.:: Athens Information Technology ::.

MSIN / Course Descriptions

1. Core Courses

AIT01C: Fundamentals of Embedded Systems [12 units]

The course gives a good understanding of system level programming concepts. Embedded systems are typically used over long periods of time, will not (or cannot) be programmed or maintained by its end-users, and often face significantly different design constraints such as limited memory, low cost, strict performance guarantees, fail-safe operation, low power, reliability and guaranteed real-time behavior. These embedded systems often use simple executives (OS kernels) or real-time operating systems with typically small footprints, support for real-time scheduling and no hard drives.

AIT02C: Distributed Systems [12 units]

This is an advanced course focusing on the design, implementation and management of distributed systems. It covers fundamental topics such as naming, security, reliability, resource sharing, and remote execution. It addresses network protocol issues above the transport level and discusses information sharing mechanisms such as electronic mail, file systems, and databases. It includes extensive material on transactions and coordination of multiple machines

AIT03C: Packet Switching and Computer Networks [12 units]

The course is designed to provide graduate students an understanding of the fundamental concepts in computer networks of the present and the future. In the past, the scarce and expensive resource in communication networks has been the bandwidth of transmission facilities and accordingly efficient use of this resource. The techniques used for networking and switching have been chosen to optimize the information carried: circuit switching for voice and packet switching for data. It is expected that elements of circuit and packet switching will be used in the integrated networks. This course focuses on packet switching for computer networks and protocol design. Topics in the course include: computer networks over-view; OSI layers, queuing theory; data link protocol; flow control; congestion control; routing; local area networks; transport layer. The current networks and applications will be introduced through the student seminars in the last weeks of the course.

AIT04C: Information Systems Modeling [12 units]

The course focuses on the early processes of information systems design. Students gain a deep understanding of the complexity of establishing information requirements in complex applications and learn how to translate these requirements into a global design architecture. Students compare and contrast different methodologies for requirement analysis. Modeling a database architecture as a major step in the design process is emphasized. Throughout the course students conduct several assignments using Object-Oriented design methodologies. At the conclusion of the course students explore several approaches for completing design specifications that satisfy existing information requirements.

AIT25C: Graduate Project [36 units]

The Graduate Project represents a capstone experience and an original contribution in an interesting and relevant area of information networking/security. Projects may include internships, working on existing projects, designing new areas of research, or assisting faculty to further their work on their current research.

AIT75C Policies of Wireless Systems and the Internet [12 units]

This course will address public policy issues related to wireless systems, and to the Internet. It begins by investigating policies related to a wide variety of emerging wireless systems and technologies, including wifi computer networks, broadband to the home, broadcast radio and television, and satellite communications. This can include the government role in facilitating the creation of infrastructure, in advancing competition among broadcasters and communications service providers, in managing spectrum, and in protecting privacy and security. The course will then address Internet policy issues, which can include Internet governance and the domain name system, taxation, privacy and security, and intellectual property. Because these are inherently interdisciplinary issues, the course will include detailed discussions of technology, economics, and law, with no prerequisites in any of these areas.

AIT78_aC - Managerial Economics [6 units]

This class presents the basic concepts of microeconomics theory with an emphasis on business applications. The approach of microeconomics is to solve an economic problem by modeling it as an optimization problem; the solution to the optimization problems then interpreted in terms of the original economic problem. This approach will be used to answer such problems as input selection, pricing and project selection. The format of the class is to present theory common to a general class of applied problems and then to apply the theory by solving actual problems. The goal of the class is for the students to be capable of applying the basic concepts to problems faced both future classes (e.g. finance, macroeconomics) and future careers.

AIT78_bC - Business Management [6 units]

This class includes management functions such as accounting (reading and understanding financial statements, basic cost analysis and budgeting), finance (project evaluation and capital budgeting), human relations (motivation and organization of work), marketing (distribution and consumer behavior), and operations (production planning and control). The importance of information systems is emphasized across all management functions.

AIT89C: Secure Software Engineering [12 units]

This course will enable students to understand how software coding defects lead to software vulnerabilities, develop secure software, and manage teams that develop secure software. This course provides a detailed explanation of common programming errors in C and C++ and describes how these errors can lead to code that is vulnerable to exploitation. The course covers secure software development tools and processes while focusing on low-level technical security issues intrinsic to the C and C++ programming languages and associated libraries. Proficiency in C and C++ are required. Prerequisites: None.

