Master of Science in Information Technology

Program Information

College: Communication & Information
Degree: MSIT
Limited Access: No
Contact: iSchool Student Services
Address:
Louis Shores Building (LSB)
School of Information
Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida 32306-2100
Phone: (850) 645-3280
Email: ischooladvising@cci.fsu.edu

Master of Science in Information Technology

The Master of Science in Information Technology (MSIT) enables students to gain a solid foundation in areas such as information architecture, information quality assurance, usability, IT governance, information systems management, IT project management, user experience design, IT documentation/technical writing and communication, distributed information systems, data management, and mobile information systems. The degree provides expertise in information technology, individual and organizational behavior, and information management targeted to developing the IT skills needed to work effectively within information provision environments.

Zhe He

"The iSchool teaches students the important interactions between humans, technology and information."

Assistant Professor, School of Information

Admissions

Admissions Requirements

Application Deadlines

Fall: July 1
Spring: November 1

Admission to the Master of Science in Information Technology is highly competitive. The decision is made based on a holistic review of the application, including:

Prerequisite Coursework or Work Experience
- 12 credits of information technology related coursework, OR
- 2 years of professional experience in the information technology field
Minimum 3.0 upper-division Grade Point Average (on a 4.0 scale)
- The upper division GPA is comprised of the grades of the courses taken in the semester where the 60th credit hour is earned and beyond. This worksheet can help you determine your upper division GPA. You do not need to send us your calculated GPA.
English Language Proficiency Exam Scores (international applicants only).
- The departmental minimum scores are as follows:
  - TOEFL iBT: Minimum Total Score of 96
  - Academic IELTS: Minimum Total Score of 6.5
    
    NOTE: If you have earned a bachelor’s degree or master’s degree from a U.S. institution, this requirement may be requested to be waived.

Application Requirements

To apply, you will need to submit the following:

University Graduate Application and a $30 Application Fee online via the University Graduate Admissions Application Portal.
Current Resume
School of Information Departmental Application
Statement of Purpose
Please discuss (in approximately 1 page, single-spaced) your background and experience in information technology, motivation for graduate study in this field, your professional plans after completing this degree program, and how this degree program will help you achieve your goals. If there are additional details about your professional, academic, or personal history you wish to be considered as part of the application process, please include them in this document. Please note that while we recognize that AI-based assistance programs can be a valuable editing tool, we do require that application materials submitted be your own original content. The Statement of Purpose should be approximately 1 page in length, single-spaced, with 1-inch borders, and use 10–12-point sans serif font (e.g., Arial, Helvetica).
Official Test Scores
- English Language Proficiency Exam Scores (international applicants only).

Official Transcripts
A copy of official transcripts from each college or university attended must be sent directly to the University. If you previously attended FSU, you do not need to submit an official FSU transcript. All official test scores and transcripts must be sent to:

Florida State University
Office of Graduate Admissions
222 South Copeland Street
Westcott Building, Room 314
Tallahassee, FL 32306-1410

If you attended a college or university located in the United States, you may be able to request an official electronic transcript from your institution to be sent directly to the Office of Graduate Admissions at graduateadmissions@fsu.edu.

The Florida State University Office of Graduate Admissions now requires a course-by-course credential evaluation for all applicants who have earned degrees from a non-U.S. institution. International and domestic applicants with degrees earned from non-U.S. institutions must submit their official transcripts to be evaluated through a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES): https://www.naces.org/members .

The Evaluation Company (formerly known as SpanTran), a NACES member company, has created a custom application for Florida State University that will make sure you select the right kind of evaluation at a discounted rate. The pathway will appear on checklist after submitting part 1 of the application. If you choose to use a NACES approved evaluator other than The Evaluation Company (SpanTran), please work with the evaluation agency to ensure that the evaluation provided is a course-by-course credential evaluation.

How to Check Your Application Status

The Online Status Check tool is where applicants can monitor the progress of their applications.

