The Master of Information Systems will extend your information technology knowledge and skills, especially in professional level business analysis. This course will prepare you to contribute to future growth and change by enhancing your individual advancement opportunities. You will focus on particular aspects of technologies, management and organisations. As part of this course, you will have the option of undertaking a minor to enhance your technological skills.
All units have been aligned to the Australian Computer Society (ACS) core body of knowledge.
Career opportunities are
endless for Information Systems graduates. Employment can be found as: Systems
Analyst, Business Analyst, Business Process Modeller, Data Analyst, ICT Project
Manager, ICT Support Technician, ICT Customer Support Officer, Database
Administrator, ICT Support Engineer, Web Developer, ICT Architect, ICT
Consultant, Systems Administrator.
Duration | 2 years full-time or 4 years part-time |
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Credit Points that Must be Earned | 96 |
Number of Units Required | CQUniversity uses the concept of credits to express the amount of study required for a particular course and individual units. The number of units varies between courses. Units in postgraduate courses normally consist of 6 points of credit or multiples thereof (e.g. 12, 18, 24). |
Expected Hours of Study | One point of credit is equivalent to an expectation of approximately two hours of student work per week in a term. |
Course Type | Postgraduate Award |
Qualification (post nominal) | MIS |
AQF Level | Level 9: Masters Degree (Coursework) |
Course Fees |
Indicative Year - 2025
Indicative Year - 2024
Indicative Year - 2023
Indicative Year - 2022
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Domestic Students Tertiary Admission Centre Codes (TAC) Codes |
Not Applicable |
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International Students CRICOS Codes |
To gain entry to this course students must have:
A bachelor degree in any discipline from an Australian university or college;
or a CQUniversity Graduate Certificate in Information Systems, or equivalent.
Candidates who have completed the CQUniversity CC47 Graduate Diploma of Information Systems, will be granted advanced standing of 6 core units, 1 elective and the first discipline unit.
Please see the CC47 Graduate Diploma of Information Systems handbook entry for more information.
International students should refer to international student page for further information including English Language requirements.
Advanced Entry
Advanced entry is available directly into Term 2 for students who can demonstrate they have attained the required knowledge. These students will undertake 12 units to complete the course. To be granted advanced entry a student must:
1. have a bachelor degree; and
2. be able to demonstrate they have the required knowledge (based on the content of COIT20245, COIT20248, COIT20249 and PPMP20007; and
3. either:
Students may also be granted advanced standing for one or two units if they meet the requirements of (1) and (3) above but cannot sufficiently demonstrate they have the required knowledge (based on the content in all four units COIT20245, COIT20248, COIT20249 and PPMP20007) to receive full advanced standing.
Domestics and international students please see CQUni Handbook.
Interim Awards | CC33 - Graduate Certificate in Project Management CC29 - Graduate Certificate in Information Systems CC47 - Graduate Diploma of Information Systems |
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Exit Awards | CC29 - Graduate Certificate in Information Systems CC47 - Graduate Diploma of Information Systems |
Accreditation |
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No Residential School for this course.
COIT20254 - Students are able to undertake discipline capstone units while working with industry partners. |
COIT20276 - Students have the option of undertaking an internship instead of the capstone unit COIT20254. |
Year | Number of Students |
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2024 | 187 |
2023 | 204 |
2022 | 135 |
2021 | 137 |
2020 | 312 |
Please note that in some instances there may be similarities between course, entry and inherent requirements.
If you experience difficulties meeting these requirements, reasonable adjustments may be made upon contacting accessibility@cqu.edu.au. Adjustment must not compromise the academic integrity of the degree or course chosen at CQUniversity or the legal requirements of field education.
