MS in IT Prerequisites/Bridge Program

Prerequisites

The MS/IT admission requirements include prior academic study and/or extensive work experience in fundamental information technology concepts. Specifically we require the following prior to admission:

intermediate-level skill in object-oriented programming, and
knowledge of computer hardware and software architecture.

In addition, before study in the MS program can be begun, we require pre-program prerequisite knowledge of the following:

fundamental computer networking concepts, and
basic web design and interactive multimedia concepts.

Prerequisite knowledge can be obtained through undergraduate or graduate course work at RIT, equivalent course work at another university, or through documented training and significant work experience. Applicants are expected to have all prerequisite knowledge prior to admission. The Graduate Program Coordinator may consider applicants without the required prerequisites at his/her discretion. However, an unusually strong background in information technology is necessary and additional course work will be required to meet the outstanding deficiencies before study in the MS program can be begun. All prerequisite work must be completed before study outside of the MS/IT core is initiated.

The Graduate Program Coordinator verifies that prerequisites have been satisfactorily completed. Course work used to satisfy MS/IT prerequisites must have been successfully completed with the equivalent of a 'B' grade or better. If you have completed prerequisite work at another college or university, please have an official transcript sent to RIT. If you have equivalent work experience, write a letter to the Graduate Program Coordinator describing the work and requesting a waiver of prerequisite(s). Please provide sufficient detail so that the depth of experience and knowledge can be determined. Some form of verification, such as certified copies of training certificates or a letter from your employer on company letterhead, is also required.

Placement examinations are available periodically for some of the prerequisite courses. Information about these examinations is available here on the IT web site.

The IT Department offers course work to complete the program prerequisites. Courses in the MS/IT Bridge Program are shown below. Course descriptions are available at the end of this document and on the IT department web site under the "Courses/Current Schedule" link. These courses may not be used to satisfy any part of the 48-quarter credit hours required for the MS degree. Please meet with the Graduate Program Coordinator before beginning bridge study.

MS in IT Bridge Program

Programming:

Prospective students who do not have a background in computer programming can take one of the following course sequences at RIT to complete the programming prerequisite:

4002-217 Programming for Information Technology I (Java)
4002-218 Programming for Information Technology II
OR
4002-208 Introduction to Programming (in C++)(available distance)
4002-210 Programming with Classes(available distance)

Prospective students who have programming experience, but who need to learn object-oriented programming concepts, can take one (1) of the following:

4002-414 Java for Programmers
OR
4002-714 Java Programming(available distance)

The amount of programming in each MS/IT concentration varies and some concentrations require a particular language or languages. The Java language is currently the primary language of the graduate program due to its visual interface capabilities and the ability to develop web-based applications.

Successful completion of this prerequisite is required before an application to the MS/IT program can be considered.

Hardware and Software Architecture:

Prospective students can take one (1) of the following courses at RIT to complete this prerequisite:

4050-350 Computer System Fundamentals

This course focuses on modern PC organization, including both physical configuration and operating system complexities; it is not a detailed hardware course as taken in a computer engineering program.

Successful completion of this prerequisite is required before an application to the MS/IT program can be considered.

Networking and Data Communications:

The student can take one (1) of the following courses at RIT to complete this prerequisite:

4055-746 Telecommunications Network Protocols (available distance)

Students may be accepted into the MS/IT program before completing this prerequisite, but must successfully complete it during their first quarter of study in the program.

Basic Web Design and Multimedia Concepts:

The student can take one (1) of the following courses at RIT to complete this prerequisite:

These courses are not available in distance format.

Students may be accepted into the MS/IT program before completing this prerequisite, but must successfully complete it during their first quarter of study in the program.