There are many reasons why you may decide to study for a master’s degree. It could be that you have a real interest in a subject and want to research it further. Perhaps a master’s degree is necessary for you to qualify professionally. There is also the added element of improving your career prospects and developing essential knowledge that can help. As a constantly developing, evolving, and growing field, information technology is a popular choice for international students. We discuss why studying for a master’s degree in IT could be a good option and some of what you can expect.

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. One of the significant benefits of studying IT at the postgraduate level is that it enhances your technical skills while augmenting these with management skills. This is good for your career development and could even help you land a promotion or pay rise.

Other benefits to studying an MSc in Information Technology include:

• A better understanding of business processes and IT strategy
• Enhanced technical competency in systems deployment and management
• The ability to develop and deploy policy across an organisation
• Business management insights
• Advanced analytical and problem-solving abilities
• High-level communication and negotiation skills

Another additional element that makes the qualification attractive is the availability of work placement opportunities. This can give you insight into professional practice, processes, and technology. You never know, this may even open career opportunities for you too.

Discover some of the places where you could study for a master’s degree in IT.

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’ll cover. While curriculum structures do differ slightly between universities, key areas you’ll become familiar with include:

• Data management
• Network architecture
• Cloud computing
• Blockchain technology
• Accessible technology
• Strategy and governance
• Information security
• Machine learning and artificial intelligence

Many master’s degree courses are structured with core / compulsory modules, which you must take. Then there is a selection of optional modules that will appeal to a particular area of interest. Some of the optional modules you may have the chance to study are:

• Information visualisation
• Language and computation
• Human-computer interaction
• Interaction design
• Predictive analysis
• Knowledge management

Don’t forget that you’ll have the added element of a research report, dissertation, or project to complete to gain your qualification.

Explore what it’s like to study for a master’s degree in information technology at Bristol, University of the West of England.

What are the entry requirements?

To qualify to study for a postgraduate degree in information technology, there are several important criteria you should meet. These include:

• An undergraduate degree with good academic performance. Usually, a minimum of 2:2 result (minimum GPA score of 3.0)
• Your undergraduate degree doesn’t always 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 with no band lower than 6.0; that’s a TOEFL score of 79-93)

Don’t forget that you also have the option of exploring pre-master’s courses, pathway programmes, and pre-sessional English programmes if you do not meet some of the entry requirements.

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

Are there postgraduate IT specialisations?

It is possible to specialise in an area of IT that you are interested in. This can be via taking elective modules or by studying a dedicated MSc degree focusing on the specialisation. Some of the specialisations that you can study include:

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

If you’re choosing a specialisation, do some background research into what it entails. If you’re studying for a postgraduate degree to help boost your career prospects, investigate how in-demand a particular specialisation is.

Find out how you can match your career and study path.

What are my career options?

Studying for a master’s degree in information technology can help develop your career or open opportunities for you to take on a new role. It will provide you with new knowledge and skills that prospective employers look for. Some of your potential roles and jobs could be but are not limited to:

• Database designer
• Software developer
• Usability engineer
• Systems analyst
• Network manager
• Systems architect
• Researcher

While you may think that the qualification will see you only working in 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, from healthcare and engineering, to finance and the public sector.

With your new knowledge of what studying a postgraduate qualification in IT is like, you may also want to investigate if postgraduate study is right for you. If you’re already thinking of applying, our application guide can help. Plus, if you’re trying to find the perfect university at which to study IT, you can use our course matcher.