Master of Engineering in Information and Network Security

crazydave · 17-08-2009 5:44pm #1

Hey guys I have just accepted my place for this masters. Im just wondering can anyone give me some info about the course. They dont really go into much detail on the website. Anyone know how many hours of lectures there are a week and if there are any labs or what way is the course taught?

Also I can't decide whether to stay on campus or off. As a 27 year old I dont want to have to stay on campus and have to put up with silly rules and security guards on power trips. Can anyone tell me what staying in Thomond Village is like? At the moment I am thinking of just renting an apt in the city

Thanks

ithack07 · 20-08-2009 6:30pm

Hey, im just finishing that course now. It is a really good course. There is some programming required and a small amount of maths. The lecturers are pretty sound. The workload gets heavier in the second semester; lots of small projects.

We had around 10 hours a week of lectures and a further 4 - 6 hours of labs / tutorials. It could change though as we were the "guinea pigs" as it was the first time the course was run.

crazydave · 20-08-2009 8:27pm

Hey thanks for the reply. Just a few more questions. Are the C++ and software engineering modules the only ones that require programming or are there others? I wouldn't be the most competent programmer so would like to stay as far away from programming as possible!

Also for your final year project do you have to create a program or application or would researching a topic be okay?

Thanks

ithack07 · 20-08-2009 9:14pm

Don't worry - I wasn't great at programming when I started the course. The C++ lecturer teaches the language from scratch so there are plenty of opportunities to improve.

There were three modules which require programming: C++, Biometrics and Distributed Systems. The programming projects for DS were easy enough; creating a clock, demonstrating threads and altering code (Java). Biometrics is hard!!! But the lecturer for that module is dead sound - and will help if you get stuck on any projects.

For the thesis you can either pick from a list of suggestions or come up with your own - you are allowed to do a research thesis. My advise would be to get a good supervisor in the first few weeks and tailor your thesis to suit your skills.

crazydave · 20-08-2009 11:51pm

Coo. Thanks for all the information. You have certainly put my mind at ease!

Just one more question! How many people are in the course? It doesnt say how many places they offer. Is it all boys or are a few girls thrown in to mix it up?!

ithack07 · 21-08-2009 1:09pm

I think the max is 25 people. There were 11 people, of different nationalities, in our course. It was mostly guys but there were three girls in the class.

magicwand · 21-08-2009 4:59pm

ithack07,is it a tough course? Would someone with very little programming struggle with it? Was it mostly people from industry coming in to do it?

Thanks

ithack07 · 21-08-2009 8:37pm

Honestly no.. The only module i found hard was biometrics. The rest were easy enough - just a case of learning the handouts.

In semester 1 one of the modules covered is c++ . The lecturer goes through it in great detail; He assumes the students have no prior knowledge whatsoever of c++. I was CRAP at programming when i started - and i found the course grand - can even program now!

There were two people from the industry in the course, the rest of us had just finished our undergrad.

magicwand · 21-08-2009 10:08pm

are the job prospects good for someone doing this course? and were there many 9 o clock starts

thanks

ithack07 · 21-08-2009 11:16pm

Had a 9am start on Mondays

... Apparently it is supposed to be a good area to get into but at the moment its incredibly hard to find a graduate job - been applying for jobs for the past month with no luck - but thats more to do with the ecomony.

magicwand · 22-08-2009 11:08am

not too bad i guess,what kind of stuff was studied in biometrics module can i ask is it possible to view notes or anything on that module through the UL website? Trying to make a decision between two MSc courses so apologies for all the questions

ithack07 · 22-08-2009 11:28am

Thats ok

..We were taught how to build Iris and Fingerprint recognition systems. The formula's used were a bit complicated - you couldnt miss a class - if you did you'd get lost!!. Fraid not - the notes aren't publicly available. If you want I'll have a look for the module outline we got and send it onto you.

Peteee · 22-08-2009 11:53am

I'm doing this course this year.

Good to hea about the time table, and the biometrics stuff sounds incredibly interesting.

I've a good grasp of C++ (Was a C++ programmer for 1 1/2 years) so that should be okay. Who was the lecturer for the programming course?

magicwand · 22-08-2009 12:31pm

ithack07 wrote: »

Thats ok ..We were taught how to build Iris and Fingerprint recognition systems. The formula's used were a bit complicated - you couldnt miss a class - if you did you'd get lost!!. Fraid not - the notes aren't publicly available. If you want I'll have a look for the module outline we got and send it onto you.

Ya that would be great,will i PM you my email address?

ithack07 · 22-08-2009 2:12pm

Peteee wrote: »

I'm doing this course this year.

Good to hea about the time table, and the biometrics stuff sounds incredibly interesting.

I've a good grasp of C++ (Was a C++ programmer for 1 1/2 years) so that should be okay. Who was the lecturer for the programming course?

Reiner Dojen, he also takes the host security module in the second semester

ithack07 · 22-08-2009 2:14pm

magicwand wrote: »

Ya that would be great,will i PM you my email address?

Sure

Pacifico · 23-08-2009 8:10pm

What are the thesis topics like? Are you required to construct a piece of software? or similar??

Peteee · 25-08-2009 12:15pm

Just as an FYI the course ID is lm634. (Thanks ithack07!)

Theres only 1 9 o'clock start if you play your cards right (Theres a lab at 9 on Monday, but the same one is on wednesday at a more reasonable time too!)

ithack07 · 27-08-2009 12:10pm

Pacifico wrote: »

What are the thesis topics like? Are you required to construct a piece of software? or similar??

Its roughly 50% application and 50% research document unless you choose to do a research thesis only. Some of the topics are security related i.e. verifying protocols, securing wireless networks etc. You can also propose your own thesis and get a supervisor to oversee it.

eamonpendergast · 09-09-2009 9:18pm

Hey, I'm just curious about this course myself, looking to do it next year if a job doesn't crop up before then (and it's looking likely that there won't be!

).

How much is it to do the course, are there any grants or anything available for it?

I assume from the title that network security is a large part of the course, that is where my real interest lies anyway...

Master of Engineering in Information and Network Security

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