Msc in Information Technology / Information Systems

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Hey,

While I don't know a lot about this degree in particular, I figured I could give you a good place to start.

Here is the 2015 university league tables for computer science & IT systems. Take it with a grain of salt however as the league rankings aren't everything. In your case my main priority would be choosing a course that creates good industry-ready students.

Do you have any idea of where you'd like to live? London is the obvious choice down South, but it's pretty expensive. Up north I'd definitely recommend Manchester (love living here), there's also Birmingham (didn't like it so much, but personal opinion) and then there are mid-sized places like Leeds, York, etc. Even further up North there's places like Edinburgh, Newcastle, Glasgow etc. It would be beneficial to study in the same place as you'd like to work afterwards, as you may make valuable contacts during your studies.

Liverpool have an online IT course, in case you'd rather live somewhere else and study long distance. Nottingham is a respected uni and also has an IT MSc, it's a nice city to live in too. Glasgow , Lancaster, and York are well-ranked universities and also offer the Information Tech MSc. There's also Salford, who have the MediaCity link which might be good for job opportunities afterwards.

It seems to be a pretty common MSc so you're not limited as to where you can apply. Main things to consider:
- The price & scholarships (not sure if you're limited by money? especially as an international student -- it's expensive over here)
- Location & job opportunities (sometimes it might be better to choose a lower ranked uni with better industry partnerships than, say, a high ranked uni which has little involvement in industry, especially if you're hoping to quickly jump into a job afterwards)
- Placements? (as above, I've seen a few Msc courses that can be extended to 2 years with 1 year of placement - might be beneficial)
- Where you'd like to live afterwards (if you don't want to live in London, for example, it would probably be better to study elsewhere too)
- The course modules. They probably vary by university, so take a look and make your final decision based on the one that appeals to you the most

Bournemouth have a placement year in which students can work with companies such as Jaguar, Xerox, and Aston Martin. Stirling also mention that industry experience is gained through placements.

You might even want to consider degrees that are a little more 'specialised' if there's a particular job you want to go into. Exeter (also a notable university) has an MSc in Information Technology Management for Business, designed for 'preparing graduates who are highly sought after by industry'.

Your best bet might to do a google search with a bunch of keywords and browse what pops up. Decide what is most important for you, and make your choices based on that. I'm also applying for MSc courses related to computing (not the same as yours, but still related to computers ) and I based my decision on the strength of the industry links and the opportunity for placements, as my #1 priority is to get a job after completing the Masters.

Hope this helps & good luck!

Hey k3r0!

Thanks for the positive and informative reply.

The table is handy, thanks for sharing it. A lot of the Uni's in London that I was thinking about are at the bottom of that list which is a bit upsetting. But at the same time, I need to figure out if the advantage of being in London is going to offset that in any way.

I have yet to check out all the course links you've posted but they seem like a good place to start.

What program are you looking at, and what kind of career options are you considering thereafter?

To be honest I haven't really made a list of Unis yet. City, Kings, Middlesex all have Masters in IT courses. But I'll probably look outside London as well. I've heard Reading, Bristol and Southampton also have a decent Tech scene.

So do you already know how to program or are you going to Uni to learn it?

Yeah, Physics is a highly respected degree and most departments would welcome a Physics student. How about the programming part, have you been able to pick it up via self study? I gave it a go but found that I didn't have the patience to grasp the basic concepts.

Hey,

While I don't know a lot about this degree in particular, I figured I could give you a good place to start.

Here is the 2015 university league tables for computer science & IT systems. Take it with a grain of salt however as the league rankings aren't everything. In your case my main priority would be choosing a course that creates good industry-ready students.

Do you have any idea of where you'd like to live? London is the obvious choice down South, but it's pretty expensive. Up north I'd definitely recommend Manchester (love living here), there's also Birmingham (didn't like it so much, but personal opinion) and then there are mid-sized places like Leeds, York, etc. Even further up North there's places like Edinburgh, Newcastle, Glasgow etc. It would be beneficial to study in the same place as you'd like to work afterwards, as you may make valuable contacts during your studies.

