05-22-2024, 04:39 PM
(This post was last modified: 05-22-2024, 04:42 PM by fromthedepths.)
I was the last class that was available for the ExcelTrack Masters in Cybersecurity Management, as the program is currently being rebuilt to remove a lot of the old Kaplan material (more on that below). For those unfamiliar with Purdue Global’s credit system, each class is broken down into 4 submodules that are worth 1 credit each, or worth .75 credits in other university systems (4 PUG credits = 3 credits). There are no graded quizzes. Everything is in the form of a paper or presentation, with a few classes having graded labs. You need a minimum of 60 credits to pass, and each term is/was 6 weeks in length.
Here is a class and module breakdown of what I took, how much of it overlaps with their IT program, and the kinds of assignments associated.
IT513: Research and Writing for the IT Professional
This class was focused on how to write an essay, similar to English Comp 2. Each submodule was a short paper, focused on things like proper citations, building outlines, or creating an annotated bibliography. I had to hound the professor to grade each paper, so it took nearly two weeks to finish.
IN505: Security for Analytics
Mostly short papers and Powerpoint presentations with audio. Took about a week to complete.
IT537: Introduction to Cybersecurity
This is an introduction to cybersecurity class. Very straight forward and easy with short essays and some spreadsheets you fill out.
IT527: Foundations in Data Analytics
I was given the option of taking more Python classes or having more data science-y ones, so I went down this path. The following submodules all build on foundational R, so you’ll have to have RStudio installed and be prepared to learn R if you have never done any statistical modeling. Lots of dataset cleaning, different types of correlation ann evals.
IT528: Quantitative Risk Analysis
Remember the last class that built a foundation for R? Well, this one requires you to be close to a pro. It was the hardest class out of everything I took. I won’t go into details because it was the same as the last class but with much longer assignments. Also, my professor was a stickler for the tiniest of details, which was a pain in the a$$. This class took me over a week to finish due to the back and forth but I can safely say I can use any linear regression model.
IT540: Management of Information Security
This was a ridiculously easy class. Creating policies, doing outdated labs, and short essays for each.
IT542: Ethical Hacking and Network Defense
I won’t go into much detail with this class because a lot of the technologies used were very dated. Labs were old and not as relevant for the hacking techniques used today. If you’ve ever watched any Youtube videos on hacking, then you’d see that this content is old and needs a serious update. Every class had a lab, a report, and a short essay on some modern hacking technique or case.
IT543: Cryptography Concepts and Techniques
Another very dated class. My job deals with modern cryptography so this was seriously painful as the material was so outdated. The tools used were meant for Windows, as the Linux and Mac versions wouldn’t work for me. I wrote a Python app that performed the equivalent, and I made my lab submissions that way. The professor passed me on creativity alone.
IT550: Computer Forensics and Investigations
Another dated class that uses Windows labs for performing forensics and recovery on different types of data. Each class is an essay, which ironically asks to discuss using modern forensic tooling. Labs are quick, and each assignment was short. It took less than a week to finish.
IT590: Legal and Ethical Issues in IT
This was one of the few, updated classes. Many of the topics revolved around ethics and AI. Medium papers for each module
IT544: Platforms, Applications, and Data Security
Another dated class with dated labs. It was, fortunately, quick and over.
IT545: Wireless, Mobile, and Cloud Security
Another dated class with dated labs. It was, fortunately, quick and over. Who still uses WPA for encryption?!
IT591: IT Security Auditing and Assessments
This was actually a great class as it involved papers on creating case studies for different companies on thei approaches to different standards and regulations like ISO27001 and SOC2. Each module had a medium-sized paper (6-8 pages) and took about a week to complete.
IT592: Financial Decision-Making in IT and Security
This class was a pain because there was just a lot of work for each module…like a ridiculous amount of work. This class took nearly two weeks to complete because of the sheer amount of work.
IT595: Master's Capstone in Cybersecurity Management
Now, this is the only traditional class you take. It was a 6 week class where you had weekly discussions and Zoom calls to attend. They are al graded, but this was the only thing that sucked about the class. The professor was amazing, and each weekly unit was building on the overall goal: Building a new, researched cybersecurity project. Now, building something like this takes a lot longer than 6 weeks, but the professor said we could use something we have done previously if we wanted to, and that is exactly what I did. The final presentation needed to be at least 25 slides, and mine was 63.
Overall, the program was fun. I started on 2/14 and graduated on 5/14, which is two terms. I got lucky with my advisor, as she allowed me to begin the capstone course on my second term when I still had 5 classes left. It was only possible because I could coast for the capstone as I was using previous content that I had presented. It’ll be interesting when they do bring back the ExcelTrack cybersecurity program, as it’ll have better content and each term will be 10 weeks instead of 6.
