MSc Information Security thoughts

altdrugz

I am thinking of applying for a MSc Information Security in a .uk university and I have the following doubts...

First of all my bachelors degree is in Business Administration (!) therefore I am not sure if I will be able to be accepted. I have reached some universities and confirm (and thats positive) that I am able to do so (atm im waiting for 4 more universities to answer me back).

About the money that it takes, it looks that mostly universities are pricing this around 9000 british pounds
(sadly...) . Depending on the location I should be able to have already some cash (specially in London I think it takes more than 10k annualy to be alive and having a home or better-> a place to sleep..!)

I am trying to find out a list or an "assesment" (?) of the prestige and a value-for-money count.. of the universities and their postgraduate courses but it seems that there is no list. I found this -> Computer Science - Top UK University Subject Tables and Rankings 2013 - Complete University Guide but it looks like its more focused in the undergraduate diplomas and not for the MSc.

Also I found a MSc Network Security in the open university -> T828 - Network security - Open University Course and it has some very positives for me such the remote learning etc but ofcourse I dont know if it has a good "fame" or if the graduates have good prospects in the field.

About the prestige of their MSc I saw in the Royal Holloway's uni that this postgraduate is under the ISG team which ofcourse are creditable.

I need to be sure about the fact that it truly DESERVES this money and it is gonna help me get employed after taking it.. else I think I will continue with my cisco studies and go for the CCNP after my CCNA which ofcourse its gonna take LESS even if i buy 15 cisco's 3550 and 20 2650XMs :P.

swild

I really like the sound of Royal Holloway's program and that is currently my top choice, considering all the universities in the US and EU. I am not considering Open University because I am looking for specifically an IA program and like to leave my options open for a PhD program so I want a thesis or project to be included.

I was also considering Lulea in Sweden.

This is the best site I have found for world rankings: QS World University Rankings - Topuniversities

GAngel

I did a masters in the U.K at LSE and I can tell you Royal Holloway has a very good computer department. I know a few guys who came from there and had no problems landing at most of the fortune 500 in europe. The english postgrad system ranks right up there with the americans no easy degrees at that level. Mind you if I wanted to do a doctorate in comp sci or related I'd probably pick manchester because there physics dept is hard to beat which makes there eng students work even harder.

altdrugz

It looks weird the fact that Royal Holloway is ranked 18 for this year in the thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk league table. I have a friend that took his bachelors in comp science in Manchester and is telling me not to pick it for MSc for the fact that it gives less prospects afterwards (ofcourse this is subjective!) The Lulea university costs too much for me, 160.000 SEK (~18000 Euros) are too much sadly if you add the living expenses as well. And finally... I have still my doubts about the _prospects_ of a MSc and if it really deserves its money and its going to help me getting employed somewhere!

UnixGuy

I have admission from Royal Holloway and I was supposed to start last year but I deferred my admission because I'm relocating.


Anyway, as for admission: if you are looking for a distance learning program then admission is (kind of) guaranteed. Don't worry about it, I'm 100% you will get admission in Royal Holloway or elsewhere.

If you are going on campus, it's slightly more difficult but It is easy. Keep in mind that these programs are cash cows for universities, so admission is not difficult to Royal Holloway as far as I know. Your GPA in undergrad might hurt you if it is very low for on-campus admission


Now, choosing the right program depends on your goal. Don't be confused by rankings, those rankings are based on the research output of the university and other odd things like student satisfaction(!).

If you are British and you want to work in the UK, then the reputation of Royal Holloway is very strong in the UK specially with the big 4. They recruit on campus. If you are outside the UK, however, I don't think you will find many people who heard of Royal Holloway. People outside the UK usually know Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, maybe Kings College, and maybe Manchester Uni.

Regarding the (Distance learning) degree itself, I did a substantial research on it and I'm aware of the content. The exams are HARD. There is no assignments, and no reports (apart from the thesis), just one final exam by the end of the course. So be prepared to work hard, a lot of people don't pass. You need to be prepared to study hard and make sure that you know how to juggle work and uni.

You will learn a lot through this degree, but honestly speaking I can't justify spending 14000 GBP on this degree. Pass the CISSP, CISA, CEH,...etc and I think you get a better ROI but that's just me. Perhaps invest in something like an MBA or something (because you can't learn than on your own)...or put some more money and you can get something on campus from CMU or Georgia Tech.

UnixGuy

altdrugz wrote: »

It looks weird the fact that Royal Holloway is ranked 18 for this year in the thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk league table. I have a friend that took his bachelors in comp science in Manchester and is telling me not to pick it for MSc for the fact that it gives less prospects afterwards (ofcourse this is subjective!)...

Don't listen to your friend. Search for people who did this MSc on campus, nobody has a problem finding a job afterwards. ISG has very good connections with companies in the UK. Rankings are based on academic research output,


but then again, where do you want to work? and are you from the UK?? what's your target job?? What's your experiences/certifications??

PsychoFin

I take it you are not from the UK or EU, or otherwise you wouldn't have to pay those crazy tuition fees. There are regulations on what they can charge EU citizens.

Royal Holloway is a great prestigious university, and it's quite hard to pass their exams I've heard.

Where are you from? Perhaps we would be able to give better targeted answers then.

altdrugz

I am from EU! Currently I am studying for my CCNA (probably I ll take the exam in the next 25-30 days) and i will follow up with CCNP (or CCNA Security) for going for CCNP Security. Tbh I am planning to leaving my homeland and study abroad following with a job somehere i guess .. since my country belongs to PIIGS and here the whole situation is getting worst and worst day by day. The fees for Holloway are confusing me. They say that the MSc costs 9000 and from another site that has the remote way says 14000. I will probably contact them for that. The remote way if it is indeed 14k it is cheaper ( I understand what you Unixguy said that it is going to be WAY too difficult) because there wont be any accomodation and living expenses (around 10-12k for a year). My "target" job I guess it is to become a Security Analyst or something related... Sadly for me all my experiences are personal labs / I ve bought my equipment etc/ and wasting many hours in GNS experimenting, because the 2 jobs I have done already were into accountant and economic stuffs. My degree cant get me into the field I want and thats why Im looking for a MSc.For CEH it may be a good option and as for CISSP and CISA its said from people having it that it takes DEEP understanding and a REAL working experience in order to pass the exams.

ps: Thanks for your advices you help me clear my mind!

UnixGuy

@altdrugs:

The fees for the Distance learning MSc is roughly 14K for both EU and non EU. The fees for the on campus MSc is 9K for EU students

Since you have an accounting degree, having this MSc will help you get into auditing. CISA and CISSP are a great target but I'm afraid they're difficult for you to pass at this stage (I might be wrong). If you are looking to work in the UK, then just go ahead and do the MSc on campus instead, you will learn a lot, and most of the CISSP content is covered in this MSc. You will also learn about ISO 27000 auditing as well.

altdrugz

Well I am trying now to figure out my financial status (adding some help from my family! :P) and what I will be able to spend from September and after. We will see then if I am going to apply for that MSc or maybe for the remote courses. If that fails (economically) I will continue with my cisco studies and maybe for a self-study way for CEH. We ll see...

For CISSP and CISA it is told as I mentioned previously that it takes real hands on experience with things and around 5 years of working experience. Even for trying the exam I should find a good lie for them! :P