Carsten Oesterlund, Program Director, 309 Hinds Hall, 315-443-2911, igrad@syr.edu

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Telecommunications & Network Management

Overview:

Networks are the information infrastructure of an enterprise. The networked global economy has revolutionized markets and reshaped public institutions. The strategic importance of data, voice, and video communications fuels a growing demand for professionals who combine knowledge of the network infrastructure with an understanding of applications and industry dynamics and an aptitude for effective project and technology management. With connectivity comes vulnerability, and this requires specialists who cannot only build a network, but who can also secure it.

The M.S. in Telecommunications and Network Management (TNM) is designed to meet these needs. It offers students a comprehensive and applied overview of networking technologies. Students get a hands-on and forward-looking knowledge of wired, wireless, and unified communications approaches. Students learn how to apply this knowledge to develop effective solutions that can achieve the strategic goals of the enterprise. Our faculty are familiar with the central connectivity and capacity issues that face large businesses, government entities, carriers, and network equipment providers. They have had practical experience in working with standards, government policies, laws, and regulations regarding networks of all kinds. Our faculty have also consulted with diverse organizations in both public and private sectors on infrastructure security approaches. The TNM program incorporates this experience into learning opportunities that can provide students a practical perspective on how to analyze, design, evaluate, and manage the total context of networking technology.

Courses give students flexibility to design a program that fits the students’ career goals. There are classes in technology, management, industry, and policy. New courses are continuously added to enhance focus areas such as information security, mobility, and cloud/virtualization technology. As these courses are scheduled, students may request substitutions to the electives list below.

Students are also encouraged to develop study plans with consideration for obtaining a Certificate of Advanced Study in such areas as Information Security Management, or Data Science. The economic and policy aspects of the program stress the international environment as well as national and local markets. To complement their program, students may take courses in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Whitman School of Management, or the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

Graduates of the TNM program fill an increasing demand for networking technology professionals who can keep up with this rapidly changing field without losing sight of market needs and the strategic value of information. Our graduates have positioned themselves in careers such as:

• Network and infrastructure engineers and managers
• Technical and marketing support specialists
• Industry and policy consultants
• IT auditors
• Information security specialists
• Entrepreneurs in the telecommunications and network industry
• Chief Technology Officers (CTOs)
• Chief Information Officers (CIOs)

Learning Outcomes:

By the time students complete the TNM program, they will be able to demonstrate:

1. Leadership in technology management
2. Strategic awareness of the industrial, legal and political environment
3. Technical knowledge and experience

Leadership in Technology Management means that students will be able to:

1. Integrate knowledge of communication technologies with appropriate policy, financial and management issues
2. Apply critical thinking skills and creativity to managerial problems
3. Generate solutions to human and/or technological problems using relevant technologies, theories, and concepts; to model, analyze and critique them; and to make recommendations
4. Communicate clearly, effectively and professionally in writing and in public presentations, and to engage in effective collaboration, leadership, and teamwork

Strategic Awareness of the Industrial, Legal and Political Environment means that students will be able to: 

1. Articulate the basic issues of telecommunication and information policy, and the key governmental and regulatory processes affecting them, from a global perspective
2. Describe the political, economic and social forces shaping information and communication technologies
3. Analyze industry trends and evaluate their implications for stakeholders

Technical Knowledge and Experience means that students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate broad knowledge of the fundamental principles and technical standards underlying telecommunication, networking, and information technologies.
2. Architect and implement networked information systems
3. Continuously improve their technology knowledge and communication skills
4. Anticipate the way technological change and emerging technologies might alter the assumptions underlying architectures and systems