Internetworking master's program logs on

It may seem strange in today's technology-obsessed world, but it's tough to find people who can design, implement and manage computer network systems from the ground up.

"If you go into the market and try to find somebody who can set up a network, run it, grow it, architect it, you can't find them," said computing science professor Dr. Mike MacGregor. "And it's even tougher to find someone who can design new types of networks and equipment."

That's why the University of Alberta's departments of electrical and computer engineering and computing science have teamed up to create a new master of science in Internetworking. As one of only three such programs in the country and the first in Western Canada, it will aim to produce "technology transfer leaders who will shape the future of this emerging field," said Mark Dale, dean of graduate studies and research.

Set to start next fall, the program is designed for industry professionals seeking to upgrade their theoretical and practical knowledge, taking advantage of collaborative research across two faculties. Its goal is to cover every aspect of Internet technology, from its underlying organization and structure to its technical, business and societal implications.

The field of Internetworking is a combination of the hardware and software of the network. In a simplistic way, that's really what the two departments (of electrical and computer engineering and computing science) bring," said Dr. Steven Dew, associate dean of engineering at the U of A.

Graduates would be capable of developing architecture for complex network implementations or leading Internet-related project teams and business ventures. "One group of folks would go off and operate networks," said MacGregor, the program's new director. "But the folks we're really trying to graduate from here are those who will design the new equipment that the people operating the networks will buy."

The two-year program starts with 10 students in its first year, and classes are scheduled for evenings and weekends to accommodate work schedules. Because the program is expensive to run and will operate on a full cost-recovery basis, tuition is about $20,000, MacGregor said.

However the return on investment for these students can be significant, said Gavin Pitchford of Exigent Corporation, the main recruiter of talent for Internetworking companies in Canada. A master's degree "can be the difference between the $40,000 and $50,000 entry-level role," he said.

"And what happens early in one's career makes a huge difference to how it will ultimately evolve over the next 30 to 40 years. The difference over the span of just 10 years can be easily a million dollars."