Advanced high-tech and real-world IT training.
American National University’s new Master of Science in Information Technology (MS-IT) provides IT professionals with the advanced knowledge to manage the increasingly complex information systems in use today.
Students in this program will gain a broad technical understanding of current and emerging technologies in the industry, a familiarity with systems engineering concepts, and a solid foundation in net-centric computing. They will also have a firm grasp of current and future effects of the convergence of the telecommunications, media, and information technology sectors.
Faculty with both academic credentials and industry experience provide a practical perspective. Under their expert guidance, students will study real-world problems and opportunities with software-intensive systems, and learn methods to evaluate, adopt, and exploit emerging technologies. MS-IT students will be working closely with fellow IT professionals to complete class assignments within teams, in order to prepare students for the real-world work environment and build their professional networks.
Upon successful completion of this degree program, students will be able to:
- Build a foundation of critical thinking skills on which to make professional judgments relating to information technology.
- Design and implement solutions aligned with information technology needs.
- Solidify an understanding of theoretical methods, principles, and tools used in the information technology industry.
- Examine the fundamental information technology issues and processes in today’s organizations relating to systems engineering, computer networking, database technologies, IT governance and strategy, Web development, and information assurance.
Possible career paths for MS-IT graduates include:
- Network Administrator
- Network Architect
- IT Manager
- Chief Technology Officer
- Network and Security Engineer
- Web Developer,
- Integration Engineer
- Network and Systems Administrator
Classes are offered via ANU eUniversity and select on-ground classes at the Roanoke Valley Campus.
American National University is a Microsoft Learn member, giving our students access to industry-standard curricula, certifications, and a wide variety of resources.
AWS aids higher education institutions in bringing software developers up to the industry-standard in an evolving technological business environment, increasing their competitiveness in the modern job market.
We have incorporated industry-standard cloud computing into the program through membership in the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Academy.
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY REQUIRED COURSES
Possible career paths: Network Administrator, Network Architect, IT Manager, Chief Technology Officer, Network and Security Engineer, Web Developer, Integration Engineer, and Network and Systems Administrator.
56 credit hours required/168 quality points required. All courses are 4 credit hours
Program Core (Required) 36 total credit hours required
IT523 Advanced Database Systems
4 Credit Hours
This course covers the advanced fundamentals of database application development using C++, C, or Java by accessing a transaction-oriented database server. A commercial database environment such as Oracle is used. Optional topics may include enabling access to database via the web and administering large databases.
IT531 Networking-Advanced Management
4 Credit Hours
This course surveys the various levels of a packet-switched computer network, using the TCP/IP protocol suite as the primary model. Other network protocol stacks (e.g., Novell) may also be considered as time permits. At the Physical and Data Link Layers, various protocols are compared, and their implications for network topology are considered. At the Network Layer, a wide variety of routing protocols and name resolution protocols are studied. At the Transport Layer, students are introduced to the various methods for building end-to-end reliability on top of lower layers. Finally, at the Application Layer a variety of standard protocols such as telnet, ftp, and electronic mail are examined, together with the related issues of security and authentication. Some programming in the C language is required.
IT550 Network Security
4 Credit Hours
This course will involve a discussion of the methods and tactics used to keep attackers at bay as well as the mechanisms by which organizations can identify and potentially stop potential “bad guys.” The course will involve the following topics as they all relate to the overall security posture: Encryption, authentication, firewalls, NAT/PAT, restricted access policies, intrusion detection and other security frameworks.
IT572 Web Application Development- Mobile Applications
4 Credit Hours
Analysis of mobile history, architecture and applications. Students will examine design principles for creating usable and accessible mobile applications. Students will develop technical skills and apply industry standards.
IT582 Systems Analysis
4 Credit Hours
Examination of the systems approach to the design and development of information systems. Methods and tools for the analysis and modeling of system functionality (e.g., structured analysis) and data represented in the system (e.g., object-oriented analysis) are studied.
