Master of Science in Information Technology

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Programme Aims

This award serves as a bridging graduate programme for professionals from science and engineering backgrounds who may not be necessarily from computing. The award is designed and structured to incrementally help students build a strong foundation in the core concepts underpinning IT. The knowledge acquired is further reinforced by allowing students to put into practice the concepts learned in class through solving IT problems in the form of projects. The specific objectives are to:

• Develop areas of study in information technology relevant to the student’s current profession or a profession he/she intends to engage in, and to update the student’s knowledge in a particular information technology discipline;
• Develop areas of study in information technology new to the student or in areas not directly related to the scope of the student’s first degree; and
• Provide an analytical in-depth study of an area already introduced at the undergraduate level.

Characteristics

• This programme is offered within the Postgraduate Scheme in Computing.
• Students have the freedom to change their specialty and ultimate award.
• Flexible modes of study, i.e. both full-time and part-time, are available.
• Up to 15 credits can be transferred so that students can graduate earlier.
• All first-year students are eligible to apply for the Alan Turing Entrance Scholarship.
• PolyU alumni can apply for the COMP Alumni Scholarship to the value of 15% of the tuition fee of subjects taken in the first year of study.
• Some subjects are included on the Continuing Education Fund (CEF) list of reimbursable courses.

Recognition & Prospects

The graduates are expected to be equipped for jobs such as IT manager, IT consultant, IT project officer and IT related engineer.

Programme Structure

Students can select from a wide range of subjects offered under the Postgraduate Scheme in Computing. In general, each subject takes place once a week in the evening over a 13-week semester. Full-time students normally take 4 subjects in a semester, whereas part-time students usually take 2 subjects.

The programme requires the completion of 30 credits. Students can choose from the following study patterns:

(A) Complete 7 subjects (at least 3 Core Subjects and 2 Fundamental Subjects) plus a Dissertation; or

(B) Complete 8 subjects (at least 4 Core Subjects and 2 Fundamental Subjects) plus a Project; or

(C) Complete 10 subjects (at least 4 Core Subjects and 2 Fundamental Subjects).