As always, I want to thank this forum for its guidance. I hope to be able to pay it back by answering as much as I can.
Now off to select a doctorate program!
Here is a class and module breakdown of what I took, how much of it overlaps with their IT program, and the kinds of assignments associated.
IT513: Research and Writing for the IT Professional
This class was focused on how to write an essay, similar to English Comp 2. Each submodule was a short paper, focused on things like proper citations, building outlines, or creating an annotated bibliography. I had to hound the professor to grade each paper, so it took nearly two weeks to finish.
IN505: Security for Analytics
Mostly short papers and Powerpoint presentations with audio. Took about a week to complete.
IT537: Introduction to Cybersecurity
This is an introduction to cybersecurity class. Very straight forward and easy with short essays and some spreadsheets you fill out.
IT527: Foundations in Data Analytics
I was given the option of taking more Python classes or having more data science-y ones, so I went down this path. The following submodules all build on foundational R, so you’ll have to have RStudio installed and be prepared to learn R if you have never done any statistical modeling. Lots of dataset cleaning, different types of correlation ann evals.
IT528: Quantitative Risk Analysis
Remember the last class that built a foundation for R? Well, this one requires you to be close to a pro. It was the hardest class out of everything I took. I won’t go into details because it was the same as the last class but with much longer assignments. Also, my professor was a stickler for the tiniest of details, which was a pain in the a$$. This class took me over a week to finish due to the back and forth but I can safely say I can use any linear regression model.
IT540: Management of Information Security
This was a ridiculously easy class. Creating policies, doing outdated labs, and short essays for each.
IT542: Ethical Hacking and Network Defense
I won’t go into much detail with this class because a lot of the technologies used were very dated. Labs were old and not as relevant for the hacking techniques used today. If you’ve ever watched any Youtube videos on hacking, then you’d see that this content is old and needs a serious update. Every class had a lab, a report, and a short essay on some modern hacking technique or case.
IT543: Cryptography Concepts and Techniques
Another very dated class. My job deals with modern cryptography so this was seriously painful as the material was so outdated. The tools used were meant for Windows, as the Linux and Mac versions wouldn’t work for me. I wrote a Python app that performed the equivalent, and I made my lab submissions that way. The professor passed me on creativity alone.
IT550: Computer Forensics and Investigations
Another dated class that uses Windows labs for performing forensics and recovery on different types of data. Each class is an essay, which ironically asks to discuss using modern forensic tooling. Labs are quick, and each assignment was short. It took less than a week to finish.
IT590: Legal and Ethical Issues in IT
This was one of the few, updated classes. Many of the topics revolved around ethics and AI. Medium papers for each module
IT544: Platforms, Applications, and Data Security
Another dated class with dated labs. It was, fortunately, quick and over.
IT545: Wireless, Mobile, and Cloud Security
Another dated class with dated labs. It was, fortunately, quick and over. Who still uses WPA for encryption?!
IT591: IT Security Auditing and Assessments
This was actually a great class as it involved papers on creating case studies for different companies on thei approaches to different standards and regulations like ISO27001 and SOC2. Each module had a medium-sized paper (6-8 pages) and took about a week to complete.
IT592: Financial Decision-Making in IT and Security
This class was a pain because there was just a lot of work for each module…like a ridiculous amount of work. This class took nearly two weeks to complete because of the sheer amount of work.
IT595: Master's Capstone in Cybersecurity Management
Now, this is the only traditional class you take. It was a 6 week class where you had weekly discussions and Zoom calls to attend. They are al graded, but this was the only thing that sucked about the class. The professor was amazing, and each weekly unit was building on the overall goal: Building a new, researched cybersecurity project. Now, building something like this takes a lot longer than 6 weeks, but the professor said we could use something we have done previously if we wanted to, and that is exactly what I did. The final presentation needed to be at least 25 slides, and mine was 63.
Overall, the program was fun. I started on 2/14 and graduated on 5/14, which is two terms. I got lucky with my advisor, as she allowed me to begin the capstone course on my second term when I still had 5 classes left. It was only possible because I could coast for the capstone as I was using previous content that I had presented. It’ll be interesting when they do bring back the ExcelTrack cybersecurity program, as it’ll have better content and each term will be 10 weeks instead of 6.
As always, I want to thank this forum for its guidance. I hope to be able to pay it back by answering as much as I can.
Now off to select a doctorate program!
---
Completed:
Purdue Global - Masters in Cybersecurity
TAMUC - BAAS Organizational Leadership
Pierpont - AAS BOG
Completed:
Purdue Global - Masters in Cybersecurity
TAMUC - BAAS Organizational Leadership
Pierpont - AAS BOG
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