Frequently Asked Questions

Completion of the MS in AIT requires:
Completion of any assigned preparatory courses. Credits from preparatory courses do not count towards the MS or certificate.
Completion of 33 graduate units as follows:

Required Courses (15 units)

Students must complete the requirements for one graduate certificate in applied information technology. Currently, the following graduate certificates in information technology are available:

• Computer Forensics — Understand and be able to apply protocols related to incident response to cyberattacks, and forensic analysis methods for computational, mobile devices, and networks.
• Database Management Systems — Design and develop database systems and learn to manage a large database system.
• Health Information Technology — Design, develop, and manage IT systems in the healthcare domain based on an undestanding of industry practices and legal standards
• Information Security and Assurance — Implement and support computer-based information systems with a focus on securing information.
• Information Systems Management — Learn information systems processes and understand the central function of technology in managing organizational processes and achieving objectives.
• Internet Application Development — Create and apply the latest information systems capabilities for the Internet.
• Networking Technologies — Develop and implement the design requirements of a successful networked environment.
• Software Engineering — Study, design, develop, implement and support computer-based information systems.

Electives (18 units)
 
Students must complete six graduate-level elective courses. A maximum of two elective courses may be in any of the following disciplines: accounting, computer science, human resource development, management, mathematics and technical writing. Those who want to take elective courses from a discipline other than AIT must get the AIT program director’s approval before enrolling in the course. At least four of the elective courses must be graduate- level AIT courses.

For complete details on the AIT MS degree requirements, Graduate Certificate requirements, and Course Descriptions, please refer to the Graduate Catalog.

AIT 500 is an additional graduation requirement for students that have not completed a full year of undergraduate coursework (or the equivalent) in programming and data structures. It is not a prerequisite for any specific course and therefore does not have to be completed before taking other AIT courses. However, AIT 500 should be completed within the first year of the program. Since AIT 500 is an additional requirement the credits do not count towards the MS degree.

All students, except those pursuing the AIT M.S. with the Software Engineering concentration, are required to complete two foundational courses — AIT 600 and AIT 610. It is suggested that students enroll in AIT 600 (and AIT 610 depending on their course load) during the first semester. Full-time students will enroll in an additional (3^rd) course either from their selected area of specialization (graduate certificate) or the approved list of electives.

A student who registers for 9 graduate units in the fall, spring or summer term is considered a full-time student. One who takes 3-6 units is designated a part-time student.

Course load is a personal decision. Students should consider their non-academic activities, responsibilities, and routines before deciding on a course load. You should budget 10-15 hours a week per course. It is also important to note that minimum/maximum course load requirements may be associated with funding sources (scholarships, financial aid, employers, etc.) and visa status for international students.  It is ultimately the student’s responsibility to maintain an appropriate course load.

Towson has three terms (fall, spring and summer) during each academic year.  Course content and schedules are geared to working professionals. Courses are offered year round at Towson's main campus and online. 

The MS in AIT requires completion of at least 33 units. The length of time to complete the program will vary with course load. Typically, a full-time student completes the program in four semesters, part time students taking two courses a semester can complete the program in two years.

The AIT program is an applied program. Students must complete one case study course in their selected area of specialization (graduate certificate) — typically during their last semester.  The case study course involves a real world project. Students wishing to register for a case study course must complete a proposal. The proposal must be approved by both the Case Study Instructor/advisor as well as the AIT director before students can register. Each case study project requires the completion of a final project report. The report is due to both the Case Study instructor/advisor and the AIT program director prior to the beginning of the final exam period.

Additional information about the MS in AIT program is available at Applied Information Technology.

The International Student and Scholar Office (ISSO) will be mailing the I-20 form to you within 2 weeks of the date of admission on your acceptance letter. For updated information please visit International Students & Scholars.

A maximum of up to 50 percent of the units required for a certificate or degree program may be transfer credits, subject to approval by the program director.  The course should be appropriate to the student’s program of study and comply with the policies stated in the current Graduate School Catalog, listed below:

• taken at a regionally accredited college or university
• applicable to a graduate program at that university
• not already utilized as part of a conferred degree
• received at least a B grade
• within the seven years allowed for completion of the degree requirements

If you wish to have a course considered for transfer into the AIT program, please visit Transfer of Credits page for instructions.

Not every course is offered online every semester.  Currently, this is the schedule for online courses and is subject to change:

Fall Term

• AIT 500
• AIT 600
• AIT 610
• AIT 613
• AIT 618
• AIT 620
• AIT 628
• AIT 632
• AIT 652
• AIT 732

Spring Term

• AIT 500
• AIT 600
• AIT 610
• AIT 612
• AIT 613
• AIT 616
• AIT 620
• AIT 622
• AIT 632
• AIT 732

Summer Term

• AIT 600
• AIT 610
• AIT 614
• AIT 630
• AIT 632
• AIT 655

The following courses are not yet developed for online — AIT 624, AIT 650, AIT 641, AIT 642, AIT 643, AIT 644, AIT 645.

All case study courses can be completed by independently working with your case study advisor through email.

Online courses are delivered through Blackboard. The new For Students website that has links to self-help documents on Blackboard basic skills as well as many other items.

Students are expected to register for courses on a regular basis. Students who have not been enrolled at any time within the past academic year must apply for re-enrollment and pay the processing fee through the Registrar’s Office. If you are not enrolled in courses for two academic years you will be removed from the program by the Registrar’s Office and will have to reapply to the program if you want to continue. See information at Reenrollment.

Information on graduation can be found at Graduation. Please pay attention to the deadlines for applications; they are several months before the end of the semester.

The Azure Development Tools for Teaching Program (previously Microsoft Imagine) includes access to a free tier of Azure Cloud Resources and the ability to install software developer tools for academic coursework, sucj as SQL Server, Project, Visio, etc.

Instructions for accessing the AIT MS program's Azure Dev Tools for Teaching Program subscription are available to current AIT graduate program students in the AIT M.S. Program site under the Community tab in Black Board.