Program Overview

The Master’s in Telecommunications Program (ENTS) offers students a unique opportunity to engage in cross-disciplinary coursework in telecommunications. The ENTS program is a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) program, and it combines rigorous technical education with invaluable business insight and entrepreneurial skills. The program is run jointly by the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department and the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland and offers a Master of Science in Telecommunications degree. The program may be pursued either full-time or part-time. Most courses are scheduled in the evening to suit working professionals, while some courses additionally offer daytime sections.

Entering students typically hold a bachelor’s degree in a technical field (engineering, computer science, etc.). Applicants must also submit a personal statement and three letters of recommendation. International applicants will also need to show a proof of English proficiency by taking the TOEFL or the IELTS exam and report their scores. To prepare your application, please review the detailed admissions requirements.

Once admitted, students undertake a program of study including 30-credits of course work (typically consisting of 10 three-credit courses) and a scholarly paper. Specific information on the degree requirements is available here.

The ENTS curriculum is comprised of technical core courses, business core courses, and elective courses. Technical courses focus on wireless communications, computer networking, cyber-security, and computing with special emphasis on Linux system administration, server virtualization, algorithms and data structures, data mining and machine learning. The business courses cover the areas of economics, marketing, management, finance and entrepreneurship. A comprehensive list of courses and descriptions can be found here. For the most recent course offerings and schedule, please refer to the Schedule of Classes.

This program has a number of unique features that set it apart from most “traditional” MS programs:

• While covering the necessary theory and principles, the program takes an industry-oriented approach and puts emphasis on the development of practical and hands-on skills needed in the telecommunications industry.
• Most MS programs only offer technical courses. However, the ENTS curriculum also has a business component. Courses in marketing, economics, organizational behavior and project management prepare students to see the “big picture”, become leaders in their organizations and grow into managerial positions a few years after graduation.
• While many MS programs are slow to change curriculum and adopt new courses, the ENTS program makes a conscientious effort to track the industry trends and introduce new courses in response to the changes in the telecommunications industry. New courses are launched almost every year.
• The courses in many MS programs are taught by tenured or tenure-track faculty members, whose focus tends to be theoretical and research-oriented. The ENTS program is different: the full-time instructors have worked in the telecommunications industry for several years and have considerable industrial experience. A number of part-time instructors, who still work in the industry, teach courses part-time. They bring current, state-of-the-art and industry best practices into the classroom.