Why study a master’s degree in information technology?

A master's degree in information technology can boost your salary by $25,000 annually, with IT master's graduates earning an average of $98,000 per year compared to $73,000 for bachelor's degree holders. This postgraduate qualification enhances your technical expertise while developing critical management skills, preparing you for high-demand roles like IT Systems Manager ($173,000) and Information Security Analyst ($103,590). With over 317,700 new IT job openings expected annually and programs taking just 1-2 years to complete, an IT master's offers one of the strongest ROI in higher education.

Benefits of a master's degree in IT

Studying for a master’s degree in IT offers you the opportunity for personal, academic and professional growth. Overall, one of its big benefits is that it enhances your technical abilities while backing them up with management skills. This is good for your career development and could even help you land a promotion or pay rise.

Specific benefits of studying an MSc in Information Technology include:

• Gaining a better understanding of business processes and IT strategy

• Enhancing your system deployment and systems management skills

• Understanding how to develop and deploy policy across an organisation

• Getting business management insights

• Developing advanced analytical and problem-solving abilities

• Learning high-level communication and negotiation skills

Another thing that makes the qualification attractive is the widespread availability of work placement opportunities. These can give you insight into professional practice, processes and systems. Some graduates go on to get full-time jobs at the organisation where they complete their placement.

Discover some of the places where you could study IT master’s degrees.

What you'll study for a master's degree in IT

When studying for an MSc in Information Technology, there are core units and modules that you will have to cover. While curriculum structures do differ slightly between universities, key areas they share include:

• Data management
• Network architecture
• Cloud computing
• Strategy and governance
• Information security

Many master’s degree courses also let you choose your own optional modules from another list. These options will often be more specialised, allowing you to focus on an area for which you have particular interest. Some of the topics you may be able to study include:

• Knowledge management
• Language and computation
• Interaction design
• Accessible technology
• Predictive analysis
• Artificial intelligence
• Information visualisation

In addition to these modules, you will usually have to complete your own extended project. For example, this could be a report on a piece of original research, or a dissertation. Explore more about the differences between a taught vs research master's.

See what it’s like to study for a master’s degree in information technology at Murdoch University in Australia.

What are the entry requirements?

To qualify for a postgraduate degree in information technology, you must meet a few criteria. Typically:

• You must have an undergraduate degree that shows good academic performance. The equivalent of a UK 2:2 or GPA of 3.0 is often enough.
• Your undergraduate degree may not have to be in a related subject, but it does help.
• You’ll need academic references.
• You’ll need proof of English language proficiency, with a minimum IELTS score of 6.5 and no band lower than 6.0 (that’s a TOEFL score of around 79-93).

If you don't quite meet the requirements, don't worry. You may also have the option of enrolling on a pre-master’s course, a pathway programme, or a pre-sessional English programme. Each of these can help you get ready for a full master's in IT.

Find out more about how to qualify for a master’s degree.

Are there postgraduate IT specialisations?

It is possible to specialise in the area of IT that interests you the most. This can be done by choosing relevant optional modules, or by studying an MSc degree that is dedicated to your favoured area. Some of the specialisations that you can study include:

• Cybersecurity
• Data analytics
• Digital forensics
• Network administration
• Systems analysis
• Software development

If you’re choosing a specialisation, be sure to do some background research into what it involves and what it can offer. If you’re studying for a postgraduate degree to boost your career prospects, you may want to think carefully about how in-demand your specialisation is with employers.

Read all about the top careers for STEM graduates.

What are my career options?

While you may think that the qualification will enable you to work in only a limited set of industries, you will be happy to hear that this is not the case. Because of the need for IT professionals across most sectors, you could work in several settings. That could mean anything from healthcare to engineering, and finance to government.

With your new knowledge of what studying a master's in information technology is like, you may also want to consider our reasons to study a STEM master's. If you’re already thinking of applying, our university application guide can help. Alternatively, if you’re still trying to find the perfect place to study IT, you can use our simple course search tool.