited degree.

phaneuf1

Never heard of that school... What's so special about it for being that expensive?

ChooseLife

phaneuf1 wrote: »

Never heard of that school... What's so special about it for being that expensive?

It's not a traditional school, but an organization providing Infosec training and certification. Their courses, despite the cost, are widely considered [by whom? citation needed] cream de la cream, the most in-depth InfoSec training one can get.

paul78

SANS is a well-known and well-regarded training corporation in the infosec space. You can find a forum on GIAC certifications which are affiliated with SANS on TE.

As a for-profit corporation, SANS does a great job at marketing its services and as a result has created a mystic about the prestigious nature of their work.

The quality of their training is considered good and the primary difference is that the lecturers that they attract are experienced industry veterans.

It largely depends on what you seek, if it's education and an accredited degree from a university, SANS probably isn't the place.

coty24

I definitely agree with the responses; I was so exited that I didn't see if it was accredited. SANS got enough street cred to make this happen. Any grad would be an Infosec super ninja. Yeah I saw the price point and that is too high, I don't even think army TA would cover it.

Valsacar

Yeah, Army TA wouldn't cover that. Only way I can think of would be if you were out and worked as a contractor for a company with a good education program. Get some of the certs on the companies dime (since they transfer in), then use GI Bill and company education program for the rest... that should cover it all. Of course, you can't use either until they are accredited.

SANS is good, I have no doubt that they'll become accredited as soon as they meet all the min requirements (which, strangely enough, requires that they have students).

the_Grinch

This program is actually pretty old and I would say the fact that they still aren't accredited does not speak too highly for them. $1200 a credit? My institution is only $840 a credit for graduate studies and is accredited. I'd steer clear till they are accredited.

amcnow

SANS was one of the schools I was researching for my master's degree. Like others have said, it is too expensive an non-accredited. There are some other great schools out there. The ones I will list are regionally accredited and still cheaper than SANS.

NOVA Southeastern
Graduate School of Computer and Information Sciences

UMUC
Cybersecurity - Master of Science - Graduate School - UMUC
Cybersecurity: Policy - Master of Science - Graduate School - UMUC
Information Technology: Information Assurance - Master of Science - Graduate School - UMUC
Management: Homeland Security Management - Master of Science - Graduate School - UMUC
Technology Management: Homeland Security Management - Master of Science - Graduate School - UMUC
http://www.umuc.edu/grad/gradprograms/msit-homelandsec-mgmt.cfm

WGU
Online IT Degree | MS in Information Security and Assurance

qwertyiop

While were on the topic also stay away from EC-Council's Masters program Masters program as they regionally accredited. Master of Security Science

phaneuf1

qwertyiop wrote: »

While were on the topic also stay away from EC-Council's Masters program Masters program as they regionally accredited. Master of Security Science

I'm not sure I get what you're saying.

qwertyiop

i meant that the arnt accredited

Devilry

$1400/ hr non accredited or GA Tech $1100/hr and one of the most top ranked school in the nation.. hmmm...

AlexNguyen

The SANS courses are that good...even the FBI is sending its cyber squad to learn from them.
Source: FBI cyber posse goes back to school - Nextgov.com

juliesk99

My .02 ~

SANS is about one year out from accreditation. The process takes a full 5 years to complete and they have passed 12 out of 13 steps with only the final one left. There is no way to speed this process up, and I am fully confident that they will be accredited within the next year or so. SANS is widely known and respected in the InfoSec field, and their courses will provide you with real-world skills, as opposed to a bunch of book knowledge that may or may not be useful to actually get you a job. The courses are correlated to GIAC certifications so you will have a large number of those if you complete this program. Finally, look into the SANS "Work Study" program on their web site - if you are an STI student, you will get preference to get selected for Work Study spots in SANS courses, which will save you thousands and thousands of dollars. PM me if you would like more info!

JulieSk

erpadmin

So...you go from asking for a WGU referral for the MS for Information Security program to shilling for SANS?

