Congratulations!
You've accepted your offer of admission to the Master of Science in Information Science or the Master of Science in Telecommunications program! We're so excited to have you join our community of learners and scholars in Fall 2024.
Admitted Students Day for New Students, Fall 2024
On April 4th, we hosted a special virtual event for those applicants admitted to the MSIS/MST programs for Fall 2024. It was such a pleasure to meet with all of you and we're really looking forward to having you join us here at the Department of Informatics and Networked Systems. At the Admitted Students Day Event, our Department Chair, Dr. Daqing He, gave a presentation about our Department and our graduate programs. In case you missed that event, here are materials from that event:
Slides from Dr. He's Presentation (PDF)
Mark Your Calendar!
Orientation for New Students: The Department is going to host an orientation/advising session for incoming MSIS/MST and graduate certificate students on Thursday, July 18, 2024, at 9am on Zoom. We will send invitations to all students planning to first enroll in Fall 2024 shortly before the event!
Advising Sessions for New MS Students: We will host special advising sessions for new students on Thursday, August 22, 2024. This will be a chance for you to meet with faculty and staff from the Department to discuss your classes for Fall Term 2024 and ask any questions you may have about how your program of study matches with your career goals. You'll also learn more about the department, school, Pitt, and Pittsburgh community. The event will be hosted by our Department Chair, Dr. Daqing He, and will include faculty representing several of our academic areas of strength including Human-Centered Computing, Information Security, Big Data, Networks, and more. More details to come.
Calendar: Our terms are run according to the University’s Academic Calendar. This is where you will find when a term starts and ends, the deadline for add/drop, and when grades will be posted. There is a separate academic calendar for each year posted here. For example, you might want to check the 24-25 Academic Calendar to learn when Winter Break will take place!
International Students: All of your visa and immigration questions can only be answered by Pitt's Office of International Services.
Before your degree program starts:
STEM Programs: Both the MSIS and the MST programs are STEM programs.
In-person classes: Our academic programs are residential – meaning that most classes are offered in-person on the University of Pittsburgh’s campus. It is required that you be in Pittsburgh and attend classes in-person throughout your program of study.
Length of Program: The MSIS program requires 36 credits for graduation; the MST program requires 37 credits. Most students complete their program within 3-4 terms (Fall, Spring, Fall, Spring).
Admissions Conditions: Your admissions letter may state that you are required to complete a college-level mathematics, statistics and/or programming course in addition to your graduate course requirements. If you feel that you have successfully completed a course addressing any of these conditions, you can petition to waive the requirement by submitting a course description/syllabus (in English) of the previously taken course and a copy of the transcript with the grade earned in the course to the Department of Informatics and Networked Systems (DINS) at dins-info@pitt.edu. You will receive an email from the Department regarding their decision in about 5 business days after all required documents have been submitted.
Data Structures: If you did not take a data structures course during your prior degree program, you should take INFSCI 2500 in your first term, so you have the pre-requisite for many of our more advanced courses. At the time of admission, we noted whether your transcripts denoted a data structures course and if you did take such a course, it will be noted on your student center (as INFSCI 2500 exemption). If you did take a data structures course prior to coming to Pitt, please ask us to waive that for you! Send us a request and a transcript (showing that you successfully passed the course) at dins-info@pitt.edu.
English Proficiency Exam: At the time of admission, we noted whether you had to take an English Proficiency Exam (if you’re an international student). To take this exam, you can visit this site to schedule the test: https://www.linguistics.pitt.edu/esl-tesol/english-language-proficiency-test. The results of the exam are then sent to you and the School. You will also receive an email communication to your Pitt email account roughly one to five days after you complete the exam informing you if you will need to take one or more English classes in your first term of study based on these results.
Advisement Hold: The University places an “Academic Advisement Hold” on all student accounts each term – including new students. For Fall 2024, we will remove this hold and assign advisors for new students in August 2024, after we ensure that all new students have completed all steps for visas, any required English Proficiency Tests, etc. After this hold is lifted and your advisor is assigned, you will be able to enroll in classes for Fall Term 2024.
Tuition: You can find tuition rates on the University's website. Please note that current academic year rates and fees are listed. If tuition rates/fees change, you will be notified. This usually would occur in the end of July or beginning of August.
Financial Support: Our Research Assistant positions are generally directed to the Department’s PhD students. However, MS student have other types of financial support opportunities:
- Other SCI Departments (CS and the School's data-related programs) often use MSIS/MST students as Teaching Assistants or in similar teaching-related positions. Such opportunities provide great experience and offer a stipend/hourly wage. These positions usually do not become available until just before the Fall/Spring terms start.
- Our school is launching a data-science program in partnership with Coursera and anticipates a need for teaching/course management positions for the coming years. You can find out more at Pitt's Jobs site.
- Research faculty in DINS often use MS students on their research projects. They could need assistance with programming, data management, analysis, or literature reviews. This would give you an opportunity to be part of a funded research team, to gain hands-on experience with research, and potentially participate in creating a conference or journal publication! This experience is a great thing to add to your resume!
- Campus Jobs (general) are posted online and can include working in many of Pitt's data centers, computing labs, or other student-service related organizations. This list is constantly being updated, so check back often! https://www.hr.pitt.edu/students/student-employment
- DINS Student Awards are presented each Spring Term. These awards and scholarships are made possible thanks to donors to the Department, and they recognize the acheivements of students at the undergraduate, graduate, and PhD levels. We provide more information at: Awards and Scholarships | Department of Informatics and Networked Systems | University of Pittsburgh
Some very helpful resources:
Master of Science in Information Science program
Here, you'll find the details about the 36-credit MSIS program, including required courses and electives.
Master of Science in Telecommunications program
This provides an in-depth look at the 37-credit MST program of study.
Newly Admitted Students | School of Computing and Information | University of Pittsburgh
Includes information about the School's orientation.
New Graduate Student FAQ | School of Computing and Information | University of Pittsburgh
Includes information about student IDs, student email addresses, how to enroll in classes, how to pay tuition bills, submitting test scores or transcripts.
Home | Graduate Studies (pitt.edu)
Includes events and support resources for Pitt's graduate student population.
Home | Cool Pittsburgh | University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is an incredibly unique city! It's home to more than 90 vibrant neighborhoods and more than 400 bridges! It's also a global innovation hub built around it's new "eds & meds" economy -- University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, Duquesne University, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, to name just a few! This site highlights where to live, where to eat, where to play, and where to shop in the greater Pittsburgh area.
If you have any questions, or need more information than is provided above, please don’t hesitate to contact our Department staff at DINS-Advising@pitt.edu.