2. Elective Courses

AIT06E: Digital Communications and Signal Processing Systems Design [12 units]

This course focuses on a hands-on learning of digital communication transmission and reception principles, using the required signal processing techniques. It covers the topics of baseband and passband modulation, data constellation, eye diagrams, pulse shaping, Nyquist condition, intersymbol interference, equalization, over-sampling and fractional spacing, error correction coding and synchronization. These are used in major building blocks of digital modem design. The students get to implement several of these building blocks, as well as end-to-end modem chains, using the Matlab programming language, with the associated communication toolbox, as well as its Simulink design package. By the end of the class, the students will have a good understanding of the main principles of digital communications; the main impairments that practical channels exhibit; and the necessary skills for basic modem design.
The students will be also given the opportunity to work on real data collected by the B-WiSE Lab's wireless multi-antenna testbed.span>

AIT07E: Optical Networks [12 units]

Even though the emphasis of this course will be on optical networking technologies, the underlying fiber optic link design and the basic optical components needed for a point-to-point link will be reviewed. The basic principle of operation of optical transmitters, detectors, optical amplifiers, multiplexers, filters, couplers, and wavelength converters will be described. A knowledge of optical devices is not only necessary from a transmission system engineering viewpoint but also from the viewpoint of appreciating the limitations that these devices impose on optical networks. In the remainder of the course, the emphasis will be on describing First-Generation Optical Network Technologies such as SONET/SDH, FDDI, ATM, IP, and Second-Generation Optical Networks employing Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) Technologies. Research issues in today's and future Optical Access Networks, Photonic Packet Switching Techniques, and optical routing techniques (such as Detection Routing, Hybrid Store-and-Forward, and Wavelength Conversion) will also be highlighted. Other topics that will be (time permitting) covered include Network Control and Management and Fault/Failure Protection/Management of Optical Networks and the current deployment considerations.

AIT12E: Information Theory and Coding [12 units]

The first half of this course will introduce the basic notions of information theory, and relate it to primarily communication system concepts, with some examples of its application in other fields. Coding theory, which is the practical realization of the communication limits specified by information theory, will be covered in the second half of the course. The course will concentrate on binary coding schemes, which nonetheless are very widely used. Thus, the first half of the course comprises of the concepts of entropy, mutual information, the Asymptotic Equipartition property, applications to source coding (data compression), applications to channel capacity (channel coding), differential entropy and its application to waveform channel capacities, and a subset of advanced topics such as Kolmogorov complexity, timing (covert) communications, or rate-distortion theory, as time permits. The second half of the course comprises Hamming codes, cyclic codes (CRC and BCH codes), a brief introduction to Reed-Solomon codes, and perhaps universal codes (Lempel-Ziv coding). A class project, involving independent reading, will allow students to investigate any advanced topic related to information theory and coding.

AIT13E: Principles of Broadband Networks [12 units]

This course provides an understanding of the principles of broadband communication networks. The broadband communication networks differ from currently existing communication networks in many aspects and these issues will be dealt with in the course. Broadband networks are designed to support many different services, ranging from low bandwidth (telemetry) to high bandwidth applications (digitized video). The course will cover the underlying concepts of the broadband communication networks, and expose the research problems in BISDN (Broadband Integrated Services Digital Network). Many concepts (Asynchronous Transfer Mode, SONET, fast packet switching, high-speed network control, and traffic control) will be discussed. The current research results in broadband networks will be introduced through the student seminars in the last weeks of the course.

AIT14E: Wireless Communications [12 units]

The demand for wireless products is growing at an impressive rate: cellular telephony, wireless internet access, wireless PDAs, wireless LANS, pagers, wireless cable, and the list goes on and on. This demand for newer and better products has created the need for engineers who are knowledgeable and skilled in the unique research and design issues encountered in developing wireless communications systems. In this course, we will survey wireless system design with an emphasis on what are often referred to as "physical layer" topics: cellular system techniques and capacity, radio wave propagation and coverage, modulation formats and efficiency, RF system design, signal processing and coding techniques, and multiple access techniques. Cellular telephone systems and the Global Positioning System will be used as examples to illustrate these concepts.

