Master of Information Technology

Career Opportunities: 

The Master of Information Technology is aimed at IT professionals and recent graduates wishing to undertake an advanced programme of study in order to prepare for further study or to assist with obtaining a more senior position. Potential employment roles may include: business analyst, IT manager, network manager, security specialist, software developer, systems administrator and team leader.

Course Outline

Learn independently and recognise the importance of continued learning
Engage in rigorous intellectual analysis, criticism and problem-solving
Show evidence of advanced knowledge about specialist areas of ICT
Work effectively in teams and take on leadership roles as needed
Recognise, evaluate and address ICT-related ethical issues
Apply acquired knowledge and skills in practical situations
Communicate effectively (orally, visually and in writing)
Analyse and critique ICT research literature
Undertake further study
Conduct independent research

Master of Information Technology students will undertake a coherent programme of 180 credits approved by the programme manager and will follow one of two pathways.

Pathway 1
The first pathway is designed for students who want to undertake more course work and consists of four compulsory components:

• IT801 Managing ICT Projects and Systems- The student will develop knowledge and skills in managing ICT projects and systems. The student will also research into established frameworks that are relevant to current industry trends.
• IT802 Researching ICT Issues and Trends- The student will develop knowledge and skills in critiquing and undertaking research, assessing social impacts of ICT and analysing ethical issues in ICT practice.
• IT803 Research Proposal- The student will develop expertise in preparing research proposals, including reviewing relevant literature, selecting a methodology and exploring ethical issues.  
• IT901 Research Project- The student will develop expertise in conducting applied research that informs professional ICT practice.

And an approved selection of level 8 papers worth at least 90 credits from the following list:

• IT811 Business Analysis- The student will develop knowledge and skills in analysing the structure and function of organisations in order to improve efficiency and productivity using ICT.
• IT812 Business Intelligence- The student will develop knowledge and skills in analysing the strategic use of data warehousing, data mining and data analysis in order to obtain business intelligence.
• IT813 ICT Infrastructure- The student will develop knowledge about various aspects of ICT infrastructure, including emerging digital technologies.
• IT814 ICT Quality- The student will develop knowledge and skills in the application of methods and techniques used in ICT quality assurance and testing.
• IT815 ICT Security- The student will develop knowledge of the impact of security on an ICT infrastructure, research into the ethical and legal implications of ICT security and cybercrime, and identify appropriate investigation strategies in the light of emerging digital technologies.
• IT816 Mobile Application Development- The student will develop knowledge and skills required to create, market and deploy a mobile application.
• IT817 Web Application Development- The student will develop knowledge and skills required to develop web services and applications.
• IT818 Special Topic- The student will critically examine currentdevelopments and emerging issues in a specified topic area.
• IT819 Applied Project- The student will be able to identify and apply appropriate ICT techniques and technologies to solve a non-trivial problem in a business, educational, industrial or similar setting.

Pathway 2
The second pathway is designed for students who want to undertake a more substantial research project and consists of four compulsory components:

IT801 Managing ICT Projects and Systems- The student will develop knowledge and skills in managing ICT projects and systems. The student will also research into established frameworks that are relevant to current industry trends.

IT802 Researching ICT Issues and Trends- The student will develop knowledge and skills in critiquing and undertaking research, assessing social impacts of ICT and analysing ethical issues in ICT practice.

IT803 Research Proposal- The student will develop expertise in preparing research proposals, including reviewing relevant literature, selecting a methodology and exploring ethical issues.  

IT902 Thesis- The student will develop expertise in conducting publishable research about applied ICT.

