Masters in Information Technology

Applications for MIT for 2021 are closed. Applications for 2022 will open around April 2021 and will close on 30 September 2021.

The MIT degree is by coursework and research, using mainly self-study materials for the coursework – with no lectures. It is a two-year conversion programme aimed at students without a degree in computer science or information technology/systems, and may also be done part-time over three years.

A non-­IT honours degree, or equivalent, is the minimum requirement for entry into the MIT course.

Entry requirements: The Masters in Information Technology by Coursework and Dissertation is a conversion course designed for those with a degree in a non-IT field to attain a strong background and a qualification in Information Technology. This course follows a Bachelor Honours or equivalent in any non-IT degree.

Admissions are competitive and all admissions decisions are at the discretion of the university.

Progression: Students should pass a minimum of three courses each year. Should a student fail any course on the second attempt, they will not be allowed to continue with their studies. Students are eligible to register for CSC5004W once they have passed 7 of the 8 courses.

More details can be found in the Science Faculty Handbook.

Curriculum

The MIT programme comprises two components. The first is coursework (courses with assignments and exams), which can be done in a single year but is best done over two years (four modules per year) if you are a part-time student. The second component is a minor dissertation, done in the final year. Students do not need to be resident in Cape Town for this degree, as the coursework is online and all work is submitted online. However, students are expected to come to UCT for exams at the end of each semester.

Past minor dissertation topics include:

• Chigudu, Kumbirai (2018) Design of a prototype mobile application interface for efficient accessing of electronic laboratory results by health clinicians. MPhil, Department of Computer Science, University of Cape Town.
• Govender, Devandran (2018) Investigating audio classification to automate the trimming of recorded lectures. MSc, Department of Computer Science, University of Cape Town.
• Chang, Genevieve (2015) Designing an effective user interface for the Android tablet environment. MSc, Department of Computer Science, University of Cape Town.
• du Toit, Nicola (2014) Designing an interface to provide new functionality for the post-processing of web-based annotations. MPhil, Department of Computer Science, University of Cape Town .
• Gordon, Marc (2014) Force Field Comparison through Computational Analysis of Capsular Polysaccharides of Streptococcus Pneumoniae Serotypes 19A and F. MSc, Department of Computer Science, University of Cape Town .
• Potgieter, Andrew (2014) A Parallel Multidimensional Weighted Histogram Analysis Method. MSc, Department of Computer Science, University of Cape Town .

The MIT degree is open to students with the equivalent of a South African Honours degree (SAQA level 8) who have NOT taken computing or IT subjects in their previous degrees. Level 8 SAQA is typically attained after passing 4 years of university degree studies, and certainly never any fewer than 4 years of university degree studies. There are no other specific requirements for applicants.

In certain cases, applicants with only a 3-year degree at SAQA level 7 (but this excludes a BTech) can apply via the Recognition of Prior Learning (ROPL) route. But this is only possible if they can show that in the course of their work experience they have produced, on their own, a document similar to an IT Honours project.

Fees

Fees for individual courses are listed in the fees handbook, published each year. Relevant courses include CSC5010Z - CSC5017Z (coursework ), and CSC5004W (dissertation).

Annual fee increases, international fees, and registration fees will also apply. Please consult directly with the Fees Office and/or the International office for any questions.

Funding

UCT has information on funding for postgraduate students. Please download the latest funding booklet. 

Information about some other postgraduate scholarships can be found at:

• http://www.mcfsp.uct.ac.za/
• https://www.csir.co.za/scholarship-programme

MIT students have in the past qualified for scholarships during their dissertation year.

How to apply

If any of your previous degrees are in computer science or information technology, or you have already done a significant amount of coursework in these topics, the MIT degree is not for you. Please consult the postgraduate degree information for more options on postgraduate study. 

Apply on the University of Cape Town's central applications system for the appropriate degree:

• Level of Qualification: Masters
• Faculty: Science
• Academic Qualification:
  • If your first degree is a BSc or BSc Eng, then choose Master of Science (by coursework & dissertation)
  • If your previous degree is not in the Science Faculty, then choose Master of Philosophy (by coursework & dissertation)
• Specialisation or Major: Information Technology (not Computer Science)

Please ensure that the following documents are submitted with your application in addition to documentation required by UCT. Applications that are incomplete will not be considered.

• Letter of motivation for pursuing a conversion Masters in IT
• CV (especially if you have experience in the IT field)
• Supporting documents about content (syllabi of any IT-related coursework) or accreditation of previous degrees, if available
• Research proposal is *NOT* required until coursework is complete, but you may indicate your areas of research interest. Please note here if you have contacted anyone in the School of IT regarding your studies
• ROPL applicants should first consult with the MIT Coordinator (mit@cs.uct.ac.za), and may be required to submit additional documentation

Applications will NOT be considered after the deadline has passed.

Send an email to the MIT course convenor for further information.

FAQs

• You do not need to have IT work experience to register for the Conversion Masters in Information Technology.
• Assignment submission is not a problem if you are outside Cape Town, as long as you have Internet access. You obtain all your assignment questions on the Internet and submit all your assignment solutions via the Internet as well. We have a Sakai tool for this which we also use for chat room and forum support of each other during the year.
• If you have a degree in Informatics or Information Systems and have already done the subjects covered by the coursework, you are not eligible for the degree as it is a Conversion masters. It is only available to people with a degree in a non-computing field.
• If your previous degree is a BSc or a BSc Hons or a BSc Eng, then you will obtain an MSc(IT) on successfully completing the degree.  Otherwise you will obtain an MPhil(IT).
• MIT students do not need to submit a research proposal as they must first complete the coursework before they can move on to the minor dissertation. For your dissertation work, we do not guarantee that you will be able to work on the topic of your choice. You will be expected to contribute to projects specified by our research staff. For more information please consult the staff web pages to learn more about their research and available topics.
• This is a non-resident course. International students living in South Africa should ensure that they have a visa that permits study in South Africa as well as medical aid from a South African scheme. See IAPO Pre-reg Guide for more details.  International students not residing in South Africa are not required to provide proof of insurance or a student visa. All assignments and teaching material will be available online. You will, however, be required to be in Cape Town for examinations at the end of each semester, and international students are required to get clearance from IAPO prior to registration (see IAPO Pre-reg Guide).
• All students have access to university resources, including the library (both digital and brick) and computing labs.  Students may also elect to sit in on computer science and information systems courses.
• It is not possible to enrol in this course mid-year.
• We are unable to admit applicants without prior degrees or with BTech only, even if they are experienced IT professionals. In these cases we suggest pursuing a Bachelors in IT, IS or CS, or in some cases, a Postgraduate Diploma.  Please keep in mind that a PGDip in an IT-related field will disqualify you from this program.