Why Choose the MSIS or MST?

You have been offered admission -- congratulations!

We are very pleased to offer you admission to one of our internationally-recognized STEM Master's programs in the Department of Informatics and Networked Systems -- either the Master of Science in Information Science or the Master of Science in Telecommunications. We hope that you will accept your offer of admission and join us for Fall Term 2024! Please refer to your offer of admission to review steps to accept the offer and to remind yourself about the deadlines for accepting offers.

We know that there is a great deal to consider when selecting a graduate degree program – location, quality of the program, opportunities in terms of classes and gaining real-world experience, and how well-prepared you will be for the job market when you successfully complete the program.

How to Learn More about the MSIS/MST Programs and Graduate Study at Pitt

On this page, we offer information and/or links to resources that will help you to make the right decision regarding your graduate school plans.

Of course, if you have questions, you can reach us at dins-info@pitt.edu

Plus, for students admitted for Fall 2024 who have not yet accepted their offer of admission, we are hosting weekly drop-in sessions, where you can chat with faculty or staff of the department. Feel free to drop in on Tuesday mornings, 9 am – 10 am (US), on Zoom: https://pitt.zoom.us/j/93598580115

We recently hosted an "Admitted Students Day" for potential new students. You can view the slides or watch a video of a presentation by our Department Chair, Dr. Daqing He.

Slides from Fall 2024 Admitted Students Day

The Department of Informatics and Networked Systems

Since the 1960s, our Department has hosted professional Masters’ degree programs to prepare students for exciting and long-lived careers working with technology. Our goal is produce information professionals with the skills needed at the time of graduation and into the future. Our coursework and research programs live at the junction of information, networks, and human behavior, allowing you to understand systems, data, and users – and how all three must work together in order for businesses and society to thrive. The MSIS and MST programs foster an interdisciplinary perspective that positions students perfectly for exciting technology careers in a wide variety of industries including business, government, healthcare, finance, education, manufacturing, and public service.

Our Community

DINS faculty and scholars explore networks, human behavior, and information from a wide array of perspectives.

Our faculty come from Engineering and Public Policy, Intelligent Systems, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Psychology, Physics, and Communications. Many came to DINS from industry leaders such as Bell Labs, UPMC, Singer-Link, and IBM and also from backgrounds in healthcare. Faculty research is funded by NSF, NIH, NIST, DARPA, US Air Force, Richard King Mellon Foundation, Heinz Foundation, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Amazon, Meta, Google, and UPMC.

Meet DINS Faculty Member, Associate Professor Rosta Farzan

Our students have similarly diverse backgrounds, having earned prior degrees in disciplines such as architecture, administrative justice, business, psychology, computer science, economics, and engineering. Our MST graduates include some who had an undergraduate degree in music. Many have been Fulbright scholars from abroad.

Our work on information and technology has an international perspective, as our faculty and students hail from many countries. Our alumni have come from the US, Mexico, Zimbabwe, Niger, Norway, Morocco, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, China, India, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Kosovo, Ukraine, Russia, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, and other countries.

Our Degree Programs

Our STEM MS programs address Information Science and Telecommunications from three perspectives:

People
Data/Information.
Networks/Systems

You will design better systems because you know how users think and how networks transmit the data.

You will graduate with not only the mastery of today’s technology, but also the ability to understand and implement technology of future

Our coursework, in-class projects, practicum experiences, and research opportunities will foster critical skills -- much sought-after by employers -- in analsyis and analytical thinking, problem-solving, communication, and project managment.

The Master of Science in Information Science Program

The Master of Science in Information Science program explores the junction of information, networks, and human behavior. We provide students with the skills and knowledge to model and design systems that are accountable, resilient, trustworthy, sustainable, and ethical. Our graduates design, build, manage, and protect the systems and networks that make information useful and accessible. They enjoy the limitless potential for exciting careers in virtually every industry—health care, finance, law, manufacturing, government, higher education, and more. The Master of Science in Information Science (MSIS) degree program prepares students for careers as information professionals, including systems analysts and designers, database developers and managers, information security experts, and more. This 36-credit program may be completed in three semesters of full-time study or as many as four years of part-time study (depending upon course schedules). Find more details on our MSIS web page.