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Course Learning Outcomes | ||||||||
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Australian Qualifications Framework Descriptors | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
1. KNOWLEDGE Have a body of knowledge that includes the understanding of recent developments in a discipline and/or area of professional practice | ||||||||
2. KNOWLEDGE Have an understanding of research principles and methods applicable to a field of work and/or learning | ||||||||
3. SKILLS Have cognitive skills to demonstrate mastery of theoretical knowledge and to reflect critically on theory and professional practice or scholarship | ||||||||
4. SKILLS Have cognitive, technical and creative skills to investigate, analyse and synthesise complex information, problems, concepts and theories and to apply established theories to different bodies of knowledge or practice | ||||||||
5. SKILLS Have cognitive, technical and creative skills to generate and evaluate complex ideas and concepts at an abstract level | ||||||||
6. SKILLS Have communication and technical research skills to justify and interpret theoretical propositions, methodologies, conclusions and professional decisions to specialist and non-specialist audiences | ||||||||
7. SKILLS Have technical and communication skills to design, evaluate, implement, analyse and theorise about developments that contribute to professional practice or scholarship | ||||||||
8. APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS Be able to use creativity and initiative to new situations in professional practice and/or for further learning | ||||||||
9. APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS Be able to use high level personal autonomy and accountability | ||||||||
10 APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS Be able to plan and execute a substantial research-based project, capstone experience and/or piece of scholarship. | ||||||||
APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS Communicate, interact and collaborate with others effectively in culturally or linguistically diverse contexts in a culturally respectful manner |
Number of units: 11 | Total credit points: 72 |
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Students should note that they may be required to enrol in some units Online, depending which campus you are on.
There are a variety of options for you in relation to your General Electives. Please see the Handbook for information on the minors Artificial Intelligence, Software Design and Development, Mobile Application Development and Networks and Information Security. Alternatively you may choose your four electives from the General Elective list.
You are required to complete one of the following two streams: Internship or Capstone.
Some units are offered in Term 3 to help you complete the course earlier, particularly for those intending to take the internship stream. You are strongly advised to consult course advisers at the beginning of each term regarding the units you intend to take to ensure you can complete the course within the shortest possible time. You should note that you may be required to enrol in some units Online, depending on your campus offerings.
Year 1 - Term 1 | ||
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Students must complete the following compulsory units: | ||
COIT20245 | Introduction to Programming | |
PPMP20007 | Project Management Concepts | |
COIT20249 | Professional Skills and Ethics in Information and Communications Technology | |
COIT20248 | Information Systems Analysis and Design |
Year 1 - Term 2 | ||
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Students must complete the following compulsory units: | ||
COIT20246 | Networking and Cyber Security | |
COIT20247 | Database Design and Development | |
COIT20250 | Technologies in Information Systems Practice |
Year 2 - Term 1 | ||
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Students must complete the following compulsory units: | ||
COIT20251 | Knowledge Audits for Business Analysis | |
COIT20252 | Business Process Management | |
COIT20253 | Business Intelligence using Big Data |
Year 2 - Term 2 | ||
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Students must complete 1 from the following units: | ||
COIT20276 | Postgraduate ICT Internship | |
COIT20254 | Information Systems Project |
Internship stream students must complete the following compulsory unit:
COIT20276 Postgraduate ICT Internship
To be eligible for this unit, you must pass all of your units at the first attempt, apply for the internship, and undergo a series of interviews with prospective host organisations. Generally, internship students will spend 32 hours per week for 10 consecutive weeks with the internship host organisation applying the knowledge you have gained over the course of your study before returning to campus for the presentation of your learning journey. Assessment will need to be completed throughout the term.
The internship is taken in the last term of study, and to assist internship students complete all units before the last study term, some units are offered in all three teaching terms. You are strongly advised to consult course advisers at the beginning of each term regarding the units you intend to take to ensure you can complete the course within the shortest possible time.
If you choose this option, you will be enrolled in the unit COIT20276 Postgraduate ICT Internship once you have secured a host organisation.
Capstone stream students must complete the following compulsory unit:
COIT20254 Information Systems Project If you choose this option, you will apply your knowledge gained over your course of study in a simulated environment.
To complete this stream you can enrol yourself into your discipline capstone unit - COIT20254 Information Systems Project. This unit is taken in the last term of study and you can also complete two elective units in this same term.
