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CDM Home > Academics > MA in Information Technology

MA in Information Technology

Master of Arts 2011-2012

Information Technology

The Master of Arts in Information Technology program is intended to prepare professionals in the broad field of Information Technology. In particular, the program prepares graduates to interact professionally with technologists, write about IT, manage impacts of IT on organizations or society, or evaluate IT-oriented data.

The goal of the MA in Information Technology program is to prepare someone in a non-technical position to interact effectively with the technical staff and customers. Students in the program acquire a broad range of skills including:

  • The concepts, tools, and practices of information technology management
  • The analysis phase of the software development life cycle
  • The fundamentals of networks for voice and data communications and for the integration of voice and data streams
  • The methods and problems associated with technology-triggered business transformation
  • The basics of database design
  • The fundamentals of project management for software systems
  • The skills to acquire and analyze data

Learn more about admission to this program.

Online Learning Options
This degree can be completed entirely online. CDM online degrees are delivered mostly through COL-enabled courses, although other delivery technologies are also used. If a course is COL-enabled, any student registered in the course has access to the course playback. Students are strongly encouraged to utilize the COL resource wherever available. To complete this degree a student may take any combination of online and on campus courses. For more information on online learning at CDM visit the Online Learning page.
Course Legend
Course Requirements
Prerequisite Phase
The goal of the prerequisite phase is to give students the background necessary for starting the graduate program. These prerequisite phase requirements can be fulfilled in one of three ways:
  • The student takes the course and earns a grade of B- or higher
  • The student takes a Graduate Assessment Exam (GAE) to test out of the course
  • The faculty advisor waives the course because of equivalent academic background or work experience.

All students are blocked from enrolling in Graduate Phase courses prior to completing their prerequisites. Students must submit an online Change of Status request (through myCDM) when the Prerequisite Phase is completed to inform the Student Services offices that the block can be removed.

IT 130
IT 223
TDC 261
Foundation Phase
CSC 423
HCI 445
HCI 440
CSC 451
IS 511
IS 430
IT 432

Students in the Foundation Phase may register for a maximum of four Advanced Phase courses.

Advanced Phase
The Advanced Phase provides opportunities for breadth and depth in IT, and allows for specialized interests. Students must take 5 elective courses from the list below. A minimum of 2 courses must be taken at the 500-level.
CSC 424
CSC 428
CSC 449
ECT 480
ECT 556
ECT 565
ECT 585
ECT 586
ECT 589
HCI 450
HCI 454
HCI 460
IPD 499
IS 425
IS 570
IS 456
IS 482
IS 483
IS 505
IS 440
IS 540
IS 560
IS 433
IS 577
IS 578
IS 596
ITS 560
SE 430
SE 477
TDC 463
TDC 464
TDC 476
TDC 511
TDC 569
Culminating Thesis
IT 698 *
Note This is a two-credit hour course. Students must register for this course a minimum of two times and must continue to enroll in the course in every quarter after the first quarter until the thesis is completed to the satisfaction of their supervisor. A maximum of four credit hours will apply for degree credit.

The Culminating Thesis is an independent research article that demonstrates a student's ability to integrate both technical expertise and IT domain knowledge. Normally, it is undertaken during the student's final year in the MA program.

In this work, the student is guided and assessed by a Thesis supervisor. The thesis must represent an original contribution, and may include system evaluation, empirical studies, or theoretical work. The scope and the details of the research project will be determined by the supervisor, and must be approved by the student's academic advisor.

Degree Requirements
Students in this degree program must meet the following requirements:
  • complete a minimum of 52 graduate credit hours (generally 13 courses) beyond the Prerequisite Phase
  • earn a grade of B- or better in each Prerequisite Phase course
  • earn a grade of C- or better in all graduate courses beyond the Prerequisite Phase
  • maintain a graduate level GPA of 2.50 or higher while pursuing their degree
  • achieve a graduate GPA of 2.50 or higher at the completion of all other requirements
  • students pursuing their second master's degree must complete 52 graduate credit hours (generally 13 courses) beyond their first master's degree.

Students with a GPA of 3.9 or higher will graduate with distinction.

For DePaul's policy on repeat graduate courses and a complete list of academic policies see the DePaul Graduate Handbook in the Course Catalog.