5 Questions About Applying to MSIT

Cate Herscher is an admission and recruitment coordinator for Northwestern Engineering's Master of Science in Information Technology (MSIT) program. While MSIT accepts applications on a rolling basis, Herscher knows this time of year is when many prospective students apply to the program.

With that in mind, Herscher answered five of the most common questions she hears from prospective applicants.  

What do you look for in an ideal application?

An ideal full-time candidate for admission has two years of relevant work experience. It can be full-time, part-time, internships, or assistantships. We just want to know that they’ll be able to contribute to class discussion with real world examples of how the concepts they are learning about work in practice.

We also want to find evidence of strong leadership potential. We look for applicants who are the team members who go above and beyond the minimum expected of them, whether in a professional or academic setting. We consider the complexity of the work they’ve done as well. Finally, the personal statement and interview help us discern if a candidate is personable, able to communicate effectively, and have clearly invested some time in getting to know our program’s strengths and how we can help them achieve their goals.

Do I need to take the GRE?

We consider GRE scores if they’re submitted, but they’re not required, and we use them as evidence of strong quantitative skills. Applicants who cannot or do not want to submit GRE scores can highlight the quantitative skills they have used in their work within their resume/CV if they have work experience, good grades in STEM classes, or can speak to self-directed learning through MOOCs, professional, academic, or extracurricular projects (another thing to highlight in their resume/CV).  

What is different about applying to the part-time program?

As far as applying to the part-time program, I think the best advice I can give is to reach out to me directly  if you’re interested but unsure of whether you’re a good fit. Both the program director, Professor Randall Berry, and I will review a prospective part-time student’s resume and provide feedback on how well we think their background fits into the program. Part-time applicants are not required to have a technical degree so we see a much wider range of academic backgrounds. Full-time applicants do need to have a technical academic background because they will ultimately take classes in Northwestern’s PhD level engineering courses to supplement the core MSIT curriculum.

How has COVID-19 impacted the application process?

The one place that COVID has had a major impact has been in our ability to host on-campus events like information sessions or in-person admissions interviews. However, as the situation continues to evolve (and hopefully improve), we’re eager to resume welcoming prospective students to connect with us on campus.

Can applicants reach out to you with any specific questions?

I’m always happy to meet individually with any prospective student to answer questions over Zoom for now, and hopefully, eventually in-person. Meeting applicants is one of my favorite parts of my job. I want anyone interested in applying to feel confident in reaching out to me for help or context in demystifying the graduate school application process. Even if someone is a college freshman hoping to go to graduate school, I will be happy to give them individualized advice and support so they’re well equipped to be successful when it comes time to apply for admission.