TELEMATICS and

INFORMATICS

Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 115-120, 1988 Copyright © 1988 Pergamon Press plc. Printed in the USA 0736-5853/88 $3.00 + .00

INTERDISCIPLINARY MS PROGRAM IN TELECOMMUNICATIONS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO

Russell E. Shain Frank S. Barnes

Abstract--The MS degree at the University of Colorado is a broad-based program involving the social sciences, journalism, law, and engineering. It includes a hands-on lab and a thesis requirement. Thus, the graduates have more than a paper familiarity with the technology and they know how to communicate ideas. The program has strong support from industry and gov- ernment.

It was 1970 when the principles of the first interdisciplinary master of science program in telecommunications were verbalized at the University of Colorado in Boulder (CU). Those principles, put into practice in 1971 with the first graduate in 1972, have provided a foundat ion that has allowed the program to adapt and prosper in the midst o f the revolutionary changes that have unfolded in the telecommunications industry over the past 17 years.

That the program exists at all might be attributed to chance. Good fortune brought the founders together.* They did not know each other before they joined to forge the program. It was created in an at tempt to bridge the gap between engineering and the social sciences. The particular issues in 1970 that gave rise to the program were the problems associated with the regulation of the cable TV industry. The problems came about , at least in part , because of the lack of knowledge by the players in the political structure of the technical characteristics of communicat ions networks and associated cross-structures and, at the same time, the lack of interest in political issues by a vast majori ty of engineers. John Richardson of the Depar tment of Commerce gave impetus to the program by pointing out these deficiencies and the lack of trained personnel who understood both the technical and political aspects of the problem.

A National Science Foundat ion grant helped launch the program, which attracted a relatively small but stable number of students through its first decade. The Army Communica t ions Center at Sierra Vista, Arizona, provided a consistent proport ion of the early enrollment. Factors at work during that decade, of course, heightened the importance of telecommunications and propelled the program toward its current high- demand emphasis: the technology, planning, and management of voice and data com-

*George Codding of Political Science and Frank S. Barnes of Electrical Engineering founded the program and still play major roles on its executive committee. Russell E. Shain, the senior author of this article, is former dean of the University of Colorado's School of Journalism and is now serving as academic coordinator of the telecommuni- cations program.

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munications. The rapid development of computing and its subsequent application to telecommunications and the 1982 agreement that led to the divestiture of AT&T facili- tated a competition in the telecommunications industry that had not previously been possible. The offering of new products and services made what once had been a simple choice (AT&T) complex and complicated and created a new demand for telecommuni- cations professionals. The changes provided opportunities. The telecommunications program took advantage of them by making curriculum changes that placed added emphasis on voice and data communications without violating the principles on which the program was based.

The program historically has blended social science, business, and engineering courses. Telecommunications as a field is on the boundary between engineering and social science. A well-educated telecommunications professional needs to understand not only the technology of the field but also its potential impact and the political and management policy that governs its use. A speaker at a recent telecommunications seminar at CU reinforced this conclusion as he traced his company's efforts to intro- duce mobile satellite communications. The efforts, initially projected to succeed in three years, have lasted six, and the new service is still five years away. The delay, said the speaker, can be traced largely to difficulties in obtaining broadcast spectrum alloca- tions, difficulties made harder by delays at the Federal Communications Commission.

The users of telecommunications particularly appreciate the philosophy of the pro- gram. Another recent seminar visitor, who has six CU telecommunications graduates working for him,. explained his repeated recruiting visits in this way: "When I hire CU graduates and present them with a telecommunications problem, I know they will look at it as more than a technology problem. They not only will ask themselves what technology will solve the problem but also will consider the regulatory and management issues."

Three basic guidelines were established in the initial stages of the program that continue in the curriculum today. First, all students are required to take courses in both the social sciences and in the engineering aspects of communications. Second, students from both the social sciences and engineering are eligible for admission to the program. Third, the students write a master's thesis in order to acquire a significant depth of understanding in at least one aspect of the field.

The breadth of the curriculum, by including courses on regulatory policy, business, legal aspects, and electrical engineering, separates the program from others in the field. (Course descriptions are included in an appendix at the end of the article.) A typical student's engineering curriculum contains courses on basic communications, including such things as description of bandwidth, channel capacity, modulation techniques, and signal-to-noise ratios. Courses in data communications, telephone systems, satellite communications, and computing round out the engineering part of the program. On the social science side, it typically includes six hours in business taken from courses in information systems, finance, marketing, and personnel management. Regulator offer- ings include courses in contemporary issues related to the FCC and the PUCs in the United States and a course involving international regulatory policy associated with the ITU, CCIR, and standards activities.

Students may choose from a significant variety of electives. Depending on their qualifications, students may take courses in electrical engineering or computer science, or they may elect additional courses in management, economics, political science, or journalism. Whatever electives are taken, the courses are selected to match the goals of the individual student. One of the strengths of the program is the flexibility to allow students to pick out a significant number of courses in areas in which they lack back-

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ground. For students coming out of the School of Arts and Sciences, this is typically in the technical aspects of telecommunications.

