Masters in information security at Lewis University

geogeneration · July 2012

Greetings all,
I am interested in pursuing a Masters degree in Information Security, and so far i have searched for universities and i found this university :- Lewis University (MSIS Degree Program from Lewis University's Graduate School of Management).
Do you think its a good university? I've searched the net for its ranking and every site that i have visited gave me different ranking! Do you think MSIS at lewis is good?

Please provide me with all of your comments .

Please note that MSIS at lewis university is a DHS/NSA nationally recognized center of academic excellence in information assurance edition

Thank you for your time.

Devilry · July 2012

$760/hr? yikes! Never heard of them though.

amcnow · July 2012

I have heard of them. I actually contacted them regarding my graduate pursuits. I have an undergrad in information security, but from a school only nationally accredited. Unfortunately, Lewis university wouldn't accept my degree.

In hindsight, it was probably for the best. I was accepted by WGU (my second choice). They're not a Center of Academic Excellence (yet). However, I was impressed with their curriculum.

My only advice is to not worry so much about rankings. Just choose a regionally accredited (and preferably a Center of Academic Excellence) institution which you feel has the best curriculum.

kurosaki00 · July 2012

Devilry wrote: »

$760/hr? yikes! Never heard of them though.

If I made that
I would be on a boat right now

Nextbeat · January 2015

I know this thread is old, but I wanted to offer my experiences with Lewis University's Master of Science in Information Security program. A person that I used to work with once debated whether or not it was worth our time. We heard that it was hard for new grads to obtain positions within the InfoSec realm without any experience. My co-worker and I feared that alternatively, we would have to accept entry-level positions such as Help Desk. A director that I also used to work with mentioned that her husband was part of the first group to graduate Lewis University's MSIS curriculum. Unfortunately, he was unable to secure an information security position, so ultimately, he ended up accepting an IT position unrelated to security. After a year, the first co-worker I mentioned, ended up accepting a position as an Information Security Analyst. For me, it took a bit longer, but I ended up becoming a Network Security Analyst. In my opinion, anyone who is dedicated to the field can surely grab a position within time. The key is finding a company who is willing to train from the ground up. Just know that most places would rather hire internally or rather find individuals who already have the experience required.

The MSIS major focuses mainly on aspects surrounding CISSP and its CIA triangle. There are two tracks which include technical and management courses. The main program will obviously include courses from both tracks, but students will ultimately have to complete a certain amount of credits within their chosen track. Thankfully, they offer blended classes. This means that students will be able to either attend class or participate online. Personally, I choose to take classes online. I used to hate online courses, but Lewis utilized Blackboard. Online classes include the following benefits:

-Viewable anywhere so long as your Internet, laptop/computer, etc. meet the basic requirements.
-Students can either listen to the lecture or follow along in Power Point format.
-Teachers can write, draw, and edit material within the designated screen.
-Classes are archived for later use.
-Tests can be taken online.

Cons usually included:

-Cannot attend class if Internet is down.
-Connection/latency issues between instructor, Blackboard, and student.
-Cannot access Blackboard content during maintenance windows.
-May have to view content at a later time if it has not been posted yet.
-Students do not have to participate or interact with one another unless forced to do so.

Most of the courses were not too difficult to complete. Students may experience an increase in difficulty if lack an educational background in Computer Science or lack experience with certain skills/tools being utilized (ex. 68-501 - Principles of Programming). On the other hand, Lewis does not require a bachelor's degree in Computer Science. All you need is a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution of higher education. Like other graduate programs, know that the program is going to be expensive, but I think it is worth it for those interested in InfoSec. As a final note, Lewis University meets the National Training Standards for CNSS and is a DHS/NSA nationally recognized Center of Academic Excellence.

For more information: http://online.lewisu.edu/ms-information-security.asp, http://www.lewisu.edu/academics/msinfosec/index.htm

Nextbeat · January 2015

I know this thread is old, but I wanted to offer my experiences with Lewis University's Master of Science in Information Security program. A person that I used to work with once debated whether or not it was worth our time. We heard that it was hard for new grads to obtain positions within the InfoSec realm without any experience. My co-worker and I feared that alternatively, we would have to accept entry-level positions such as Help Desk. A director that I also used to work with mentioned that her husband was part of the first group to graduate Lewis University's MSIS curriculum. Unfortunately, he was unable to secure an information security position, so ultimately, he ended up accepting an IT position unrelated to security. After a year, the first co-worker I mentioned, ended up accepting a position as an Information Security Analyst. For me, it took a bit longer, but I ended up becoming a Network Security Analyst. In my opinion, anyone who is dedicated to the field can surely grab a position within time. The key is finding a company who is willing to train from the ground up. Just know that most places would rather hire internally or rather find individuals who already possess the experience required.

The MSIS major focuses mainly on aspects surrounding CISSP and its CIA triangle. There are two tracks which include technical and management courses. The main program will obviously include courses from both tracks, but students will ultimately have to complete a certain amount of credits within their chosen track. Thankfully, they offer blended classes. This means that students will be able to either attend class or participate online. Personally, I choose to take classes online. I used to hate online courses, but Lewis utilized Blackboard. Online classes include the following benefits:

-Viewable anywhere so long as your Internet, laptop/computer, etc. meet the basic requirements.
-Students have to ability to listen to lectures and follow along in Power Point format.
-Teachers can write, draw, and edit material within the designated screen.
-Students may not have to attend online and can view an archive at a later time.
-Online courses are best for those who work during the day and want to attend class in the convenience of their home.
-Tests can be taken online.

Cons usually include:

-Not being able to attend class if Internet is down.
-Connection/latency issues between instructor, Blackboard, and student.
-May have issues with audio cutting in and out.
-Cannot access Blackboard content during maintenance windows.
-May have to view content at a later time if it has not been posted yet.
-Students do not have to participate or interact with one another unless forced to do so.

Most of the courses were not too difficult to complete. Students may experience an increase in difficulty if they lack an educational background in Computer Science or lack experience with certain skills/tools being utilized (ex. 68-501 - Principles of Programming). On the other hand, Lewis does not require a bachelor's degree surrounding Computer Science. All you need is a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution of higher education. Like other graduate programs, know that the program is going to be expensive, but I think MSIS is worth it for those interested in InfoSec. I advise students to take on a graduate assistant position. This will either eliminate the cost or at least help to decrease the associated fees. If you decide to head this route, realize that the institution may limit the amount of credits that can be taken per semester and paychecks will be miniscule. As a final note, Lewis University meets the National Training Standards for CNSS and is a DHS/NSA nationally recognized Center of Academic Excellence.

Masters in information security at Lewis University

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