Objectives:
The field of computer networks, distributed systems, data, and network communications is interdisciplinary. The intent of a Computer Network Communications certificate program is:

• to provide solid master's level coursework in the subject area of digital data transmission and communications
  
• to provide current and up-to-date knowledge on Local and Wide area networks
  
• to provide the exposure to the management of computer networks and architectures

This fundamental knowledge will have lasting value as communication networks evolve, yet will provide a valuable "professional edge" for today's engineers and scientists.

Who is the Computer Network Communications Certificate Program for?

• Engineers and scientists involved in design or implementation of computer networks and architectures (WANs, MANs, or LANs).
  
• Network systems analysts and operations personnel who will need technical knowledge as well as exposure to the theory of data communications.
  
• Returning M.S. graduates who want to expand and maintain their knowledge of computer networks and architectures.
  
• New graduate students with an immediate interest in computer networks and architectures.

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Program Description:

The Computer Network Communications Certificate is designed to provide technical knowledge relevant to the field of digital data communications including wide area networks (WANs), local area networks (LANs), grid computing, cloud computing, distributed computing and the management of an enterprise-wide computer network. The Computer Networks and Architectures certificate comprises the following courses:

ECSE-4670 Computer Communication Networks
A first course in computer communications which introduces the problems, solutions, and limitations associated with interconnecting computers by communication networks (LAN or WAN ). The seven layer ISO Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) reference model serves as a framework for the course with major emphasis on the physical layer standards, data link protocols, network and transportation layer protocols. Topics include: modems, baseband and broadband communications, HDLC, Ethernet and token ring LANs, cell and frame relay networks, bridges, routers, services of the upper layers (Session, Presentation, Application), and network security.
Prerequisite: CISH-4020, CISH-4030).

CISH-6490 Cryptography and Network Security
The course introduces the principles of number theory and the practice of network security and cryptographic algorithms. Topics include: primes, random numbers, modular arithmetic and discrete logarithms; conventional or symmetric encryption (DES, AES, Blowfish, Twofish, Rijndael) and public key or asymmetric encryption (RSA, Diffie-Hellman), key management, hash functions (MD5, SHA-1, RIPEMD-160, HMAC), digital signatures, certificates and authentication protocols (X.509, DSS, Kerberos), electronic mail security (PGP, S/MIME), web security and protocols for secure electronic commerce (IPSec, SSL, TLS, SET).
Prerequisite: CISH-4010, CISH-4020, ECSE-4670.

And any two of the following courses:

CISH-6250 Network Design and Cloud Computing
This is a comprehensive course in which the underpinning concepts, models, platforms and technologies of cloud computing are presented and analyzed mainly from a network design perspective. The course provides an in-depth treatment of the salient aspects of cloud computing and covers topics such as underpinning networking technologies and standards for cloud computing; cloud computing architecture, and network design and implementation strategies; Software as a Service (SaaS); Platform as a Service (PaaS); Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). Participantswill understand the decision-making process for adopting a cloud migration strategy and will be introduced to the capabilites of technologies and development tools (including Eclipse and other IDEs, Heroku, Force.com and Elastic Beanstalk) for cloud application building.
Prerequisites: ECSE-4670 and CISH-6490.

ECSE-6590 Principles of Wireless Communication
Course presents a unified treatment of all wireless networks - from cellular, WLANs to 3G/4G. Principles of air interface design are covered which include characterization of wireless channel, transmission techniques for the physical layer, and multiple access alternatives applied to wireless networks. Wireless network design fundamentals including channel allocation techniques, cellular concepts, architectual methods used for expansion of the network, mobility management, radio resources and power management. Implementation of cellular telephone and mobile data networks based on TDMA/GSM and CDMA technologies: EEE 802.11 WLAN standards. Discussion of developments towards IMT-2000 3G standards, including W-CDMA and CDMA2000.
Prerequisites: ECSE-6510 or ECSE-6560 and ECSE-4670.

ECSE-6660 Broadband and Multimedia Networking
Review of fundamental concepts and protocolsfor broadband and multimedia networking. The course addresses various traffic management techniques for providing QoS in ubiquittous TCP/IP networks. These include traffic classification and conditioning, packet scheduling, buffer management, and congestion control. Both differential services and integrated services models of the Internet are discussed. Multi Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) as the next generation QoS enabled network platform is then presented. The course provides detailed coverage of Internet multimedia protocol architecture that supports real-time delivery of multimedia information. Protocols for real-time interactive applications are considered in detail, including RTP, RTCP and SIP including SIP based implementation of Voice over IP telephony (VoIP). The course concludes with the study of ATM networks and technology options for broadband access and transport.
Prerequisite: ECSE-4670, ECSE-6510.

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Immigration Courses
Depending on academic background and professional experience, some students may be required to begin their studies with one or more prerequisite "immigration" course(s):

• CISH-4000 Computer Programming
• CISH-4010 Discrete Mathematics and Computer Theory
• CISH-4020 Object Structures. Prerequiste: CISH-4000.
• CISH-4030 Structured Computer Architecture

Program Enrichment
It should be noted that if there is a suffcient demand the following courses could be offered additionally:

• Massively Parallel Architectures
• VLSI Design & Nanotechnology
• Data Communications
• Distributed Systems
• Parallel Computing

Prerequisites:
Successful students begin the certificate program with a knowledge of algebra, calculus, basic probability, discrete mathematics, and exposure to graph theory. Knowledge of currently used and popular programming languages is useful (e.g., C, C++, Java, Fortran, SQL, Lisp, Prolog, Perl, Ruby). In addition, the student is required to fulfill all prerequisites for the given courses.

 

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