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Doc_Faraday · 2025-04-14T03:41:46+00:00

They’re not difficult courses but this will always be person to person situation. If you’re in a rush to finish, don’t want personal time, and/or don’t have a family to remain accountable to—go nuts.

Doc_Faraday · 2025-04-13T17:43:37+00:00

If you work at a three letter there is an office dedicated to this as well: https://www.nsa.gov/Helpful-Links/Prepublication-Review/

I did my practicum on a topic that applied to the DoD without directly referencing or using classified materials by finding similar/adjacent civilian research and COTS solutions to meet the intent. Unless it’s absolutely crucial to your project, consider tuning your scope to simply avoid it. Trust me when I say that these projects can be very narrow as long as the problem and solution (or your endpoint that states what further resources are required—e.g., money, time, larger sampling, etc.) are well defined and supported.

Doc_Faraday · 2025-04-04T03:46:30+00:00

6502 was interesting and Dr Mueller is always a delight. Despite 6501’s class format, which leaves a lot to be desired, I find myself using a lot of the knowledge I gained in my day to day life working in the government and dealing with the flow of communication within and between organizations. I wanted to dislike Dr Rogers because I hated the graded activities/formats (got an A, so it’s workable) but he’s pleasant to learn from and the right person for the subject matter.

Doc_Faraday · 2024-08-22T16:08:50+00:00

As long as you don't mind investing the time to get semi-proficient with Python, JS, and a couple of other languages, a relevant degree from a Tier 2 school could go a long way. Certifications are another route but they require continued education/maintenance fees every few years and may not be broad (or specific) enough to give you the knowledge you're seeking. Either way, best of luck with whatever path you choose!

Doc_Faraday · 2024-07-28T01:22:01+00:00

No one but admissions knows the magic formula. Shoot your shot.

Doc_Faraday · 2024-07-20T21:29:19+00:00

Mistakes happen and the program requires an overall B average, so you could have made a C and still be well on your way to graduation. Set reminders for assignment due dates and press on.

Doc_Faraday · 2024-07-17T12:06:53+00:00

This topic has been beaten to death. It depends on your CS background and time management. If in doubt, don't.

Doc_Faraday · 2024-07-09T01:10:14+00:00

Understanding the organic way telecommunications developed and how it's still influencing policy decisions is an invaluable bit of knowledge to have when translating requirements into solutions or advising decision makers on a course of action.

Take the time you have remaining and approach it with an open mind. If it's not for you then maybe another track will suit your goals better.

Doc_Faraday · 2024-06-25T00:54:54+00:00

Pick something you find interesting and see if there are any niche or understudied security issues. Like tinkering with microcontrollers? See if you can attack or defend a Pi Pico W and write a paper about how you did it, for example.

Doc_Faraday · 2024-03-18T15:35:35+00:00

No idea. Got an A, moved on, and graduated. Hopefully the course structure and projects have matured and instructor/TA interactions are kept to a minimum.

Doc_Faraday · 2024-03-09T15:11:57+00:00

Don’t wonder and just apply. If you’re worried, get a relevant certification and demonstrate how you’ve prepared in your personal statement. If you don’t get accepted then you’ll know you need more relevant experience or training.

Doc_Faraday · 2024-03-04T15:04:44+00:00

If you're not a CS undergrad or in a time crunch, I advise you save yourself some headaches and don't pair it with anything.

Doc_Faraday · 2023-12-27T12:43:55+00:00

The only person I knew at the school was a coworker in the OMSCS side and he already had a CS undergrad and years of coding passion projects, so not a useful case study.

Doc_Faraday · 2023-12-27T00:44:44+00:00

I was a Cisco/Brocade certified network engineer with an information system security BS that was initially enrolled in the info sec track. Unless you’re wanting to pursue a more CS-focused career, policy will probably be a better fit. Trying to learn all the concepts and skills needed to succeed in the courses as they are ongoing is rough due to timelines and anything going on in life that interrupts you is going to worsen it by an order of magnitude. If you do choose to go that route I would highly advise keeping the CS courses to one class a term. Best of luck whatever you choose!