AIT15E: Advanced Digital Signal Processing [12 units]

This course will examine a number of advanced topics and applications of digital signal processing, with emphasis on optimal signal processing techniques. Topics will include modern spectral estimation, linear prediction, short-term Fourier analysis, adaptive filtering, and selected topics in array processing and homomorphic signal processing.

AIT16E: Multimedia Communications: Coding, Systems, and Networking [12 units]

Multimedia Communications: Coding, Systems & Networking is about the study of technologies for multimedia representation and transfer. In the Systems and Coding part of the course, the focus is on perceptually lossless compression. To do so, the necessary signal processing and statistics elements are covered in order to understand the standards for multimedia representation. In the Networking part, the standards for multimedia delivery are presented.

AIT17E: Advanced Operating Systems and Distributed Systems [12 units]

This course examines the design and analysis of selected aspects of operating systems and distributed systems. It covers topics such as concurrency and distributed communication; fault-tolerance, availability, and persistence; and operating system structure. Lecture focus on the principles used in the design of operating systems and distributed systems, and algorithms and data structures used in their implementation. Readings include case studies, seminar papers, and recent conference and journal articles.

AIT18E: Introduction to Computer Security [12 units]

This course provides a principled introduction to techniques for defending against hostile adversaries in modern computer systems and computer networks. Topics covered in the course include operating system security; network security, including cryptography and cryptographic protocols, firewalls, and network denial-of-service attacks and defenses; user authentication technologies; security for network servers; web security; and security for mobile code technologies, such as Java and Javascript. More advanced topics will additionally be covered as time permits, such as: intrusion detection; techniques to provide privacy in Internet applications; and protecting digital content (music, video, software) from unintended use.

AIT19E: Algorithms [12 units]

The objective of this course is to give students an introduction to the basics, as well as some advanced topics, in the area of designing effective algorithms, familiarize them with ongoing research and make them appreciate the beauty behind efficient algorithms. The list of topics includes: Introduction to algorithms, the notion of complexity and order notation, divide and conquer and recurrences, lower bound techniques, Advanced Data Structures – Hashing, Algorithm design techniques (Dynamic programming, Greedy algorithms, Amortized analysis), Graph theoretic algorithms (Minimum Spanning tree, Dijkstra's algorithm, Planarity, etc.), linear programming, Max Flow and Matchings, NP-Completeness and Approximation algorithms, Algebraic algorithms and primality, Randomized Algorithms, Computational Geometry, FFT and Applications.

AIT20E: Programming Languages [12 units]

This course introduces and motivates fundamental concepts of the semantics of programming languages. The main focus is on the principles of programming languages, their application in program analysis and synthesis, and their relevance in language design and implementation. We aim to bring out the key concepts and techniques, building in a modest amount of necessary mathematics and logic as we go, at the same time as allowing students to see these concepts in settings that involve real programming languages. We aim to demonstrate that there is a scientific approach to the theory of programming languages, and that such an approach is vital in attempting to answer questions about the advantages and disadvantages of various languages, the verification of compiler correctness, and many other practical purposes.

AIT23E: Network Design and Evaluation [12 units]

This is a capstone course on Network design and Evaluation. The goal of this course is to learn about network design and evaluation in a hands-on fashion. Teams of students design implement and evaluate a network protocol or a router feature. The network infrastructure consists of Intel Development platform for the IXP 1200 packet processor. Each team of students develops three interacting network components. The first component is a data plane component, i.e. a network element that is involved in processing packets that are forwarded by the router. The second component is a control plane component that manages and controls the function that is implemented on the packet processor and the third component consists of one or more applications that stress the new network feature. All teams have to complete a project that includes designing, implementing, testing, evaluating, writing of a final report and presenting it.

AIT24E: Independent Study [12 units]

Each candidate may take up to 12 units of independent study courses counting towards the 171 units needed for the MSIN degree. An “independent stuffy” course can be negotiated between a student and a faculty member in cases where there are no INI courses covering a special topic that interests a student. If the student can find a faculty member who agrees to supervise such a course, the student must secure a form from the AIT Student Secretariat, fill it out, and submit it for approval.

AIT26: Research Seminar [3 units]

The INI Research Seminars are offered in the Fall and Spring terms of the first academic year. They comprise three (3) units (1 unit + 2 units respectively for Fall and Spring offerings) of the total 39 units required to satisfy the program’s graduate project requirements (click for more).

