MSST Information Sessions
| Monday | December 7th | 5:30 p.m. |
| Wednesday | January 6th | 5:30 p.m. |
| Wednesday | January 20th | 5:30 p.m. |
| Thursday | February 4th | 5:30 p.m. |
| Wednesday | February 17th | 5:30 p.m. |
MSST News
Professor Massoud Amin, Director of Graduate Studies for the MSST program, was interviewed for National Public Radio's "Future Tense" on September 14 and 15, 2009. Click on Part A or Part B to hear his views on future threats to our security.MASTER of SCIENCE in SECURITY TECHNOLOGIES
Master of Science in Security Technologies Overview
What is the Master of Science in Security Technologies?
The Master of Science in Security Technologies (MSST) shapes tomorrow’s analytical and risk management policymakers and innovators through a multi-disciplinary graduate program developed in response to growing demand in many levels of industry and government.
During the fourteen-month program and through a multi-disciplinary, systems approach, the program synthesizes core learning in four areas:
• Security Methods and Foundations
• Application Expertise (including cyber, bio, food, infrastructure, global supply chains)
• Systems Science (interdependency among critical networks, components, human capital, organizational dimensions)
• Social and Policy Dimensions
Through elective courses, students also choose one of two learning tracks, and can further specialize through a range of elective courses:
• Security Systems Technologies
• Security and Risk Management
This program bridges disciplines to address local, regional, national and global areas of need, seeding innovative capabilities while enabling interdisciplinary connections through direct links to industry, business and government partners.
The M.S. Program (32 Credits) draws on the fields of systems risk analysis, engineering (hardware and software), emerging technologies, economics, human factors, law, food and bio safety, and public policy to teach and investigate security technologies and address pertinent issues. We also offer a masters minor (minimum 7 credits) and a Ph.D. minor (minimum 12 credits).
The curriculum comprises a balance of courses (see figure below) from the following core areas:
• Foundations of security science and technology, methods, and algorithms;
• Application areas, including Critical Infrastructures-- e.g., communications/IT/cyber, power/energy, water, and transportation; food/infectious diseases, financial networks, supply chain management, etc.
• Coupled dynamic systems: Infrastructure interdependencies and dynamics of coupled infrastructures, system-wide risk/threat management, and complex interactive networks (including finance and economics, policy and regulation);
• Regulatory, policy, legal, economic and business implications;
• Management and leadership development (including communication skills, change management, ethics, project management, conflict management).
The following diagram demonstrates the building blocks of the MSST. The core areas are depicted in white, with flexibility allowed to develop specialization for a variety of application areas as indicated in gold.
The program culminates with a Capstone Project, an independent applied investigation on a relevant issue in the area of Security Technologies or homeland security.
The MSST degree is offered by the Technological Leadership Institute (TLI) within the University of Minnesota’s Institute of Technology. MSST classes launch in June 2010.
For whom is the program intended?
The program is considered full-time, but classes are scheduled so that working professionals can also complete it on schedule. Alternatively, for students who wish to extend their studies for up to 22 months it is possible to enroll as part time students, as space permits with priority given to those planning to complete the MS degree in 14 months. MS and PhD minors will also be offered for those specializing in related fields.
The program attracts graduate students who are:
• Recent graduates seeking a professional career in the engineering or business of security systems and technologies.
• Seasoned professionals with several years (or more) of work experience in a field where security and risk management are becoming increasingly critical.
• Individuals interested in the social, legal and policy dimensions of shaping security/privacy policy informed by methods, tools, systems and applications expertise.
Qualified applicants must hold at least a bachelor’s degree in a related field, e.g. in biological or physical sciences, engineering, computer science, mathematics, statistics, social sciences, or public policy. Minimum requirements also include 1 year of calculus, probability/statistics, 2 science or engineering courses. Preference will be given to applicants with an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or above.
Why MSST?
MSST graduates will be prepared to address stressors and destabilizers such as natural disasters, aging infrastructure, critical networks/systems, and the threats of terrorism, disease and crime. They will be able to take a proactive approach to prevention, protection, emergency response and recovery. Their career paths include the following:
• Public Service: Many graduate students choose to pursue a career in security technologies or homeland security as a form
of public service. Helping to protect citizens, critical systems and infrastructure from terrorism, disease and crime is both
a challenging and satisfying pursuit.
• Engine for Economic Growth: Apart from patriotic and altruistic motives, the security industry is a major employer with high
business growth potential, generating over $100 billion per year in the United States alone. Opportunities for innovative and
meaningful work exist in both the public and private sectors.
• Develop or Expand Expertise in a High-demand Field: The MSST program prepares students to help shape public policy
or direct implementation at many levels of government. Graduates may work in exciting areas of emerging science like
nanotechnology, sensor networks, bio-sensing, critical infrastructure protection, food and bio safety, cyber systems, and
energy security.
Whether students choose to create new security products, systems and methods or direct policy and implementation, the Master of Science in Security Technologies enables them to advance in fulfilling and rewarding careers.
About the Technological Leadership Institute (www.cdtl.umn.edu)
Founded in 1987 with an endowment from the Honeywell Foundation, the Technological Leadership Institute (TLI was formerly, from 1987 – June 2009, the Center for the Development of Technological Leadership or CDTL) was established as an interdisciplinary center at the University of Minnesota.
TLI’s mission is to develop world-class leaders, and to empower executives and leaders in their strategic vision to leverage technology to drive business development and maximize growth.
Interdisciplinary cooperation is critical in delivering TLI’s programs. In addition to five endowed chairs, TLI brings leaders, executives and faculty members from across industry, government, and the U of M – bridging among Institute of Technology, the Carlson School of Management, the Law School, the College of Education and Human Development, the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, and industry executives.
TLI's flagship program is the Master of Science in the Management of Technology (MOT), an executive-formatted program that blends a management, leadership, technology, innovation, strategy, and public policy curriculum and prepares technical professionals for careers in technology management and leadership.
With its distinguished and proven track record of over two decades, the University of Minnesota’s Technological Leadership Institute provides a unique, world-class, interdisciplinary environment for the study of Security Technologies. This differs from typical graduate programs that focus on a narrow scope from the perspective of a single discipline.
By bringing together seasoned faculty from a broad spectrum of technical and social disciplines, TLI provides both a systems view of security issues and the opportunity to specialize in the student’s choice of related disciplines.
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