Information Technology

School/College: School of Technology
Degree(s) Offered: Master of Science
Graduate Coordinator: Dr. Rajeev Agrawal  Email:  ragrawal@ncat.edu  Phone: 336-285-3137
Department Chair:  Dr. Clay Gloster, Jr.  Email:  cgloster@ncat.edu  Phone: 336-285-3134

The Master of Science in Information Technology prepares students to pursue technical, as well as management careers in all employment sectors. The program emphasizes acquisition of sound theoretical concepts with intensive “hands-on” experience in the area of information technology. The courses are taught by faculty with high level expertise gained through their research activity, affiliations with industry and professional experience.

Graduates of the program work in a variety of positions, some of which include Database and Network Administrator, System Analyst, IT consultant, and Project Manager.  Recent graduates are employed with EMC, Accenture, AT&T, General Electric, IBM, Northrop Grumman, BlueCross BlueShield, and state and federal agencies.  Students also have the opportunity to pursue Doctoral study.

Program Outcomes:

• Outcome (a): An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences (Communication)
• Outcome (b): An ability to analyze a problem, and identify and define the computing requirements appropriate to its solution. (Critical Thinking)
• Outcome (c): An ability to design, implement, and evaluate a computer-based system, process, component, or program to meet desired needs. (Innovation)
• Outcome (d): An ability to analyze the local and global impact of computing on individuals, organizations, and society. (Global Awareness)
• Outcome (e): An understanding of professional, ethical, legal, security and social issues and responsibilities. (Ethical Leadership)

Degree Requirements

The Master of Science in Information Technology offers two options: the thesis option and the course work option. The thesis option requires a minimum of 30 semester hours. The course work option requires a minimum of 36 semester hours. The coursework option requires students to pass two written comprehensive examinations. In addition, at least fifty percent (50%) of the credits counted towards the Master of Science in Information Technology degree must be numbered 700 and above and students must maintain and complete the Master of Science in Information Technology program with an overall GPA of 3.0 or better on a scale of 4.0. Up to six semester hours of graduate work may be transferred from another university, provided it was not a part of any prior undergraduate degree requirement. The course content must adequately replace current graduate offerings in the student’s curriculum. Transfer credits should be at a level comparable to 600 or 700 level courses at North Carolina A&T.    

Foundation Course(s)(12 Credit Hours) All students must complete the four core courses listed below.

•           ITT 700 Project Management for Information Technology (3 credit hours)

•           ITT 701 Analytical Methods for Information Technology (3 credit hours)

•           ITT 702 Statistical Methods for Information Technology        (3 credit hours)

•           ITT 703 Technical Research Writing & Communication Skills for Information Technology (3 credit hours)

Management Course(s) (6 Credit Hours) All students will select 2 courses for a total of 6 credit hours. The courses are selected in consultation with the advisor.

•           ITT 620 Telecommunications Management (3 credit hours)

•           ITT 625 Computer Database Management (3 credit hours)

•           ITT 685 Ethical issues in Information Technology (3 credit hours)

•           ITT 730 Systems Integration for Telecommunications Managers         (3 credit hours)

•           ITT 735 Telecommunication Management Issues (3 credit hours)

•           ITT 740 Regulatory and Policy Issues for Communication Systems (3 credit hours)

•           ITT 749 Principles of System Administration (3 credit hours)

Technical Electives (6/18    hours required) Thesis students will select 2 courses and coursework students 6 courses. The courses are selected in consultation with the advisor.

•           ITT 605 Principles of Computer Networking (3 credit hours)

•           ITT 610 Digital Communications I (3 credit hours)

•           ITT 615 Networking Security Applications (3 credit hours)

•           ITT 650 Wireless Communication Systems I (3 credit hours)

•           ITT 655 Optical Communication Systems I (3 credit hours)

•           ITT 665 Wireless Geo-location Systems I (3 credit hours)

•           ITT 675 Video Communication Systems (3 credit hours)

•           ITT 725 Wide Area Networks (3 credit hours)

•           ITT 729 Data Warehousing (3 credit hours)

•           ITT 731 Knowledge Discovery in Databases (3 credit hours)

•           ITT 745 Network Services for the Enterprise (3 credit hours)

•           ITT 750 Computer System Security (3 credit hours)

•           ITT 752 Advanced Computer Forensics           3

Comprehensive Examination Courses Coursework only students must take the comprehensive examination by enrolling in the courses list below. Thesis students do not need to take the comprehensive examination.

•           ITT 787 Master’s Foundation Courses Comprehensive Examination (0 credit hours)

•           ITT 788 Master’s Management and Technical Courses Comprehensive Examination (0 credit hours) 

Thesis Courses

Thesis students must complete a minimum of six hours of thesis courses listed below.

•           ITT 791 Master’s Research Thesis for Information Technology I  (1 credit hours)

•           ITT 792 Master’s Research Thesis for Information Technology II (1 credit hours)

•           ITT 793 Master’s Research Thesis for Information Technology III (2 credit hours)

•           ITT 794 Master’s Research Thesis for Information Technology IV (2 credit hours)

•           ITT 999 Continuation of Project/Thesis for Information Technology (1 credit hours)

Requirements specific to specializations/program options/tracks:

Coursework Option:        36    Coursework Hours       

Thesis Option:                 24    Coursework Hours          6   Thesis Hours     

Comprehensive Exam:       Required for Coursework only Students

Assistantships

Teaching Assistantships are available to outstanding students that apply for admission early. Those students selected to receive an assistantship will be contacted by the department.

Advising

All students are assigned an advisor upon admission. Thesis students must select their own advisor during their first semester or before they have completed 12 credit hours.

Directory of Faculty

• Rajeev Agrawal, Assistant Professor, B.S., G.B. Pant University, India; M.S., Thaper University, India; Ph.D., Wayne State University
• DeWayne Brown, Professor, B.S., University of South Carolina; M.S., North Carolina A&T State University; Ph.D., Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
• Larry Burton, Associate Professor, B.S., M.S., Ph.D., Duke University
• Naser El-Bathy, Assistant Professor, B.A., Cairo University, M.S., Wayne State University, Ph.D., Lawrence Technological University
• Clay Gloster, Jr., Professor and Chair B.S., M.S., North Carolina A&T State University; Ph.D., Computer Engineering, North Carolina State University
• Ibraheem Kateeb, Assistant Professor, B.S., University of Science and Technology (Yarmouk University); M.S., Ph.D., North Carolina A&T State University
• Cameron Seay, Assistant Professor, B.A., M.A., City University of New York; M.B.A., M.S., Ph.D., Georgia State University
• Li-Shiang Tsay, Assistant Professor, B.A., M.S., Ph.D., Information Technology, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
• Yili Tseng, Associate Professor, B.S., National Taiwan University; M.S., University of Florida; M.S., Ph.D., University of Central Florida
• Qing-An Zeng, Assistant Professor, B.S., Chengdu University of Information Technology, China; M.S., Ph.D., Shizuoka University, Japan