The MS in Biometrics courses are offered on a rolling format, 100% online, that lets you progress through the program at your own pace. The rolling format allows you to complete the 33 required credit hours in 2-3 years.
Required Courses
- Advanced Topics in Biometrics: (3 credits)
- Biometric Policy, Law & Ethics: Review and analyze policies, laws, and ethical behavior regulations of biometric technologies. (3 credits)
- Biometric Systems Interoperability: This course provides a technology neutral approach to the discussion of biometric system interoperability. It examines the issues of biometric sub-systems of different biometric modalities and sub-systems of the general biometric model. Students will be able to critically evaluate the impact of interoperability of sub-systems on the performance of the entire system. (3 credits)
- Biometric Technology and Applications: This course is a gateway into the field of biometrics. Designed for upper level undergraduate and graduate students in any major, the course covers an introduction to biometric modalities, testing and evaluation (including design of experiments), and standards. (3 credits)
- Business and Biometrics: This course is an introduction to how biometric technologies are used in business and industry environments. (3 credits)
- Information Security Concepts: The introductory course will expose the student to various design principles of trusted computing bases, legal regulations, investigation and compliance requirements, secure computing concepts, numerous security protocols and principles, practical networking security methodologies, and an introduction to business continuity and disaster recovery concepts. (3 credits)
- Introduction to AIDC (Automatic Identification and Data Capture): This course is an introductory course that covers topics such as bar codes, biometrics, RFID, card technologies, and related enabling technologies. Each semester, students participate in research projects that either result in a published paper in a conference or journal, or a poster presentation. (3 credits)
- Portfolio Introduction: A portfolio, to be viewed by the professor, fellow students, a committee or future employers, will be generated to showcase the student's ability to understand and describe biometric applications. This course will introduce the concepts to best display a portfolio and what is expected in the final draft of the portfolio. (1 credit)
Electives
- Design of Experiments: Fundamentals, completely randomized design; randomized complete blocks; latin square; multi-classification; factorial; nested factorial; incomplete block and fractional replications for 2n, 3n, 2m x 3n; confounding; lattice designs; general mixed factorials; split plot; analysis of variance in regression models; optimum design. Use of existing statistical programs. (3 credits)
- Human Factors in Engineering: Survey of human factors in engineering with particular reference to human functions in human-machine systems, and consideration of human abilities and limitations in relation to design of equipment and work environments. (3 credits)
- Interpersonal Skills: Develop skills necessary to be a strong leader, including understanding interpersonal behavior, managing conflicts, communication ability in many settings, building relationships in business and family, and problem solving and decision making in group and team processes. Understand the importance of diversity and cultural awareness. (3 credits)
- Measurement & Evaluation: Presents an introduction to measurement strategies in an industrial and human resource environment. The evaluation of measurement outcomes will be the primary focus. Using statistical concepts appropriate for industrial environments, the role of the manager in planning and conducting effective research will be presented. (3 credits)
- Policy, Law, and Ethics: An examination of ethical, legal and policy issues facing business and technology leaders. Topics include ethical decision making, corporate social responsibility, codes of ethics, public policies and government regulations, international business practices, technology innovation, risk management in a global environment, and specific areas of law- employment, health and safety, environment, contract, warranties and liabilities, intellectual property, technology law, and international laws and regulations. (3 credits)
- Project Management: This course introduces the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques that project managers use to plan, staff, estimate, and manage information technology projects. Special emphasis is placed on learning and applying the concepts of managing scope, risk, budget, time, expectations, quality, people, communications, procurement, and externally provided services. Students will apply project management technology and techniques to business problems. (3 credits)
- Research Methods: Analysis of research and evaluation of research reports. Emphasis on understanding the application of fundamental statistical methods in design and interpretation of research findings in industrial, technical, and human resource development environments. (3 credits)
- Sampling and Survey Techniques: Survey designs; simple random, stratified, and systemic samples; systems of sampling; methods of estimation; costs. (3 credits)
- Statistical Methods: Descriptive statistics; elementary probability; sampling distributions; inference, testing hypotheses, and estimation; normal, binomial, Poisson, hypergeometric distributions; one-way analysis of variance; contingency tables; regression. (3 credits)