Liverpool have an online IT course, in case you'd rather live somewhere else and study long distance. Nottingham is a respected uni and also has an IT MSc, it's a nice city to live in too. Glasgow , Lancaster, and York are well-ranked universities and also offer the Information Tech MSc. There's also Salford, who have the MediaCity link which might be good for job opportunities afterwards.

It seems to be a pretty common MSc so you're not limited as to where you can apply. Main things to consider:
- The price & scholarships (not sure if you're limited by money? especially as an international student -- it's expensive over here)
- Location & job opportunities (sometimes it might be better to choose a lower ranked uni with better industry partnerships than, say, a high ranked uni which has little involvement in industry, especially if you're hoping to quickly jump into a job afterwards)
- Placements? (as above, I've seen a few Msc courses that can be extended to 2 years with 1 year of placement - might be beneficial)
- Where you'd like to live afterwards (if you don't want to live in London, for example, it would probably be better to study elsewhere too)
- The course modules. They probably vary by university, so take a look and make your final decision based on the one that appeals to you the most

Bournemouth have a placement year in which students can work with companies such as Jaguar, Xerox, and Aston Martin. Stirling also mention that industry experience is gained through placements.

You might even want to consider degrees that are a little more 'specialised' if there's a particular job you want to go into. Exeter (also a notable university) has an MSc in Information Technology Management for Business, designed for 'preparing graduates who are highly sought after by industry'.

Your best bet might to do a google search with a bunch of keywords and browse what pops up. Decide what is most important for you, and make your choices based on that. I'm also applying for MSc courses related to computing (not the same as yours, but still related to computers ) and I based my decision on the strength of the industry links and the opportunity for placements, as my #1 priority is to get a job after completing the Masters.

Hope this helps & good luck!

As I said, take the league table with a grain of salt. I'm only applying to 2-3 places and one of them is ranked at ~50, but I'm very positive about the course I'm applying for in particular and I'd absolutely love to go there.

I'm hoping to get a postgrad job as a programmer. I'd particularly like to work in the games industry so I'm looking at courses that have strong industry links with games companies. I've found two that are veeery promising and I'm v excited about -- so don't worry too much about the league table. Look at the course you're applying for and make a decision based on that.

The 'london advantage' is indeed a tough one. I have applied to Goldsmiths, in London, but I'm not actually particularly keen on the idea of living there. The living cost is high -- salaries tend to be higher too, but I feel like sometimes you make more money by living up North and having a lower salary. Plus, London is so busy. Walking anywhere drives me crazy (although I will say I've had work placements around Fleet Street and working there was actually pretty cool).

Which universities were you considering, if you don't mind me asking?

There is something about placements unis don't tell you. In most of the above cases, the placements are not guaranteed and the student has to apply for the placements themselves (the uni just let you know of opportunities) and in some cases you have to pay a placement fee for all the admin involved. Mentioning this to OP so that the absence or presence of placement in a course does not become a deal breaker. Because most unis have placement teams/offices anyway.

What courses and which unis?

I think I'm progressing well with the self-study. I'm using MOOC (massively open online courses) to learn; I'd definitely recommend taking a look at Coursera (my favourite), FutureLearn, or edX.

I will admit that it's an area I've always enjoyed though. I taught myself HTML/CSS when I was 13 'for fun', for example, so I'm very motivated to complete the courses. I've always been very independent when it came to studying, so maybe it's just my personal preference. You might need to work on your patience! Perhaps the MOOC will help you as it feels like you're actually doing a 'course' (lectures, homework, assignments, certificate at the end) which may help motivate you.

There is something about placements unis don't tell you. In most of the above cases, the placements are not guaranteed and the student has to apply for the placements themselves (the uni just let you know of opportunities) and in some cases you have to pay a placement fee for all the admin involved. Mentioning this to OP so that the absence or presence of placement in a course does not become a deal breaker. Because most unis have placement teams/offices anyway.