A particularly exciting feature added to the curriculum in recent years is a $3 million laboratory that affords students opportunities to practice the technical theory they learn in the classroom. Floyd Becker, a retired AT&T Bell Laboratories engineer, devel- oped the concept of the lab and largely arranged the donations to equip it. Becker likes to describe the lab as two cities with 300 voice channels each. Equipment includes an AT&T System 85, a ROLM PBX II, a Northern Telecom SL-1, and a Danray 1000 from MCI.

The laboratory provides a unique learning experience. It allows students to get hands- on experience in working with voice and data systems. For example, students learn how to make program changes for setting up voice and data circuits. It also allows them to observe such things as the effects of satellite delays and noise on both voice and data signals by looping a circuit over specified long-distance lines.

The program obtains strong financial support from industry, not only in the form of equipment but also as direct financing for both scholarships and operations. Major corporate support has made it possible to expand the program beyond the levels tight university budgets normally allow an interdisciplinary program. In addition, CU and the International Communications Association have worked together to offer profes- sional development workshops in 1986 and 1987, and two are planned for 1988.

Consistent with its initial admissions policy, the program always has attracted a diversity of students. From the beginning, the program has had as one of its goals the desire to allow students without undergraduate technical education the opportunities for technical careers. The nature of business and industry today is such that a good portion of jobs are closed to students without engineering or technical degrees.

Some students are straight out of a bachelor's program; others are seeking a career change; and still others are mid-career executives. The average age of the students is approximately 30, and about 40°70 of them have experience in the telecommunications industry. Enrolled also are a significant number of military officers and government civilians. About one-fourth majored in engineering, computer science, or mathematics as undergraduates. A total of 20070 majored in business, 19070 in natural sciences, 16070 in social sciences, 13070 in other professional programs, and 5070 in humanities. Interna- tional students come from all parts of the world. Many of them have significant backgrounds in telecommunications and expect to play a significant role in shaping their country's communications systems in the years to come.

The program has graduated more than 350 students. A combination of rising interest in communications and an extension of the program from 12 to 18 months for many of the students has increased the current enrollment to approximately 130 students. The entering class was 60 students last year (rather than the traditional 30). Graduates from the program have taken a wide variety of jobs, although the largest number are hired for large corporations in communications departments in the planning and operation of voice and data networks. The second-largest group works for the federal government, either in the military or in supporting civil telecommunications systems. A third group joins telecommunications consulting firms, and still others work with regional tele- phone companies, equipment suppliers, and cable TV companies. Graduates can be found in virtually all parts of the telecommunications industry. Included among the alumni are the chief engineer for the Army's world-wide communications network out of Ft. Huachuca, a member of the White House communications staff, the chief telecommunications engineer for Charles Schwab (a California-based discount broker- age firm), and the president of Mile High Cable.

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The past 17 years have been successful ones for the telecommunications program. The years have not been easy. No interdisciplinary program largely dependent on exter- nal funding finds life easy. Much change has occurred in recent years, and more is in the offing. The faculty has approved new admission requirements so that students must have a higher level of math preparation before entering the program. This change will allow improvements in curriculum. Research grants and other funding opportunities are being pursued more vigorously. For example, a $125,000 NASA grant is sponsoring research on the future of commercial satellites. U.S. West's recent decision to locate its research center in Colorado should also open new possibilities. Many opportunities await, and the program should be able to take full advantage of them and continue to play a key role in the education of the telecommunications professional.

APPENDIX COURSES OFFERED BY THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS PROGRAM

Introduction to Communication Systems Theory: Fundamentals for the program. Re- quired for all participants who do not have a good current grasp of basic concepts related to a range of topics including sine waves, attenuation, power, field strength, physical units, elementary probability, trigonometric functions, logarithms, indices, complex numbers, use of tables, elementary calculus, and geometry. It provides useful review material for engineers and an introductory course for those without a technical background.

Telecommunications Systems: The telecommunication systems currently in use and some of the basic technical concepts of their operation are analyzed. The first portion is also a survey of the system resources available to the telecommunications manager. Included are telephone systems-voice, data, and facsimile; co-axial cable; waveguide; microwave relay--surface and satellite; low-frequency radio-communication, instru- mentation, and point-to-point communication; high-frequency radio broadcast, in- cluding FM and TV, and point-to-point, including troposcatter and meteor scatter, instrumentation, and navigation; and radar. Basic technical concepts include signal transmission theory (involving propagation of guided and unguided electromagnetic waves) and interrelations between channel capacity, traffic theory, information mea- surement bandwidth, signal power, and noise power.

Cable Television: This course, while technical in nature, is aimed at breadth rather than depth. Thus, included are pertinent FCC regulations, local franchising practices, and economic modeling as well as TV signal distribution and interconnection, subscrib- er terminals, headends and central processors, local origination, and interactive systems (two-way).

Computers in Telecommunications: Basic computer architecture (software and hard- ware) of both general purpose computation machines and dedicated telephone switch- es. Focus is on today's generation of technology (microprocessors, memory subsystems, databases, data processing, communications, etc.) and how it affects telecommunica- tion systems, office automation, and personal computing. The course emphasizes "hands-on" applications in the laboratory with microcomputers (IBM/PC-DOS) as well as minicomputers (AT&T/UNIX).