IT623 Pattern Discovery in Data Mining
4 Credit Hours
The goal of the course is to examine the current theories, practices, tools and techniques in data mining. Many topics and concepts in data mining are learned most efficiently through hands-on work with data sets, students will spend time with software analyzing and mining data.
IT630 Data Warehousing- Cloud Based
4 Credit Hours
In the Data Warehousing course, students will examine how data warehouses are used to help managers successfully gather, analyze, understand and act on information stored in data warehouses. The components and design issues related to Cloud Based data warehouses and business intelligence techniques for extracting meaningful information from data warehouses are emphasized. Oracle tools will be used to demonstrate design, implementation, and utilization issues.
IT660 Social Media and Society: Theoretical and Empirical
4 Credit Hours
Examines the evolution, implications and complications of social media in multiple spheres of life including sociality, community, politics, power and inequality, education, and information from theoretical and empirical perspectives.
IT672 Advanced Web Development
4 Credit Hours
Study of design and implementation of dynamic Web pages and applications using both client and server-side configuration and programming. Example topics include PHP, Ruby on Rails, and JavaScript.
Electives (Select 5) 20 total credit hours required
CY501 Information Assurance and Security Management
4 Credit Hours
This course provides the student with the basis and tools necessary to develop a business case for information assurance governance, and the development and implementation of a strategy to increasingly integrate assurance functions to improve security, lower costs, and ensure the preservation of the organization and its ability to operate.
IT540 Marketing Innovation and Technology Products and Services
4 Credit Hours
This course provides students with a strong understanding of the unique marketing challenges that surround innovation and high-tech products and services. Students will learn how traditional marketing strategies and programs must be modified and adapted for today’s global high-tech environment and how to bring together marketing with other business disciplines such as research and development, legal and management and strategy to achieve effective cross-functional interactions.
IT590 Enterprise Architecture and IT Governance
4 Credit Hours
Students will learn to develop a complete, comprehensive methodology and framework for adopting and managing a successful service oriented architecture environment and how to set up an SOA Architecture practice defining the policies, procedures and standards that apply to IT developers and the enterprise for business applications.
IT610 Global IT Products and Services Outsourcing
4 Credit Hours
In this course, students will examine both historical and current perspectives on IT products and services outsourcing, the continuously evolving outsourcing marketplace, and the incentives and opportunities that drive management decisions on IT products and services outsourcing. Contributing factors to IT products and services outsourcing and offshoring market evolution such as globalization, technological advancement, politics, changing global economies, and changing vendor characteristics will be examined. Within this context, students will review different IT products and services outsourcing framework, models, vendor selection strategies, and outsourcing lifecycle from both client and vendor viewpoints.
IT620 Decision Models for Technology Management
4 Credit Hours
This course is an introduction to the application of various statistical concepts and methods as decision support tools to support decision making in technology management. The emphasis is on business application rather than mathematical concepts or problem solving. Students will learn to use statistical tools and quantitative analysis for forecasting, process, and quality management.
MB554 Business Research
4 Credit Hours
This research course provides students with an introduction to research for business. Topics covered will include theory, analysis and application of research techniques; processes and methods for collecting information; developing and utilizing research information for interpretation, judgment, decision-making, and development of business strategies. This course will focus on applied business research in directed and independent numerical assessment, will integrate research and analysis with available statistical software, and will provide techniques for communicating results in meaningful and effective ways.
MB570 Business Information Systems
4 Credit Hours
Students taking this course will learn how managers can apply Information Technology to integrate data in business activities to solve management problems, increase productivity, facilitate decision-making, and find new opportunities for their organizations.
MB611 Project Management Life Cycle
4 Credit Hours
Students taking this course will examine the practices, processes, and concepts of project management. Students will review the project life cycle areas including Initiating, Planning, Executing, Controlling, and Closing projects.
All program admission criteria must be satisfied prior to admission to the program.
*All students enrolled in the program must complete 50 hours of practicum training each term.