AIT27E: E-Commerce Technologies [12 units]

The objective of this course is to provide students with the essentials to understand e-commerce, relevant technologies and applications and to experiment with specific e-commerce technologies in the form of small homework assignments. The course is separated in three parts. The first part will introduce the main e-commerce principles and address the managerial perspective. The second part will explore e-commerce technologies in breadth while the third part will focus on e-commerce deployment with XML and ASP.NET.

AIT28E: Sensor Networks [12 units]

This course examines how to design and analyze the implementation of information processing tasks on sensor networks, including routing, service establishment, sensor tasking and control, and data storage. A special challenge is the integration of techniques from a variety of disciplines that come into play in supporting high-level sensor network information management - including signal processing, networking, energy - aware computing, distributed databases and algorithms, and embedded systems and platforms. A rudimentary knowledge of linear algebra, elementary probability and estimation theory, graph theory, networking protocols, databases, and distributed systems will be assumed.

AIT29E: Digital Communications [12 units]

This course makes a thorough introduction to digital communication technology, theory and principles which are at the heart of today's wireless and wired networks. The course provides a unified approach to understanding digital communication systems by combining the theory of signaling and coding, with hands on experience using well designed MATLAB exercises. First it introduces the fundamentals of signals, spectra, formatting, and baseband transmission. Next, it presents practical several contemporary modulation, coding, and signal processing techniques.

AIT30E: Telecommunications and IT Management [12 units]

The purpose of this course is to provide students with an understanding of the key technical and managerial issues in the effective development and use of telecommunications and information system infrastructures by organizations. Discussion of technology will be set in the context of applications, particularly those emphasizing inter-organizational coordination and service delivery. The interdependency of application and network development required for successful deployment of distributed information systems is all too often overlooked by ICT professionals. Topics covered will include basic concepts of telecommunication technology (data and voice), internet and intranet technologies, issues related to the operational and strategic use of the technology, and the changing structure of the telecommunications industry. In addition an overview of the regulatory environment and how it affects the operation of the telecommunication industry will be presented. The course will include a project where groups of students will work on specific business cases toward the development of skills and business-oriented systems design capabilities.

AIT64E: Special Topics on Applied Cryptography [12 units]

A wide array of communication and data protections employ cryptographic mechanisms. This course explores modern cryptographic (code making) and cryptanalytic (code breaking) techniques in detail. This course emphasizes how cryptographic mechanisms can be effectively used within larger security systems, and the dramatic ways in which cryptographic mechanisms can fall vulnerable to cryptanalysis in deployed systems. Topics covered include cryptographic primitives such as symmetric encryption, public key encryption, digital signatures, and message authentication codes; cryptographic protocols, such as key exchange, remote user authentication, and interactive proofs; cryptanalysis of cryptographic primitives and protocols, such as by side-channel attacks, differential cryptanalysis, or replay attacks; and cryptanalytic techniques on deployed systems, such as memory remanence, timing attacks, and differential power analysis.

AIT65E: Special Topics on Dependable Systems Design [12 units]

The course concerns approaches to the design of Distributed and/or Parallel Systems for which dependability qualities are major requirements. Such systems typically manage critical infrastructures, for example telecommunications systems, power plant systems, traffic (land, sea, air traffic) and so on, and, as a result, a high level of confidence is placed on their operation since the consequences of their failures may be severe. Dependable systems possess qualities like availability, reliability, safety, integrity and maintainability. They need to provide guarantees (justified by their very design) for their correct functioning according to their specifications, and their ability to transparently overcome errors, unexpected events, intrusions, malfunctions, etc. The course provides an introduction to Mathematical Logic and its use for program development and verification. Topics include axiomatic logics (Floyd/Dijkstra/Hoare), modal logics, intuitionistic logic, temporal logic, and their use for proving safety and liveness system properties.

