Admissions

Admission Requirements for Master of Science in Information Technology

Students entering the MSIT program are required to have completed a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution of higher learning and have acquired substantial experience in studying, applying or developing information and computing technology. Such experience may be developed by completing an undergraduate major in a discipline related to information technology, including but not limited to business information systems, computer engineering, computer science, data communication, information management, information technology, mathematical and physical sciences, and software engineering.

For applicants who have an undergraduate major not directly related to computing, the experience may be acquired through work, professional training or further education such as post baccalaureate studies. (See also Course Selection Guide for Post Baccalaureate Students.)

For admission to the MSIT Program, applicants must meet both University Graduate School requirements, as well as MSIT Program specific requirements. Full details on University Graduate School requirements can be found in the most recent version of the University Graduate Catalog.

University requirements can also be found under “The Graduate School” section, in the “General Application Requirements for Admission” sub-section, and “Master’s Degree Programs” entry. Additional helpful information on University requirements is available in the Graduate School Frequently Asked Questions about Graduate Admissions.

Admission requirements specific to the MSIT program include:

  • Applicants must have completed, at a minimum, undergraduate or equivalent course work in

    • data structures

    • object-oriented programming in C++, C#, or java both with a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

Applicants who have substantial work experience in applying or developing computing and information technology may be able to substitute their work experience for the specific requirements for object-oriented programming and/or data structures, subject to review by the MSIT Program Coordinator.

  • All applicants must have an undergraduate GPA or equivalent of at least 3.0 on a scale of 1.0 to 4.0, and a junior/senior GPA of at least 3.0.

  • Applicants, other than those who are current UNCC students, are required to demonstrate a satisfactory score on the aptitude portion of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). Current UNCC students are exempted from the requirement of submitting GRE test scores.

  • All applicants are required to submit a statement of purpose as well as letters of recommendation.

  • International applicants must meet additional requirements for English language proficiency.

Knowledge and skills in the following areas, though not required for admission, will help students excel in their graduate studies:

  • Networking technology (Example courses: ITIS 2110 IT Infrastructure and ITIS 3100 Introduction to IT Infrastructure Systems),

  • Web based application development (Example courses: ITIS 2300 Web-Based Application Development and ITIS 3105 Server-Side Applications and Data Management),

  • Databases (Example course: ITCS 3160 Data Base Design and Implementation),

  • Concepts of operating systems and scripting (such as BASH, Python and Windows PowerShell).

Admission Process

Applications for a master’s program are all handled centrally by the Office of Graduate Admission. Admission decisions are made on a competitive basis, and all applications are evaluated in their entirety (See also Frequently Asked Questions.)

Note

Except for current UNCC students, GRE or GMAT test scores must be supplied. Recommendation letters are required of every applicant, regardless of whether they are regular or early entry applicants or scholarship recipients. Incomplete applications will not be evaluated.