DTU employs the highly efficient Open Lab educational model in Information Security and Network Engineering. Although still quite new, the innovative Open Lab model has already proven its effectiveness at DTU, providing strong support to students and helping them win prestigious awards in national and international contests. In conjunction with IT and Computer Science programs imported from the US, the School of Computer Science (SCS) now focuses on teaching students practically, and graduates are then much sought after by local companies on graduation.
The Open Lab model: Students win every way
DTU has invested heavily in its Open Lab system, by providing two new Network Security and Network Engineering practice rooms; and a wide range of specialized equipment, including high-capacity servers, routers, firewalls, IDS/IPS, and load balancers, as well as the “DTU Network Drill Ground” and the “DTU Private Cloud” simulators, located in the DTU Network Operation Simulation Center.
The Open Lab model impresses enthusiastic DTU IT students
In addition, DTU works with a team of security experts from the university and other enterprises, such as VNCERT, VNPT-IT, BKAV, and Viettel, who contribute significantly to DTU’s Open Lab model through their knowledge and practical experience as solution providers. They teach the students an understanding of security vulnerabilities and how to promptly deal with them, especially in the daily operation of networks with high security requirements, and the latest cyberspace applications to protect them.
Some examples of such vulnerabilities are:
- CVE-2022-37968 in the “Azure Arc-enabled Kubernetes cluster Connect”, with direct attacks
- 2022-40684 with a serious impact on FortiOS and FortiProxy, announced by Fortinet on October 7, together with a warning from the Authority of Information Security.
The Open Lab model helps students develop Web pentest, IoT pentest and DevSecOps applications, to rapidly respond to potential security vulnerabilities, even those encountered for the first time.
The ISITDTU team, the White-hat Hackers, win prizes in national and international competitions
DTU IT students maximize their abilities, reflected in recent significant awards:
- Second prize at the 2022 ASEAN Student Information Security Contest
- Second prize at the 2022 Arab Security Cyber Wargames in Egypt
- Third prize at the 2022 Security Bootcamp Information Security contest
- Third prize at the 2022 Insomni’hack CTF finals in Switzerland
The ISITDTU White-hat Hackers were ranked number one in Vietnam in the international CTFTime rankings and 58th and 38th in the world, in 2021 and 2022 respectively.
Study in the world’s top 300 programs
In 2023, Times Higher Education released its by-subject rankings of universities worldwide, with the DTU major in Computer Science listed in the 251 to 300 range. This is testament to the many years of investment and work that DTU has put into IT and Computer Science education, now officially recognized by the professional community. In the Computer Science and Information Systems category, DTU was ranked in the 301 to 350 range by QS and, in 2022, was ranked 151 to 200 in Computer Science & Engineering, by Shanghai Ranking.
DTU Computer Science majors in 2022
The university currently offers several IT majors:
- Software Technology Engineering, with minors in Software Engineering, CMU-standard advanced & high-quality Software Engineering (ABET accredited in 2021), Game Design & Multimedia, Big Data & Machine Learning (HP), and Artificial Intelligence
- Information Security, with minors in Network Engineering (ABET accredited in 2019), and CMU-standard advanced & high-quality Information Security
- CMU-standard advanced & high-quality Management Information System (ABET accredited in 2019)
- Computer Science
- Data Science
- Computer Networks & Data Communications
The DTU programs in IT and Computer Science are guaranteed to be of the highest quality, as the university imports curricula from and trains lecturers at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), one of the top four IT universities in the US. In teaching these programs, the CDIO (Conceive, Design, Implement, Operate) method is used in Technology & Engineering and three of DTU’s minors in this field have now achieved ABET accreditation, the American “gold standard.”
- Network Engineering in 2021
- Software Engineering in 2021
- Management Information Systems in 2019
These majors all achieved the highest ABET six-year accreditation level and are taught in English by lecturers from the American universities or foreign lecturers from the DTU International School (IS).
Training on demand
The strong ability of highly qualified DTU IT graduates favors them significantly when companies are recruiting locally for important positions. During the DTU annual Job Fair, many local IT and software organizations arrive at the university to search for the best candidates and offer them lucrative positions.
The Job Fair attracts many local companies
Over the years, DTU students have found many excellent jobs:
- Nguyen Thanh Khanh (K22 TMT): Head of Information Security Monitoring at VNCERT (Ministry of Information & Communications)
- Nguyen Oanh Thuong (K19 TMT): Information Security Virtual Intrusion Tester at VNPT-IT
- Pham Thi Le Trinh (K14 HTTT): Project Manager at Enclave
- Nguyen Ha Tri Duc (K21 TMT): Information Security department, Telecom Kon Tum
- Thai Truong Duy (K21 TMT): Information Security Subcommittee of the Danang Department of Information & Communications
- Nguyen Dinh Anh Tu (K21 TMT): DevSecOps Engineer at FPT in HCMC
- Do Bao Linh (K14): BA Leader at Nals Solution
- Ha Ngoc Chung (K16): Founder & CEO at DOKE
“Training on demand” has become routine for DTU, as more and more companies come to the university to “order” manpower, even third-year students. These include Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications, FPT, the Vietnam Cybersecurity Emergency Response Teams (VNCERT), provincial departments of information & communications in Central Vietnam and the Central Highlands, and the Authority of Information Security from the Ministry of Information & Communications. Consequently, IT and Computer Science students can find employment even before graduation, under the most favorable conditions.
(Media Center)