MSIT Plan of Study
The Master of Science in Information Technology (MSIT) degree requires the completion of ten three-credit courses, for a total of 30 credits. The curriculum page contains descriptions of all of the MSIT courses. Degree requirements include the completion of six core courses and four electives. One of the electives must be an MSIT elective course. Another must be an Information Systems & Technology (IS&T) course, which can be a graduate course from the MSIT program, the Human Factors in Information Design program,or the Information Process Management Department. The remaining two electives are unrestricted and can be any 600-level or higher graduate course from across all Bentley master’s programs. Students may choose to use those unrestricted electives in conjunction with the IS&T elective to complete a Graduate Certificate in Business Analytics [NEEDS LINK].
MSIT Core Courses
The following six courses comprise the Master’s in Information Technology degree core:
· CS 603 Object-Oriented Application Development (with Java and Eclipse)
· CS 605 Data Management and Modeling (with SQL and Oracle)
· CS 607 Technology Infrastructure of Information Systems
· CS 610 Enterprise Architecture
· CS 620 Global IT Project Management
· CS 630 Systems Analysis and Design
Students may be granted course substitutions for CS 603, CS 605, and/or CS 607 upon admittance to the program if they have completed equivalent undergraduate courses within the last five years with a grade point average of 3.0 or better out of 4.0. Admitted students can also petition for course substitutions after matriculating at Bentley. Please see the Graduate School Application Process page for more information.
Incoming Students with no MSIT course substitutions:
New students who do not have a background in IT are required to take the six courses in the MSIT core. During the first semester, full-time students typically take three or four courses. The recommended three-course set is CS 603, CS 605, and CS 607. If opting for a fourth course, then CS610 is recommended. If this course is not taken in the first semester, it should be taken in the subsequent semester.
Incoming Students with MSIT course substitutions:
New students who have been granted course substitutions for CS 603, CS 605, and/or CS 607 may take higher-level electives in their place. We encourage you to discuss the various options with the MSIT program director.
Choosing MSIT electives:
When choosing electives, it is recommended that students with no or limited prior IT experience choose primarily from the MSIT program electives. This will provide more depth in technology-related concepts and issues. Students with prior experience are encouraged to more fully explore the electives offered across the University’s master’s programs, paying heed to the prerequisites for those courses.
The MSIT electives can be grouped into the following clusters. While students can pick and choose from among these electives, it may be helpful to keep these clusters in mind when seeking to develop particular areas of expertise.
Application cluster:
- CS 612 Web-Based Application Development
- CS 680 Mobile Application Development
Data Management and Infrastructure, Cloud Computing, Big Data cluster:
- CS 650 Data Management Architectures
- CS 753 Business Intelligence Methods and Techniques
IT Management and Consulting
- CS 740 Network and Systems Security
- CS 801 Information Technology Management and Policy
Completing an IT-related internship is also highly recommended, particularly for students with little prior work experience:
- CS 881: MSIT three-credit internship
- CS 590: one-credit IT internship that does not count toward degree requirements. It is intended to provide additional work experience and is a popular option with international students