INFRASTRUCTURE MASONS
SMU Master ’ s Degree in Datacenter Systems Engineering By Jeff Omelchuck , Executive Director , Infrastructure Masons Dallas is a hot market for data centres and is home to a number of leading data centre companies , including Aligned , Stream and Compass . To meet the growing demand for talent , the industry partnered with Dallas-based Southern Methodist University to create a Masters Degree in Datacenter Systems Engineering ( DSE ), the first such programme in the US . To ensure alignment with the industry ’ s needs , the programme maintains an industry advisory council , chaired by Eddie Schutter , CIO of Switch , and iMasons Board Member .
If an incoming student has a bachelor ’ s degree in engineering , science , or math , the DSE degree can be completed in an academic year and a half if taken full time .
The courses can be taken in-person on the SMU campus or online remotely . There is no required hands-on lab component requiring on-campus attendance . “ We typically have a cohort of about 20 students entering and graduating each year ,” said Volkan Otugen , PhD , the DSE Programme Director . “ They are typically about a 50 / 50 mix of US and international students . Surprisingly , the majority of our on-site students are international . They come to the US to obtain the degree and find a job in the US . The online students are mostly US-based , and most of them are already working in the industry .”
By selecting elective courses , students can specialise in one of the following four areas :
• Facilities infrastructure and management
• Data engineering , analytics
• Networks , virtualisation , and security
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