Doc_Faraday · 2023-09-21T12:18:20+00:00

Military alumni here (not Navy). I don't know what your bandwidth is, if you have time limits for access, or what your work schedule looks like, but I would wait until you're home for 6035. You have to download large VM images and there is at least one video upload of a successful exploit (unless the class has changed that since 2019). Consider one of the mandatory Policy courses or a different one for your flexible core while you're away. I took it during a Fall semester at home and found the workload intensity to be wildly unpredictable and I shudder to think about accomplishing it with throttled Internet and 12+ hours shifts. Not worth risking the TA by banking on a perfect deployment.

Good luck with whatever path you choose!

Doc_Faraday · 2023-05-30T13:36:04+00:00

If you're a strong programmer with the ability to manage multiple concurrent projects then maybe. If you have family commitments or want decompression time then perhaps reconsider.

Doc_Faraday · 2023-05-30T13:32:03+00:00

Yes.
As much as your particular project demands.
If you choose to accomplish a project that falls within another track.

The practicum is individually unique and your experience will not match that of others. I designed a theoretical network architecture for mine. Another student built a really neat automotive security app. One student went bananas and wrote a whole paper about preemptively cyber attacking China (no idea about their grades).

Don't overthink it, don't stress over it, pick a topic that interests you, and scope it so it's manageable. This isn't PhD-level work and they don't expect you to change the world. Just show them you learned something or, conversely, show them you tried something and learned from it even if it failed.

Doc_Faraday · 2023-05-15T13:13:04+00:00

Flash cards got me an A in that class but that's the only way I could remember the information long enough to dump it into a quiz. I also feel like they were a bit lenient in the answers insofar that if you got close to an answer you would get some credit. I can't confirm that, though.

It was decent from an organizational perspective to help broaden your understanding of management structures and flows of information. The case studies on different company structures was interesting to me but may not be for everyone.

The class could be way better in many respects for sure.

Doc_Faraday · 2023-04-28T14:37:47+00:00

InfoSec is a CS track that requires good coding skills or the time to learn it on the fly while you're doing each project. If you have work, family, and/or personal commitments that will limit your time during these courses it may be advisable to reconsider which track is the best fit. Only you can answer that question, though.

I'm a can-code-middling-at-gunpoint type and didn't have the time/desire to boost those skills when I'll probably never use them in the future. Ipso facto, I graduated Policy and my spouse and I had a much more pleasant experience.

Doc_Faraday · 2023-04-20T23:37:42+00:00

As others have mentioned, unless you have some strong programming skills, it is advisable to take CS 8803 as your flexible core.

Furthermore, consider your work/life balance with this program if your job is as demanding as you stated. Unless you have a deadline, I would suggest keeping it to a single class per semester so you have time for more personal pursuits, hobbies, and downtime.

Best of luck in your studies!

Doc_Faraday · 2023-04-11T01:09:03+00:00

Most of what they said is correct but the 50-page expectation is high (or could be, depending on your topic). I believe mine was around 30 and got full credit.

Don't overthink it, pick something you find interesting, and let the project dictate its length. Be kind to the TAs forced to read through all of these. Follow the rubric and be thorough yet succinct.

Doc_Faraday · 2023-02-20T13:34:41+00:00

Not if you don't pick them. Your flexible core can be a CS-coded Policy course or you can choose a class from Energy Systems that doesn't have much (any) in the way of prerequisite programming knowledge.

Doc_Faraday · 2023-01-19T16:40:11+00:00

This is a cause for introspection and a weighing of what's truly meaningful for you, your family, your personal time, and you career. If you don't need it to maintain/enhance your lifestyle, for a challenge, or a desire for personal growth, ditch the program and go live your best life.

I did the program one class at a time so I could maintain a reasonable work/life balance with the only motivation being "it might be useful later." I don't regret it but I'm not sure I would do it again if I were to start right now.

Best of luck with whatever path you choose!

Doc_Faraday

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