Online graduate programs in IT for people with no IT experience/degree?

Discussion in 'IT and Computer-Related Degrees' started by aoi1988, Aug 8, 2012.

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  1. aoi1988

    aoi1988 New Member

    Hello,

    I'm looking to study Information technology for my masters degree. I've been researching a few online programs, but I notice that most of them require applicants to have a degree in a related area or at least some experience in the IT/CS field. But I have neither. Where I live you have to have a degree in CS/IT in order to gain employment or an internship, so getting experience has been an impossible feat. I'm particularly interested in two areas of information technology business and web development. So ideally I would like to study in a program that offers either:
    1) Business Information technology (or systems)
    2) Web development (or design)

    The only two programs that I found that I liked were Arogsy State University and Depaul. But ASU was only offered at the undergrad level and Depaul did not have a distance education option.

    I found a lot of overseas universities that offer BIT online however I had to have a degree in a computer field or related work experience. I'm open to international universities, as long as I don't have to pay an outrageous price for being a foreign student. I would like to avoid most for profit universities like capella and UMUC ( too expensive)....
     
  2. mattk

    mattk New Member

    Harvard Extension School offers a Master's degree in IT, with some web development classes, that might be worth looking into. The only entrance requirement is that you have an accredited bachelor's degree (in any subject) and that you pass three pre-admission classes (which count toward the degree) with a B or higher. You do have to take one class on campus, though, which might be difficult depending on where you live.
     
  3. emmzee

    emmzee New Member

    I'm not sure if a "Masters of Professional Studies with Concentration in ______" would work for you, but if so, Fort Hays offers a cheap online masters degree with four different IT-related concentrations:

    MPS Concentrations - Fort Hays State University

    It looks like the only additional requirement to a bachelors degree is having a 3.0 GPA in your undergrad studies.

    Another option you may want to consider is doing a second bachelors in IT. If you can find a school that offers this option (ie, you only take the IT classes and don't need to re-do all the general requirements) that is probably sufficient for most IT jobs, especially entry-level jobs.
     
  4. DLer

    DLer New Member

    CSU Online Plus - Computer Information Systems | Master's Degree | Online & Distance - Colorado State University

    Designed for

    Students desiring to enter the IT field or to further their practical job-related knowledge in current IT jobs.
     
  5. Smalisa

    Smalisa member

    Well.. An IT sphere is very prospective nowadays. I would entered it if I had enough potential :)
     
  6. Rain

    Rain New Member

  7. Rain

    Rain New Member

  8. Rain

    Rain New Member

    I am interested in this as well, so do keep posting if you find more please!
     
  9. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    Looks like you have gotten some good options already but also realize that UMUC is not a for-profit. They are a public school.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 18, 2012
  10. aoi1988

    aoi1988 New Member

    Thanks for all the responses everyone.
     
  11. Gau555

    Gau555 New Member

    I recommend Florida Institute of Technology. It'll give you a very good starting point for moving into IT with courses in programming, architecture, and enough elective options to choose from.

    Masters in Computer Information Systems | Florida Institute of Technology
     
  12. sube

    sube Member

    I am interested in FIT's program as well, but it is not offered online--as far as I can tell from their website.
     
  13. Gau555

    Gau555 New Member

  14. indiaedu

    indiaedu New Member

    It's not always right that if you want to get a degree in IT, you always have to have an IT background. I know many of my friends who are working in IT field successfully without having any IT background. Animations, hardware and networking, Graphics Designing, course on any specific programming language can be done to get placed in an IT company.
     
  15. msganti

    msganti Active Member

    indiaedu,
    The OP clearly mentioned this:
    So, our advice should stick to his requirements.
     
  16. DactylonDigital

    DactylonDigital New Member

    The Open University in the UK offers some postgraduate computing and IT programmes that might interest you:

    Open University - Postgraduate Computing

    MSc degrees are available in Software Development, Management of Software Projects, Advanced Networking, and "Computing for Commerce and Industry" (which might be your best bet for general IT).

    You do not need an undergraduate degree to gain admission to these programmes, although you are expected to have either some previous academic study experience and/or practical experience.

    I completed the MSc Software Development between 2006 and 2011 and I can definitely recommend the programme. The quality of the instructional materials is superb, the assessment and exams are rigorous, there is a good balance between academic theory and workplace-relevant practice, and I found the tutor support to be excellent.

    Unfortunately, some of the best courses, such as User Interface Design and Evaluation, have been recently retired and have not yet been replaced. The present course selection is now extremely limited.

    The MSc corresponds to a one-year full-time UK master's degree. It involves eight courses, each of which normally takes six months, plus a thesis/dissertation project, which takes about a year. Thus the programme usually takes five years, but you can complete it faster by taking multiple courses at once.

    Several of the courses do assume a prior programming background, but despite the title "Software Development", the degree involves very little actual programming, focussing instead on higher-level analysis, design, and project management skills. So if your goal is to acquire hands-on programming or web development skills, you will probably need to look elsewhere.

    Open University courses are normally only available to UK and European students, but this programme is offered worldwide. However, you should be aware that while the OU is well-known and well-regarded in the UK and Europe, name recognition is effectively zero in North America, and the name "Open" of course does not sound very prestigious. The Open University does have American regional accreditation (Middle States), though, and the computing department is ranked quite highly -- 17th in the UK -- according to the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise.

    Since I haven't seen much discussion of the OU's postgraduate computing programmes on the distance education forums, I just thought I'd mention them. The degrees may or may not meet your specific needs but they are certainly worth a look.
     
  17. ariannehowell

    ariannehowell member

    It seems that you have gotten different choices in here. Actually, you really have to finish the 4 year course if you want to get a diploma with the said course. By this means, having a diploma and an intern from your company are an advantage to pursue your career. Just be patient and I know you will achieve it since you have goal in life.
     

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