The Master of Science in Telecommunications Program

Graduates will gain a strong foundation in the design of network protocols, wireless networks, network security, and performance enhancement for communication networks. Coursework in data mining, machine learning, and algorithms prepares students for careers that call for maximizing network utilization, supporting information flow in the cloud, and tailoring networks to user needs and expectations. Graduates will have the skills and knowledge sought after by telecommunications equipment manufacturers, wireless providers, enterprise network users such as financial or pharmaceutical companies, and data center owners. Graduates also have chances to examine general network science and analysis to gain knowledge on emerging communication services from stand-alone streaming media to information flow on social networks. Learn more about the MST program here.

Get Real-World Experience at DINS

You can impress future employers by gaining real-world experience and by building a portfolio revealing what you can do on DAY ONE! Graduate students are strongly encouraged to take advantage of our amazing array of hands-on learning experiences!

Practicum (Internship) -- take classes and work for one of the major corporations in the Western Pennsylvania region. This is a 3-credit course with an academic component. Lets you apply your knowlege and skills in a work-place setting! Great addition to your portfolio!
Co-op -- a 1-credit course that does not count towards graduation, but lets you work in companies or organizations elsewhere in the US.
Service-Learning -- give back while polishing up your portfolio!

If you choose to undertake practicum, you will be able to take advantage of being in Pittsburgh, which is home to major employers such as Alcoa, Dick's Sporting Goods, The Kraft Heinz Company, PPG Industries, Duolingo, CONSOL Energy, BNY Mellon, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Deloitte, FedEx Ground, Highmark, and Wabtec Corporation, to name just a few.

Career Potential with These Degrees

With a graduate degree in Information Science or Telecommunications, career opportunities are projected to soar! The US Bureau of Labor Statistics issued the following growth projections:

Network Engineer	+ 4%
Systems Analyst	+ 10%
Database Administrators	+ 8%
Security Analyst	+ 32%
Developers/Quality Assurance Engineers	+ 25%
Web Developer	+ 16%

Alumni of the Department of Informatics and Networked Systems have gone onto successful careers as entrepreneurs, professionals, thought-leaders, and scholars across the globe. You can find graduates of our degree programs in world-class universities, international business enterprises, and governments and non-profits across many continents. Our alumni have impacted research, technology development, and day-to-day life by making information useful across a spectrum of industries including higher education, health care, manufacturing, finance, technology, and human services.

Some of our recent graduates have earned exciting positions!

Position Type	Employer
Software Development Engineer	Amazon
Software Engineer	Meta
Cyber Security Engineer	Carnegie Mellon University
Network Engineer	Google
Senior Software Testing Engineer	Visa
Data Scientist	Capital One
Data Engineer	WePay, Inc.
Technology Consultant	Deloitte Consulting
Business Intelligence Analyst	Mylan
User Experience Designer	University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

Research at DINS

Today's world is connected. People, devices, data, physical objects, and virtual agents are all linked in a variety of ways. Each of us and our objects, physical or virtual, generate large amounts of data which as information can help us to make good decisions. The data have to be transported to their correct destinations using networks. Research at DINS aims to promote a better functioning society by advancing our capability to make this connected world easier to manage for individuals, organizations, and groups. Our research expertise covers:

Humans and Society

AI Adaptive web systems, learning technologies
Human-robot interaction, human centered computing
Spatial informatics, smart cities, urban computing

Data and Information

Big data, data fusion, cloud computing, data visualization,
Social computing, science of science, team collaborations, future of work

Network and Systems

Cybersecurity and privacy, Resilient systems
Wireless systems, senor networks, IoT
Quantum computing

Hear Clinical Associate Professor Dmitriy Babichenko describe one of his research endeavors:

Selected Research Projects in DINS

Building a sustainable national network for developing and disseminating sports content, NSF, Kostas Pelechrinis

Severe Impact Resilience: Framework for Adaptive Compound Threats, Alion Science and Technology, Amy Babay

Efficacy of self-advocacy serious game intervention for women with advanced cancer, NIH, Dmitriy Babichenko

Black Girls as Creators: an intersectional learning ecosystem toward gendered racial equity in AI education, NSF, Angela Stewart

Human Emotion Regulation during Human-AI Interaction, Honda Research Institute, Na Du

Financial Support for MS Students

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

Other Resources:

Once you've accepted your offer of admission, visit this Web page for New MSIS/MST Students

Any immigration/visa questions should be directed to Pitt's Office of International Services

FAQ for new graduate students in the School of Computing and Information

Financial Support Opportunities for new MS students