Our daily interactions with the Internet are ever-increasing in scale and complexity. What was once a packet delivery system mimicking a postal system is now an intricate multi-tiered structure of protocols and services. The ongoing development and survival of these services depends on our ability to adaptively address challenges such as securing our interactions, scaling with users and devices, and meeting the ever-changing expectations in Quality of Experience and Service Availability.

Today, researchers at DePaul are addressing the aforementioned challenges with an eye towards providing higher service levels and reducing the energy footprint of Internet operations. They are studying how to optimize operations in machine-to-machine (M2M) and Internet-of-Things (IoT) networks. New network infrastructures are being developed to operate in ad hoc situations, without relying on the Internet, to mitigate connectivity during power outages and in infrastructure-poor regions. The Internet is profoundly changing on multiple fronts. For example, video content is now dominating web traffic, and we are racing to accommodate nearly 30 billion networked devices by 2023 (CISCO annual report). Thus, we must re-examine every design choice and hold both current and future protocols to highly rigorous standards in development and performance evaluation.

The unique MS Network Engineering and Security (NES) program at DePaul University delivers both the theory and practice behind the design and maintenance of these diverse network infrastructures. Students have access to extensive lab facilities using equipment from Cisco, Juniper, and other manufacturers. Our students get hands-on practice in configuring routers, switches, and firewalls, as well as securing networks, evaluating and managing their performance, and ensuring the they meet business requirements.

Degree Requirements

 

Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

• Describe the operations and metrics of Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) routing, including the BGP path selection process.
• Contrast IPv6 and IPv4 routing, including protocol headers, routing protocols, subnetting, tunneling and translation mechanisms.
• Describe and compare Quality of Service (QoS) techniques for providing differentiated treatment of Voice over IP (VoIP) and data packet flows.
• Design a fault-tolerant network and identity protocols to implement and manage these networks.
• Explain methods used for authentication and integrity in public-key encryptions systems, including digital signatures and PKI.
• Explain and demonstrate the operations of an Intrusion Detection System (IDS), including writing IDS rules.

Career Outcomes

93%of reporting program graduates were employed, continuing education, or not seeking employment within six months of graduation

82,000median salary reported by program graduates six months after degree completion

Curriculum Requirements

Introductory Courses

No Introductory Course may be subst>lituted for any other course at any level.

Introductory courses may be wa>lived for any of the follow>ling conditions based on faculty review:

• The student has the appropriate course work to satisfy an Introductory Course based on an official transcript review by faculty and successful grades, typically B or better.
• The student has appropriate and verified professional experience to satisfy an Introductory Course which is demonstrated through successful completion of a GAE exam.
• If a Graduate Assessment Examination (GAE) is available for the Introductory Courses, upon successfully completion of a GAE, a waiver will be issued.

•  NET 405 Network Fundamentals (Formerly TDC 405)
•  NET 411 Introduction to Computer and Network Systems (Formerly TDC 411)
•  NET 413 Introduction to Lan Technologies (Formerly TDC 413)

Foundation Courses

•  NET 460 Foundations of Network Technologies (Formerly TDC 460)
•  NET 463 Computer Networks and Data Systems (Formerly TDC 463)
•  NET 464 Converged Multimedia Networks (Formerly TDC 464)
•  NET 477 Network Security (Formerly TDC 477)
•  NET 511 Telecommunications Practicum (Formerly TDC 511)

Students must achieve an average GPA of 3.0 or better in the five Foundation Courses. Students who do not meet the Foundation Courses' GPA requirement must retake the course with the lowest grade. If a number of such courses exist, it is up to the student to choose which class to retake. Only the higher grade will count toward the average grade for the purpose of completiling the GPA Requirement.

Students who have not completed the Foundation Course and grade requirements can register for a maximum of 4 Advanced Courses.

Advanced Courses

•  NET 560 Advanced Network Technologies and Design (Formerly TDC 560)
•  NET 563 Protocols and Techniques for Data Networks (Formerly TDC 563)
•  NET 577 Network Security II (Formerly TDC 577)

Major Elective Courses

Students must complete 12 credit hours from Major Elective Courses. Major Elective Courses must be in the ralinge of 420-599 and must be chosen from NET or CSEC courses. A minimum of 8 credit hours from Major Elective Courses must be at the 500-level.

CDM Open Elective Courses

Students must complete four (4) credit hours of CDM Open Elective Course. The Open Elective must be in the range of 420-699 and must be chosen from CSC, CSE, CSEC, NET, SE, IS, ECT, IT, PM, IPD, HIT, HCI, or GAM courses. The Open Elective must not have been otherwise used to satisfy degree requirements. Credit for courses taken outside of the school will only be given if approved by a faculty advisor.

Capstone

•  NET 594 Network Capstone (Formerly TDC 594)

 

Degree Requirements

Students in this degree program must meet the following requirements:

• Complete a minimum of 52 graduate credit hours in addition to any required introductory courses of the designated degree program.
• Complete all graduate courses and requirements listed in the designated degree program.
• Earn an average GPA of 3.0 or better in the five Foundation Courses.
• Earn a grade of C- or better in all courses of the designated degree program.
• Maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher.
• Students pursuing a second (or more) graduate degree may not double count or retake any course that applied toward the completion of a prior graduate degree. If a required course in the second degree was already completed and applied toward a previous degree, the student must meet with a faculty advisor to discuss a new course to be completed and substituted in the new degree. This rule also applies to cross-listed courses, which are considered to be the same course but offered under different subjects.
• Students pursuing a second master's degree must complete a minimum of 52 graduate credit hours beyond their first designated degree program in addition to any required introductory courses in their second designated degree program.

Students with a GPA of 3.9 or higher will graduate with distinction.

For DePaul's policy on repeat graduate courses and a complete list of academic policies see the DePaul Graduate Handbook in the Course Catalog.