Data and Computer Networks: Maintains a real-world approach to the subject of networking computers and other data communications devices that are in use today or have been used in the past. This emphasis is further strengthened through the use of guest speakers from Colorado companies who discuss the nature, history, rationale, and performance of networks used by their companies. Includes both transport net-

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works and the processors and communications software that run with them; covers networks ranging from the simplest transport network to "application" networks like SNA; and deals with operating issues such as performance monitoring and network management.

Data Communications I: Introductory course in data communications. Defines large segments of terminologies, standards, design considerations and processes, models, and systems. The course is subdivided into four basic segments which support the interconnection and transmission of digital information. These segments include ana- log, digital, networks, and protocols.

Data Communications II: Addresses local area networks and digital telephony as well as topics of importance at the time such as cryptography and communications protec- tion. Designed for more technically inclined students. Normally follows Data Commu- nications I.

Defense Communications: Provides an overview of U.S. communication systems and architecture philosophies that support the Department of Defense and the military departments. Topics covered include: an overview of the Soviet infrastructure, nuclear effects on U.S. strategic and tactical communication systems, and electronic warfare on telecommunication systems (ECM and ECCM).

Political Economy of Telecommunications: Analysis of the history and growth of the telecommunications industry with emphases on telecommunications policy as it reflects (1) political and economic relationships of the industry; and (2) social and cultural implications of communications technology.

Telecom Seminar: A series of weekly lectures with questions and discussion. Many of the speakers are nationally known experts in telecommunications. The fall and spring seminars are for one credit hour each, and attendance is required of all students.

Telecommunication Systems Laboratory: Enables students to study the switching functions and to measure transmission and traffic characteristics on models of the major business communications systems and carrier transmission facilities. Course utilizes current commercial PBX equipment in a laboratory setting. This equipment includes an AT&T System-85, a Northern Telecom SL-I, and a Rolm CBX-II.

Telecommunications Laboratory: Gives "hands-on" experience through individual experiments and demonstrations, including antenna patterns and gain, use of the oscil- loscope, modulation methods, time and frequency multiplexing, noise and interference, queueing as simulated by a computer, and a meteorological satellite receiving system. The relevance of such concepts as bandwidth, noise, interference, channel capacity, signal power, etc. will be demonstrated.

Telecommunications Standards: Familiarizes students with the domestic and interna- tional standards organizations involved in telecommunication and information process- ing studies. The development, implementation, and importance of U.S. standards in general will be presented, as well as the differences between standards and regulations in the United States. The impact of the information age and related technology on the development of international standards will be considered. Special stress will be placed on the CCITT and its work on the ISDN. The student will leave the course with an awareness of the growing importance of standards to the communication industries and an understanding of how these standards evolve.

Telephone Systems: Provides an understanding of the technological manifestations, marketplace, and regulatory arenas surrounding today's telephone industry. Switching and transmission system technologies are presented in moderate depth. Principles in traffic theory are explained and applied along with telephone system design and evalua- tion techniques. Key Systems, PBXs, and modern inside wiring schemes are presented.

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The Political System and Telecommunications: The ultimate use of technology de- pends upon a number of variables, other than the purely technical. Political factors must also be considered. All levels of government regulate telecommunications, from the city which controls the placement of telephone wires up to the nation state which issues licenses to broadcast. Because of the nature of telecommunications and the importance of the information it carries, international politics are also heavily involved. The purpose of this seminar is to investigate the institutions that affect the use of telecommunications. Some time will be devoted to the various parts of the federal government that are involved in this endeavor, such as the Department of Commerce, the FCC, and the Department of State. The major thrust of the seminar, however, will be toward the role of international institutions including the ITU, UNESCO, and the various satellite organizations such as INTELSAT. Each student will be required to write a term paper on a problem which involves international politics for its resolution.

Contemporary Issues in Telecommunications Policy: Covers major issues in telecom- munications policy. A multidisciplinary approach is stressed and basic values and goals for telecommunications policy-making are explored. Existing policy structure is re- viewed briefly and critiqued. Topics will be drawn from all areas of telecommunications policy-mass communications, common carrier, and spectrum management.

Traffic and Queueing Theory: Analysis of equipment requirements for switched communication systems. Computational methods using tabular and graphical aids and computers will be emphasized. Topics covered include traffic concepts, blocking theory, Erlang formulas, delay theory, computational procedures, and computer simulation of traffic problems.

Trends in Satellite Communication Systems: Fundamental concepts and parametric design parameters of communication systems. Emphasis is on system throughput, sensitivity and selection of satellite orbit, frequency bands, modulation, coding, multi- ple-access schemes, on-board switching and processing, anti-jam techniques, and user terminal characteristics. Current and planned commercial and military satellite commu- nication systems will be examined and compared to future needs and technologies. This course will be aimed at a fundamental understanding of the design drivers of satellite communication system performance.