Master of Science in Information Technology (MS-IT)
The primary aim of the program is to allow IT professionals an opportunity for professional upgrading or an extension of their qualifications and experience in order to develop to their full intellectual potential. It is a professional degree program, designed to provide candidates with appropriate practical understanding, life-long learning skills and knowledge for IT use, research, development and management and turn into competent and morally responsible professional individual to better serve the community. Having this knowledge, skills and practical understanding, graduates will be able to assume careers in research, development, operations and management of medium and large organizations, in all sectors, where IT is vital.
Detail
The MS-IT program is designed to prepare professionals and recent graduates for work in the IT sector at the highest levels in today’s thoroughly globalised and networked environment. It will provide the individual with the knowledge, understanding and skills to deal effectively with advanced applied and research issues in IT. Graduates of the course will possess a solid foundation that will allow them to maintain their skills as their specialized fields evolve.
Upon completion of the MS-IT program, graduates will be able to:
- Apply cutting edge technologies to real life business problems.
- Demonstrate teamwork abilities and outcome oriented deliverables.
- Explain and apply the core aspects of IT principles and tools, and manage their implementation in a business context.
- Understand and facilitate the strategic and operational aspects of business and technology applications.
- Manage complex IT projects with consideration of the human factors, business requirements, environmental aspects, risk management processes, and operational and policy implications.
- Understand the strengths and limitations of current technologies and apply them intelligently to meet the needs of each application.
- Apply their practical skills in IT projects developed for real world applications.
- Utilize high level interpersonal skills to negotiate and communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders verbally and in writing.
- Possess advanced knowledge of the state of the art in research in specialist areas related to Information Technology.
- Have an understanding of research methodologies at a level that enables students to conduct research in the areas of information technology.
- Practice life-long, self-dependant learning skills.
- Demonstrate the ability to act independently and creatively in analyzing problems.
- Demonstrate their knowledge and skills in the investigation of problems and development of solutions.
- Be able to make sound judgments on complex issues and communicate their conclusions effectively to specialist and non-specialist audiences.
- Own the responsibility for their own learning and future professional development.
- Be able to collaboratively work in identifying issues and resolving problems.
- Develop the culture of doing appropriate literature review before the start of any research project.
The teaching and learning strategies designed to satisfy the graduate attributes of the program are:
- Students are expected to participate actively in class discussions and out-of-class assignments (i.e. via Forum on Moodle), and to contribute to the process of constructing knowledge.
- Students are expected to do independent reading, especially before the class period. They are encouraged to apply Students are expected to participate actively in class discussions and out-of-class assignments (i.e. via Forum on Moodle), and to contribute to the process of constructing knowledge.
- Students are expected to do independent reading, especially before the class period. They are encouraged to apply the SQ3R (Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review) method and to reflect on the readings by writing a short report of what they have read.
- Students are encouraged to engage in critical thinking and to challenge ideas of others tactfully.
- Students will be required to analyze problems or write reports, and present their findings/work in class, workshops or seminars.
- Students are encouraged to visit instructors during office hours to ask questions, give feedback, or just chat about ideas related to the class.
- Faculty members are expected to provide real-life examples and application areas of the delivered concepts. Students are then provided problem sets the solution to which require additional reading and analytical skills.
- Students are expected to be engaged in individual and group projects whereby each student will be expected to contribute his own findings about a specific problem.
- Faculty members are expected to create opportunities in classrooms for students to demonstrate problem solving abilities through assignments, home works and projects.
- Students are expected to be engaged in appropriate literature review prior to commencement of any project assignment.
Applicants must have completed a Bachelors degree in Computer Science, IT or a related discipline from a university recognized by the Ministry of Higher Education in Oman. Students with other majors are also eligible for admission subject to successful completion of a number of pre-requisite courses that will be determined by the department.
The student must have achieved a score not less than 75%, which is equivalent to a GPA of 2.4 out of 4.0 or a cumulative grade letter of C+. Graduates from other majors will be expected to have successfully completed introductory courses in the areas shown below, with a grade not less than B in each course. If not, they will have to complete at least 12 credit hours (4 courses), before they can be officially enrolled in the program. The exact entry requirements can only be determined after the qualifications of the student are observed and analyzed.