AIT66E: Special Topics in Communications & Networking [12 units]

This course is intended for graduate students who wish to learn about current topics of interest to the communications and networking research communities. Part of the course will be tutorial in nature, where the instructor will introduce the topic of interest, primarily through introductory research papers. Part of the course will involve independent reading and group discussion, where students will read recent research papers on the topic and discuss the papers in class, with an end towards proposing new ideas on the topic. Students registering for the course are expected to have had exposure to undergraduate-level communications and networking. Grades will be based on a few homework assignments and an independent class reading and research project, on any topic of interest to the student, within the spirit of the course. Group projects will be acceptable also. The topics covered may vary from one course offering to the next. There will be one course offering every two years. This year the course will cover the basics of multiple input / multiple output (MIMO) wireless communication systems, with an emphasis on signal processing aspects. The basic principles and performance trends of MIMO systems will be first presented, demonstrating their remarkable communication throughput potential. This constitutes the primary motivation for the development of advanced signal processing techniques for transmitting and receiving over wireless MIMO links. Several classes of such techniques, ranging from spatial multiplexing and space-time coding at the transmitter to space-time decoding and channel estimation at the receiver will be presented in detail. Finally, the latest trends of MIMO systems, related to wideband, multi-user and multi-base MIMO networks will be mentioned.

AIT73E: Special topics: Multimedia Information Retrieval and Data Mining[12 units]

The course covers a broad range of advanced algorithms for analysis, description, indexing, representation, learning and classification, data management, access and visualization of multimedia content in large multimedia archives. It initially introduces students to information retrieval and data mining principles and then proceeds further on elaborating on topics such as content-based multimedia information analysis, description, archiving, retrieval, search and presentation, as well as information extraction and knowledge discovery deploying data mining methodologies.

AIT74E: Advanced Perception [12 units]

is about processing audiovisual signals from multiple sensors, in order to extract information and turn that information into context. To that goal, the signal processing techniques that can lead to answering the questions ‘where?’ and ‘who?’ are going to be covered: Detectors and trackers tackle the first question, while pattern classification techniques answer the second. Finally, the answers to these questions, together with some scenario, are combined to address a third question ‘what?’. The material presented in the course is driven by a variety of applications that can utilize the answers to ‘what happened where and caused by whom?’

AIT77E: Telecommunications, Technology Policy, and Management [12 units]

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to basic principles of telecommunications technology and the legal, economic, and regulatory environment of the telecommunications industry. Topics covered are: role of new technologies such as fiber, wireless, voice over packet, and broadband access; principles behind telecommunications regulation from common carrier law and natural monopoly to open access and interconnection; differences in the treatment of telecommunications versus information services. Also, mergers, antitrust, and the changing industrial structure of telecommunications; spectrum allocation and management; and international comparison of telecommunications regulations. Special emphasis on how the new technologies have altered and are altered by regulation.

AIT90E: Introduction to Security and Policy [12 units]

The growing importance of networks and distributed systems, and their use to support safety-critical applications, has made computer and communications security a central issue for systems today. This course will introduce students to the technical and policy foundations of computer and communications security. These foundations will be illustrated using deployed systems as case studies. The course will assume a basic working knowledge of computers and networks, but will not assume any prior exposure to topics in computer or communications security. Graduate standing or permission of the instructor is required.

AIT95E: Security in Networked Systems [12 units]

Some of today’s most damaging attacks on computer systems involve exploitation of network infrastructure, either as the target of attack or as a vehicle to advance attacks on end systems. This course provides an in-depth study of network attack techniques and methods to defend against them.

Topics include firewalls and virtualprivate networks; network intrusion detection; denial of service (DoS) and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks; DoS and DDoS detection and reaction; worm and virus propagation; tracing the source of attacks; traffic analysis; techniques for hiding the source or destination of network traffic; secure routing protocols; content poisoning attacks; and advanced techniques for reacting to network attacks.

Pre-requisites: Students must have passed Introduction to Information Security. In addition, solid background in C and UNIX programming will prove helpful for the several assignments this course involves.

Notes: "In the course code C stands for Core, E for Elective"

Students' Views

"I choose to do my degree in Information and Telecommunications Technologies at AIT because the course description seemed to suit me perfectly. Taking part in this course has given me the feeling of being on the "cutting edge" of Telecommunications and Information Technology and I have enjoyed many intellectually stimulating moments. I am very proud to have studied at AIT. I had a wonderful time during my studies with new friends, new knowledge, a wonderful place and friendly lecturers. I would love to come back here for further study and I am thinking of participating in the PhD Program."

Tzelios Dimitris, MSITT 2005, (Greece)

MSIN