(just saying...)

demonfurbie

no way id pay that kinda cash

the return on investment would be too low at that price

Keener

I had glanced at it a few weeks ago. It looks interesting and, as others have stated, it is quite pricy. To me it seems geared more towards the executive level or entrepreneur. At that level the return would be a lot better than for Jim Bob!

erpadmin

If I were considering a MS-ISA degree, I'd look at George Mason (especially if I lived in the Commonwealth of Virginia.)

http://studentaccounts.gmu.edu/Forms/Fall2011graduate.pdf

$1200 for a non-accredited program, or $1100+ for a school that people have heard of.....[not sure if it's online or not, but GMU is a name that has popped up in the infosec space.]

swild

EC-Council is a total joke from what I have seen from them.

As Juliesk99 says above, SANS is about 1 year from accreditation. After that all previous graduates are are grandfathered in. If I had financial assistance of any sort and didn't have to pay all out of pocket, this would make my short list. I have no doubt they will have their accreditation before I graduate.

ptilsen

qwertyiop wrote: »

i meant that the arnt accredited

There's an edit button...

SANS may have a great rep in certain circles, but it's virtually unheard of outside those circles. When and if it becomes regionally accredited, it would be worth considering for anyone likely to stay employed within those circles. In the meantime, there are lots of choices from public and private regionally accredited schools with a lot of name recognition in and out of the IT security crowed. An online MS in IS/IA from Columbia or Carnegie-Mellon, for example, is going to carry a lot of weight pretty much anywhere, and those degrees are already available.

As has been pointed out by some of the infosec veterans here, SANS certification is expensive because it's almost exclusively paid for by employers for existing employees. Obviously pursuing it as an individual could yield some interesting career opportunities, but for the most part pursuing it individually is a lot of money -- and risk in spending that money and possibly failing -- for relatively little reward. Pursuing this "degree" just seems like an extension of that risk.

Again, once it's accredited and has some mainstream recognition, then we might be looking at some serious employment value. In the meantime, I think it would be wise to consider a more established alternative.

uyen_nguyen

I am on my way to apply for STI program. STI will bring you endless experience and the result after having STI Master is 8 GIAC certs including GSE and a Master degree.

the_Grinch

I can't express this enough, not accredited don't waste your time. Their certs are great and well known, I'll give you that, but their Masters is not. I don't care if they are a year away and meet every requirement I wouldn't risk the cash or time on a program like that. Working in academia has given me a unique view of the University system and how they operate (especially when it comes to hiring full/part time professors). You want a school that is known and accredited. Till then, save up your cash and if/when it happens then enter the program.

erpadmin

+1 (times a million) to what the_grinch stated up there...

Yes, SANS is great for certs, but for academia, it would just be too new. At least WGU, in its defense (and forget the fact that I an alumus of WGU) has been around for 15 years. SANS might not even make accreditation. Even if it does, I would not want any of you to be a part of the Great SANS Experiment when there are higher-valued places at either the same or lower price that will get you a graduate-level credential such as a Master's Degree.

The simplest thing I can tell you all...if given the choice between someone with a MS from SANS, or a MS from George Mason, or even NOVA...with all things considered equal, the holders of the MS from either of the latter schools will get looked at more closely. Heck, even WGU has a much better value than the SANS school, simply because WGU has existed as a regionally accredited school for over 15 years! Not to mention the price cannot be argued with...

ptilsen

WGU is definitely, 100% a better choice than SANS right now. You still get some certs; it's significantly cheaper (unless you really take your time), and it's a far more reputable degree from a regionally accredited school.

I would even say going to WGU and paying out-of-pocket for a few SANS certifications would make more sense than getting the SANS degree just because it comes with so many certifications. Appropriately certified with a reputable graduate degree makes a lot more sense than over-certified without a reputable graduate degree, IMO.

amcnow

The MSISA program at WGU includes the G2700 certification. That's one less SANS cert to pay for out-of-pocket.

YuckTheFankees

amcnow,

I do not think that's true.

Online IT Degree | MS in Information Security and Assurance

cyberguypr

Isn't the one they include G2700, not GSEC?