Graduates from other majors will be expected to have successfully completed introductory courses in the following areas:
- Data Structures
- Database
- Network & Security
- Programming
- Software Engineering
Program
Program
The MS-IT program is a 2 year thesis based program. It consists of course work and a thesis.
The University does not follow the notion of yearly education. The students are awarded the degrees on the basis of completion 36 credit hours with an overall GPA not less than 65%. However, the University has put forward a regulation that a student must complete minimum of 18 credit hours to be eligible for Master’s thesis registration process.
The duration of the program is considered to be 24 months for full-time students. However, the students can extend the period of study up to a maximum of 4 years in order to acquire 36 credits. Additionally a residency requirement of no less than 2 years and a maximum residency of 4 are also embedded in the regulations.
The courses are designed in accordance with the American system of higher education. A graduate course is worth 3 credit hours. Such a class would generally meet for 3 contact hours per week over a 15-week semester, totaling roughly 45 hours of “contact” with the instructor(s) per course. Such classes may meet 3×1 hour weekly (for example Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 0900-1000), or 2×1.5 hours weekly (for example Mondays and Wednesdays from 0800-0930).
The contact hours of a typical 3 credit course would comprise of lectures and/or class discussion and/or lab works/applications or other options. In addition to lectures, one or several textbooks would be required reading, and there would often be recommended supplementary reading as well. The students are expected to do 3-2 hours of self study referring the reference materials available in the library or online resources to meet the learning outcomes of the course. Students shall also be expected to complete a number of homework assignments including problem solving, programming, course projects, course papers and theoretical issues. They are required to perform these tasks at their own time. The university is equipped with latest computers and software tools but many students may work from home. As a general rule, students are expected to work at least 3 hours of homework against each contacthour in the class, however, detailed work-load guidelines shall be provided in each course outline.
There are three exit routes from this program which are:
1. successful completion of the program with CGPA not less than 65% and award of Master degree or
2. successful completion of 15 credit hours of core courses and 3 credit hours of elective course (thereby acquiring 18 credits in total) with CGPA not less than 60% and award of a Postgraduate Diploma or
3. unsuccessful completion of the program and award of transcript showing a set of completed/attempted courses.
The breakdown of 36 credits is given below:
• 15 credits of core courses
• 15 credits of technical electives, of which at least 6 credits must be chosen from level 600 or higher courses
• 6 credits of Master’s Thesis
Important
A student, who successfully completes 18 credits, shall be considered for the Master’s Thesis option. The final decision shall be made by the department based on the student’s grades and his/her ability to do research.
A student shall be given up to three semesters to finish his/her thesis work. In case the student does not finish the thesis work on time, he/she must reregister for the thesis course CMPS 690.
The thesis should be presented following the report guidelines provided by the department and need to be defended in front of a panel of experts.
- CMPS 500 Advanced Software Engineering
- CMPS 510 Computer Networks and Security
- CMPS 520 Research Methodology
- CMPS 530 Advanced Database Systems
- CMPS 540 Information Technology Project Management
- CMPS 550 Advanced Artificial Intelligence
- CMPS 551 Intelligent Systems
- CMPS 552 Information Technology Entrepreneurship
- CMPS 553 Mobile Computing
- CMPS 554 Advance Programming Languages and Techniques
- CMPS 555 Strategic Information Systems Planning
- CMPS 556 Analysis and Design of Algorithms
- CMPS 557 Security in Networks
- CMPS 558 Advanced Web Development
- CMPS 559 Multimedia Applications
- CMPS 560 Object Oriented Software Development
- CMPS 600 Emerging Trends in Information Technology
- CMPS 601 Research Topics in Information Technology
- CMPS 602 Information Technology Auditing and Assurance
- CMPS 603 Knowledge Management
The grading system for the MS-IT program is given below:
Click on the following link to download Study Plan….
Click here to download SOP for Master of Science in Information Technology
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