And an approved selection of level 8 papers worth at least 45 credits from the following list (each worth 15 credits, except for 819):

• IT811 Business Analysis- The student will develop knowledge and skills in analysing the structure and function of organisations in order to improve efficiency and productivity using ICT.
• IT812 Business Intelligence- The student will develop knowledge and skills in analysing the strategic use of data warehousing, data mining and data analysis in order to obtain business intelligence.
• IT813 ICT Infrastructure- The student will develop knowledge about various aspects of ICT infrastructure, including emerging digital technologies.
• IT814 ICT Quality- The student will develop knowledge and skills in the application of methods and techniques used in ICT quality assurance and testing.
• IT815 ICT Security- The student will develop knowledge of the impact of security on an ICT infrastructure, research into the ethical and legal implications of ICT security and cybercrime, and identify appropriate investigation strategies in the light of emerging digital technologies.
• IT816 Mobile Application Development- The student will develop knowledge and skills required to create, market and deploy a mobile application.
• IT817 Web Application Development- The student will develop knowledge and skills required to develop web services and applications.
• IT818 Special Topic- The student will critically examine current developments and emerging issues in a specified topic area.
• IT819 Applied Project- The student will be able to identify and apply appropriate ICT techniques and technologies to solve a non-trivial problem in a business, educational, industrial or similar setting.

Students will have completed all requirements of a bachelor's degree or graduate diploma or postgraduate certificate or postgraduate diploma in information technology or related subject, with at least a B grade average at Level 7 or higher.

Special Admission

• Notwithstanding the above admission criteria, in exceptional circumstances, a mature aged applicant who can show evidence of ability to succeed in the programmes may be considered for admission, provided the applicant has successfully completed an approved course or programme, or has relevant industry experience, which is deemed to meet the required standard for entry.

Provisional Part-time Admission

• An applicant, who does not meet academic criteria, may be provisionally admitted to enrol in one or more papers. Upon successful completion of the paper(s), the student may apply for special admission or admission by mature entry.

English Language Requirements

Applicants, whose first language is not English, or who come from a country where the language of instruction in schools is not English, are required to provide evidence of having achieved one of the following:

• NCEA Level 3 with University Entrance, or an International Baccalaureate Diploma or Cambridge A- level qualification for which the teaching and assessment was conducted in English; or
• Cambridge Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA), or Trinity College London Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CertTESOL); or
• Successful completion of all primary education (being the equivalent of New Zealand primary school years 1 to 8) and at least three years of secondary education (being the equivalent of three years from New Zealand secondary school years 9 to 13) at schools in  either New Zealand, Australia­, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States one of the countries listed in Rule 18.5 where the student was taught using English as the language of instruction; or
• Successful completion of at least five years of secondary education (being the equivalent of New Zealand secondary school years 9 to 13) at schools in either New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States where the student was taught using English as the language of instruction; or
• Successful completion of a Bachelor ‘s Degree, Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, Bachelor Honours degree, Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma, Masters’ Degree or Doctoral Degree, the language of instruction of which must be in English and which must be  from a tertiary education provider from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom or the United States or
• Successful completion of one of the following internationally recognised proficiency tests listed below to the level required of the programme of study and with all scores achieved in a single test during the two years preceding the proposed date of enrolment.

Masters Degree at Level 9

• IELTS test - Academic score of 6.5 with no band score lower than 6
• TOEFL Paper based test (pBT) - Score of 590 (with an essay score 5.5 TWE)
• TOEFL Internet based test (iBT) - Score of 79 (with a writing score of 21)
• Cambridge English Examination –C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency with a score of 176.  No less than 169 in each skill.
• OET - Minimum of Grade C+ or 300 in all sub-tests

NZCEL - a) Expiring Level   b) Current:

• Level 5 (Academic) or (Professional) b) Level 5
• Pearson Test of English (Academic) – PTE (Academic) score of 58 with no band score lower than 50
• Language Cert - C1 Expert International ESOL Written (LRW) HIGH PASS with no less than 25/50 in each skill and Spoken (S) PASS or C2 Mastery International ESOL Written (LRW) PASS with no less than 25/50 in each skill and Spoken (S) PASS
• Trinity ISE – ISE III with no less than pass in any band

All enrolments in the Master of Information Technology are approved at the discretion of the programme manager in consultation with the Head of Faculty and teaching staff as required. The head of faculty will determine the maximum number of students permitted to enrol in the programme.