Juris Doctor/Master of Science Joint Pathway Requirements

The Juris Doctor/MS joint pathway leads to both a Juris Doctor (JD) Degree from the FSU College of Law and a Master of Science in Information Technology Degree from the FSU School of Information. Graduates of the JD/MSIT joint pathway will have a competitive advantage in the job market, in both the practice of law and in other more non-traditional legal careers. The knowledge and skills from both disciplines would make graduates ideal candidates for careers in information governance, cybersecurity, and legal technology companies – including the multi-billion dollar electronic discovery industry. Students in the joint pathway will receive academic advising from both the College of Law and the School of Information. Students interested in pursuing the J.D./M.S.I.T. joint pathway must apply to and be accepted by both the College of Law and the School of Information according to each school’s admission criteria. For this joint pathway, the criteria for the College are the same as for the Master’s degree. While most interested applicants will begin their study at the College of Law, a joint pathway student who completes any coursework in the other program prior to matriculating to the College of Law must obtain prior written approval from the College of Law before applying for the joint pathway. Contact the FSU College of Law Admissions Office for application information.

Hours

Total of 109 hours from both programs:

79 hours of Law courses
30 hours of LIS courses

In effect, 9 hours of graduate course work in Information Studies are credited toward the 88 hours normally required for the Juris Doctor Degree, and 2 hours of LAW are credited toward the 32 hours normally required for the MS degree. This will save the joint pathway student 11 credit hours of coursework which would otherwise be required to complete both degrees separately.

Time to Completion

All coursework for both degrees must be completed within a five-year period and both degrees will be awarded at the same time. With the exception of the 11 special credit hours described above, students will be expected to fulfill all requirements of both degrees.

Degree Requirements

School of Information Master’s/Specialist Graduate Student Handbook

The Master of Science in Information Technology (MSIT) requires 32 semester hours, including four required core courses. Students should fill in their Advising Worksheet using the Course Rotation Schedule linked at the top of the Graduate Course Descriptions page.

Required Core Courses (12 semester hours)

LIS 5203 Information Behavior (3 hours)

LIS 5275 Usability Analysis (3 hours)

LIS 5408 Management of Information Organizations (3 hours)

LIS 5487 Information Systems Management (3 hours)

Electives (20 semester hours)

The remaining 20 credits may be taken from among the School of Information graduate course offerings and should be selected according to the foundational needs of the student (taking into account current technology skill level) and the Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs) needed to support the student’s professional goals.

However, the following courses will NOT count as electives towards the MSIT degree program requirements:

LIS5485 Introduction to Information Technologies
LIS5564 Information Needs of Children
LIS5565 Information Needs of Young Adults
LIS5566 Diverse Resources for Children and Young Adults
LIS5576 Information Needs of Adults
LIS5577 Graphic Novels in Libraries
LIS5736 Indexing and Abstracting

Additional Approved Electives Outside the School of Information

Additional courses as electives for this degree are available through the School of Communication within the College of Communication and Information:

COM 5126 Organizational Communication Theory & Practice (3 hours)

COM 5450 Introduction to Project Management (3 hours)

COM 5451 Advanced Topics in Project Management (3 hours)

COM 5452 Agile Project Management (3 hours)

Electives available in other academic units may also be taken with permission; please contact ischooladvising@cci.fsu.edu with any questions.

Program of Study

To help facilitate course selection, courses have been organized into programs of study along general and specialized areas of interest. These programs of study are not required for graduation and do not result in any further notation on the diploma or transcripts, but rather function as a planning and advising tool for the students. Programs of study may help to guide your course selection in order to facilitate achievement of your career goals. They include:

Time to Completion

Course work for the Master degree must be completed within 7 years from the time the student first registers for graduate credit.
Any graduate work transferred from another institution must have commenced not more than 7 years prior to completion of the degree for the credits to be applicable to the Master’s degree.
Exceptions may be appealed through the School of Information.