MSIT & Graduate Certificate Online Orientation

Welcome to the MSIT and Graduate Certificates programs.  We are very excited that you have chosen to complete your Master's degree or certificate with us in Information Technology! ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ State University (²ÝÁñÊÓƵ) is a part of the University System of Georgia and offers Bachelors, Masters and Doctorate degrees. ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ has two main campuses - in ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ, GA and Marietta, GA. The Information Technology department, including faculty and staff are located at the Marietta campus.

Graduate programs in Information Technology includes the MSIT (Master of Science in Information Technology), and Graduate Certificates in:  Data Management and Analytics, Information Technology Security, Enterprise IT Management, Health Information Technology, and Information Technology Foundations.

As a student in the MSIT or Graduate Certificate program, you have the choice of taking the degree completely online, completely on campus or a combination of both. This orientation is designed for all students. 

If you have questions after completing this orientation, please contact the MSIT program coordinator, Shirley Tian.

Again, welcome to the MSIT or Graduate Certificate programs!!!

 

Dr. Lei Li, IT Department Interim Chair, photographed in stairwell

Meet Your Faculty, Staff and Administrators

All of the faculty, staff and administrators are dedicated to helping you succeed in our programs.  IT graduate programs are hosted by the Department of Information Technology which is a part of the College of Computing and Software Engineering (CCSE).  The administrators and staff are listed in accordion below.

 

  • Meet Your Faculty, Staff and Administrators.

    • Dr. Sumanth Yenduri – Dean of CCSE
    • Ms. Melissa Lappe – Dean’s Executive Administrative Assistant
    • Shirley Tian – MSIT Program Coordinator.
    • Prof. Darin Marrow – Senior Instructor of IT and internship coordinator of CCSE.
    • Dr. Lei Li – Your Graduate Academic Advisor and contact for advising and general program related questions.
    • Ms. Melinda Ross – Graduate Student Support Director. Ms. Ross is your contact for program related questions such as registration, academic holds, financial aids, etc.

    Dr. Lei Li and Ms. Melinda Ross are dedicated to assisting all IT graduate students. Please always include your 9 digit ksu ID in your advising request.

    There are seventeen full–time faculty in the Department of IT. 

    Please feel free to contact any of your faculty, staff or administrators at any time.

     

Your Degree Program

  • The Master of Science Degree in Information Technology (MSIT)   enhances career options for current and future IT professionals in the management, performance and integration of information technology systems.

    The MSIT program consists of 30 semester hours (10 courses): 1) four required courses (12 hours); 2) two program options. Option 1: IT Capstone (3 hours) and 15 hours of electives.  Option 2: Thesis (6 hours and IT 6913 s pre-req.) and 9 hours of electives. 

    Students without a computing background are required to take up to four additional IT foundation courses, which cover fundamental areas of information technology: database, operating systems and networking, programming and web development.  If you are required to take the foundation course(s) check the Graduate Program Decision Comments for the course(s) you must take.

  • In addition to our MSIT degree, we offer 5 graduate certificates. The certificates can be taken as a stand-alone program or embedded in the MSIT program. For students in the MSIT program, the certificates except the foundation certificate, can be viewed as concentrations of the MSIT program. If you choose your electives wisely, you may earn multiple graduate certificates along with a MSIT when you graduate.

Getting Registered

As a new student at ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ State University, you will need to do a series of steps before you can get registered.

  • You will be automatically assigned a registration time ticket within 24-48 hours of being accepted. You can find your time ticket in OWL express account. You can register for your courses during the period assigned by the time ticket.

  • Print a copy your curriculum sheet.  change every year, so it is important that you are following the correct sheet for your catalog year. Catalogs follow academic years, which run Fall (August) - Summer (July). Your catalog year is dependent on when you start; E.g. if you start in August of 2018, January of 2019, or May of 2019 you will follow the 2018-19 catalog year.

    The IT department has a permanent schedule, which shows when a course will be offered. It is highly Recommended to create a two-year study plan using the template below. The template contains general information, tips, and suggestions on courses to take to satisfy your program requirement. Please complete a study plan and send the completed study plan to Ms. Melinda Ross , Graduate Student Support Director, or Dr. Lei Li for verification.

    Creating Study Plan Template

    Feel free to contact Ms. Ross and Dr. Li, if you need help with study plan.

  • You need to use Owl Express to register for classes.

    •  if you have not yet done so.
    • Log in to .
    • Click on "Registration".
    • Right click on "Class Schedule Search" to bring up the context menu. 
      • Select "Open Link in New Tab" or "Open Link in New Window"
      • In the new tab or window, select the term you are registering for in the drop down menu.
      • Using your curriculum sheet, in which you have identified the courses you need to take, select the subject of the course.  You can narrow down by the course number. E.g. Subject: IT 6413.
        Begin building your schedule. Record the day, time and which campus the course is on, as well as the CRN of the course.
      • You can only select open classes. If the class is closed and has a wait list, you may get on the wait list. Wait lists come with important information.
    • In the "Registration" tab or window that you still have open, left click "Class Registration (Add or Drop Classes)".
    • In the text boxes on this page, put in the CRNs you wrote down while creating your schedule.
      Once you put the CRNs in, click on the "Submit Changes" button.


    This should register you for the courses you have selected. If you encounter errors, a closed class, or holds, please contact Melinda Ross. Make sure that you include your 9 digit ksu ID and error message in your email.

Buying Books & Course Management Site

All MSIT courses are using zero-cost-to-student learning material. There is no need to buy textbooks. 

  • The learning material of classes are hosted at course Management site, D2L Brightspace. You can login to D2L through the  page which lists many services and resources available to students on both campuses. The login credential is your NetID and password.

    You’ll have access to registered courses in D2L on the first day of class. Contact the instructor of the course if you need course material earlier.

Additional Information

  • As a graduate student, you may have the opportunity to become a graduate assistant which comes with great benefits.

  • CCSE and IT department have a great relationship with companies such as ADP, Home Depot, AT&T, etc., and offer internship opportunities to our students. Detailed information about internship:

    CCSE Internship

    Please contact CCSE internship coordinator, Darin Morrow for more information.

  • Once again, we are excited that you choose ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ for your graduate studies. If you experience any issues during your journey, our faculty and stuff are dedicated to help you out.

    • Shirley Tian – Your Graduate Academic Advisor and contact for advising and general program related  questions. Email: xtian2@kennesaw.edu
    • Ms. Melinda Ross â€“ Graduate Student Support Director. Ms. Ross is your contact for program related questions such as registration, academic holds, financial aids, etc. Email: gradccse@kennesaw.edu   
    • UITS student help desk - Phone: 470-578-3555, email: studenthelpdesk@kennesaw.edu. For assistance with university IT services.