Goodwin institutes new computer security program
Dennis Mongello and Aditi Dubey
Issue date: 1/19/07 Section: News
| |
|
"I find it fascinating," Schangler said. "I wanted to bring it to Drexel because Drexel is an excellent center of education."
Schangler has had vast academic experience. Schangler has earned two associate degrees, one in computer science and the other in biology, from Montgomery Community College. He got his bachelor's and master's degrees from Goodwin and Drexel's College of Information Science and Technology, respectively. Schangler also received certification as an intelligence analyst from Neumann College.
Schangler believes that both the students and the city are going to benefit from the program.
"There are lots of jobs in this right now and the industry needs people that are trained in security," Schangler said. "It's a win-win situation for the city, the students, the industry and the school."
Schangler had his own consulting business, which gave him the opportunity to do security audits, perform penetration testing, and set up secure networks. He says that his interest in computer security deepened and motivated him to start this program at the University.
"It's an area that I have expertise in," Schangler said. "I always liken it to a good game of chess, where you're maneuvering and they're trying to get around you, constantly. So it's a good challenge."
Shangler says that there has been a lot of demand from both industry professionals and students for this type of program and that this field gives some good prospects to students once they graduate. Computer security graduates from the University might work as security engineers, chief security officers or network auditors, depending upon their level of previous experience.
"The students are going to get jobs. Right now, computer security is the highest-paying subcategory in the computer industry, and it's the hottest field," Schangler said. "There are jobs open, both within the federal government as well as private industry and consulting."
As a part of this program, students will learn how to set up firewalls, secure networks, secure servers and do penetration testing and vulnerability testing. According to Schangler, students are going to learn how hackers go about doing their hacking so that they can prevent it. They will also be educated in legal issues and computer forensics.
"They should also be prepared after the first couple of courses to take the Security+ certification," Schangler said. "In the last Saturday class I taught, we had 10 out of 11 people pass it by the end of the course."
Despite the encouraging numbers, Schangler and Katsins feel that a lot more needs to be done, and therefore quite a number of things are still in the planning phase.
"We are also working on putting together a research lab," Schangler said. "It's planned and it's already in the works. We're looking to get the funding right now"
Schangler is also doing some personal research on radio frequency identification and is looking to publish an article.
Currently, there are some adjunct professors teaching the program. Schangler is the first person who has hired full-time as a professor. Katsinis has been hired as the director.
"We have several part-time instructors and are looking to hire more full-time instructors," Katsinis said. "Our instructors are experts in individual areas."
Katsinis further said that the security program is new, but there are plans to involve not only full-time faculty, but also part time instructors, in projects.
"Most of our students are working already, so they have their hands full, but several of the students already work in areas where security is critical, so we cater our projects to co-operate with their place of work," Katsinis said. "So while it is interesting to the student, it is also interesting to the student's employer."
Because this program has been introduced in GCoPS, there are concerns as to whether the program will be suitable for University undergraduates, especially transfer students and freshmen.
"The Saturday Scholars was primarily designed as a degree completion for adults, and that's the majority of our Saturday students," Schangler said. "It's certainly open to whoever wants to enroll."
In response to the concerns as to whether this program will hold classes during the weekdays, Katsinis said that GCoPS needs to coordinate with the University and the other colleges to optimize the use of faculty and see what's most attractive for Drexel, not just for Goodwin.
"This is a very important, but also sensitive issue," Katsinis. "Saturday Scholars is very attractive for Goodwin, and as we expand to daytime programs, we'll have to consult with the other colleges."
A certification process has been put in place to cater to the needs of students. Recently graduated students can come back and finish eight courses, and GCoPS will give them a certificate showing their concentration at a bachelor's level in computer security. However, these eight courses are undergraduate courses, not graduate ones. Schangler also told The Triangle about the benefits of being certified.
"It shows industry that you have a certain level of competence. This industry tends to have résumés that are a little bit inflated, so having a certification is a credential that industry recognizes as a standard," Schangler said. "It helps someone get their foot in the door, so to speak, and gives you an advantage over someone who doesn't have the certification."
Recently, an FBI agent gave a lecture to the students enrolled in the computer security program. The agent talked about the FBI's tracking and monitoring of cyber crime from foreign countries targeting the United States.
"We do hope to have a lot of lectures, once or twice a term," Schangler said. "We're going to coordinate with the other colleges in the University."
Schangler and Katsinis feel that there is great demand for computer security education, but few colleges and universities offer a program like the one Drexel has instituted. According to them, the entire world's transactions, commerce and libraries are all becoming computerized, and this invites crime and criminals.
"We are in the information age and there's an enormous spike in crime recently, and the trend is going up," Schangler said. "We need a lot of people trained in forensics, cyber crime and computer security so they can harden these systems and keep the criminals out. We're just excited that we're going to start training people and that we have this degree."
is a member of the 
Be the first to comment on this story