4PLUS Information Technology Program (B.A., M.S.)

All students must complete certain prerequisite courses designed to provide the appropriate background knowledge.  Undergraduate courses that are used to meet the prerequisites must be completed with a grade of C- or better. This program requires the completion of 30 graduate credits beyond the undergraduate courses and the prerequisite foundation courses, including 18 credits of core requirements and 12 elective credits. Due to its accelerated nature, the program can be completed within five years only if the student’s undergraduate program includes the completion of any prerequisite courses prior to the beginning of the fifth year of study.

Foundation Courses and Quantitative Literacy
The Master of Science in Information Technology requires completion of prerequisite foundation courses designed to provide the appropriate background knowledge. The foundation courses are:

1. IT 510 Computing Hardware/Software Systems
2. IT 512 Elements of Computer Programming

Please note:

• Students in the five-year program must possess this background knowledge by the beginning of the fifth year. Students who meet the requirements for taking a graduate course for undergraduate credit may take the foundation courses during their senior year.
• Students pursuing the B.S. in computer science OR students in other majors who have completed CS 226 and CS 201 meet the requirement. These courses must be completed with a grade of C- or better.
• Students are expected to have completed at least one 200-level or above course in the Core Curriculum Quantitative Literacy category with a grade of B or better before the beginning of their fifth year in the program.
• Students should plan to complete their foundation courses and meet their quantitative literacy requirements during the third or fourth year of their undergraduate degree.
• The core requirements for the master’s degree will be completed during the fifth year of study.

Core Requirements

1. IT 514 Contemporary Issues in Information Technology 3.0
2. ITMG 516 Introduction to Data Analytics & Business Data Mining 3.0
3. IT 518 Systems Engineering and Integration 3.0
4. IT 530 Applied Database Systems 3.0
5. IT 548 Telecommunications and Networking 3.0
6. CSIT 555 Information Systems Security 3.0

Total Credits: 18.0

Electives
The remaining courses used to complete the student’s program will be elective courses that are selected in consultation with the adviser. At least two courses must be selected from courses with an IT prefix. Other elective courses are selected freely from the department’s graduate computer science and information technology offerings.

The five-year, dual-degree program is designed to allow students to complete their master’s program in a year following their undergraduate degree. To do so, they must attend a minimum of two academic semesters (fall and spring) as full-time students, in addition to two summer semesters distributed before and after the fall-spring semesters or by attending two summer sessions. Students accepted into the program are given permission to take up to three graduate courses during their junior and senior years to complete the foundation and one core of their IT master’s.

Students interested in the five-year program will have two options.

• Option A: Complete their undergraduate program including the required quantitative literacy courses during the four years of their undergraduate studies and take at least one graduate core course towards the master’s program. Then, enroll in six graduate summer credits and two 12-credit (fall/spring) graduate credit-bearing semesters. This option enables students to join the five-year program as late as the last semester of their senior year.
• Option B: Complete nine credit hours of foundation courses and quantitative literacy during the fall and spring semesters of their senior year or sooner. In addition, complete six credit hours from the M.S. IT core or elective courses during summer I/II semester, also in their senior year. After fulfilling those requirements, students in the five-year, dual-degree will have two different course paths for their fifth year. This option is better suited for students who have decided to follow the five-year program early on and have planned their junior and senior year coursework accordingly.

Students in this program may also receive a cybersecurity certificate with a careful selection of electives. Those students will need to earn 15 credit hours by taking five courses in cybersecurity that must include the following courses:

• CSIT 532 Computer Forensics 3.0
• CSIT 534 Network and Internet Security 3.0
• CSIT 555 Information Systems Security 3.0