A master's degree in information technology represents two years of advanced course work in the field, combining computer-related material with management and business courses. Concentrations vary according to the academic strengths of a given school. Carnegie-Mellon's MSIT degree, for example, offers IT management, software security, and software development management as its three degree tracks. The core curriculum there includes database management, telecommunications management and project management, while electives include e-business strategies, health care information systems and financial accounting.
Doctoral programs are innately research oriented. The first part of a program, usually two years, is devoted to advanced course work similar to that for a master's degree. The second part of a program, usually two to three years, requires the candidate to plan and carry out a program of original research. Again, various areas of concentration are available. The doctoral program at MIT, for example, categorizes its IT doctorates as social, economic or technological in nature. The programs are all interdisciplinary, drawing on various MIT faculties as well as Harvard's sociology department.
Rather than an IT degree with a management focus, many professionals opt for a management degree with an IT focus. As with other graduate degrees, the specific focus of a given MBA program will vary according to the school's strengths. At UC Berkeley, for example, the Haas School of Business has a pragmatic focus on harnessing IT to the needs of manufacturers and suppliers of services. The school has found opportunities to partner with industry in specialized study areas such as its Supply Chain Management Initiative.
While some students transition immediately from undergraduate to graduate studies, working professionals are an important demographic as well. Accordingly, most schools with graduate programs offer at least some of their degrees on a part-time or distance learning basis. Some schools also combined degree options. One approach is to combine the course work for a bachelor's degree with that of a master's degree, allowing a student to earn both simultaneously and graduate in five years, rather than six. Other schools allow students to pursue a joint degree in IT and another subject, usually management or business oriented, effectively creating a customized program.