Number of units: 4 | Total credit points: 24 |
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Students should note that they may be required to enrol in some units Online.
You must complete the four units as listed below. The first unit is taken in your second term of study, the second unit in your third term of study and the last two in your last term. If you are planning to apply for an internship, you will need to also study in Term 3 and should refer to a Student Adviser.
Available units | ||
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Students must complete the following compulsory units: | ||
COIT20256 | Object Oriented Development | |
COIT20277 | Introduction to Artificial Intelligence | |
COIT29225 | Neural Networks and Deep Learning | |
COIT29224 | Evolutionary Computation |
Number of units: 4 | Total credit points: 24 |
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Students must complete the two units COIT20268 and COIT20269 then choose two units from the Optional Units listing. Students must begin the minor with the unit COIT20268 which is the prerequisite to units COIT20269, COIT20270 and COIT20271.
If opting to take this minor you should take COIT20268 in your second term of study, COIT20269 in your third term of study and the final two units from the option listing in the fourth term of study. Note there may be some flexibility in the order the last three units are taken, if you choose to study in Term 3.
If you are planning to apply for an internship, you will need to also study in Term 3 and should refer to the Moodle site 'School of Engineering and Technology' (SET Internships) and follow the study schedule posted there.
Available units | ||
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Students must complete the following compulsory units: | ||
COIT20268 | Responsive Web Design | |
COIT20269 | Mobile Web Apps |
Available units | ||
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Students must complete 2 from the following units: | ||
COIT20270 | App Development for Mobile Platforms | |
COIT20271 | Mobile Game Development | |
COIT20260 | Cloud Computing and Internet of Things for Smarter Applications |
Number of units: 4 | Total credit points: 24 |
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Students should note that they may be required to enrol in some units Online.
You must complete the two units COIT20261 and COIT20262 then choose two units from the Optional Units listing. Students must begin the minor with the unit COIT20261 which is the prerequisite to units COIT20262, COIT20263 and COIT20264.
If opting to take this minor you should take COIT20261 in your second term of study, COIT20262 in your third term of study and the final two units from the option listing in the fourth term of study. Note that there may be some flexibility in the order the last three units are taken if you choose to study in Term 3.
If you are planning to apply for an internship, you will need to also study in Term 3 and should refer to the Moodle site 'School of Engineering and Technology' (SET Internships) and follow the study schedule posted there.
Available units | ||
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Students must complete the following compulsory units: | ||
COIT20261 | Network Routing and Switching | |
COIT20262 | Advanced Network Security |
Available units | ||
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Students must complete 2 from the following units: | ||
COIT20263 | Information Security Management | |
COIT20264 | Enterprise and Cloud Networking | |
COIT20267 | Computer Forensics |
Number of units: 4 | Total credit points: 24 |
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Students should note that they may be required to enrol in some units Online.
You must complete the two units COIT20256 and COIT20257 then choose two units from the Optional Units listing below. Students must begin the minor with the unit COIT20256 which is the prerequisite to units COIT20257, COIT20258 and COIT20259.
If opting to undertake this minor you should take COIT20256 in your second term of study, COIT20257 in your third term of study and the final two units in the fourth term of study. Note that there may be some flexibility in the order the last three units are taken if you choose to study in Term 3.
If you are planning to apply for an internship, you will need to also study in Term 3 and should refer to the Moodle site 'School of Engineering and Technology' (SET Internships) and follow the study schedule posted there.
Available units | ||
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Students must complete the following compulsory units: | ||
COIT20256 | Object Oriented Development | |
COIT20257 | Distributed Systems: Principles and Development |
Available units | ||
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Students must complete 2 from the following units: | ||
COIT20258 | Software Engineering | |
COIT20259 | Enterprise Computing Architecture | |
COIT20277 | Introduction to Artificial Intelligence |
Number of units: 4 | Total credit points: 24 |
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You should note that you may be required to complete some units Online, depending on which campus you are on.
There are a variety options for you to take as your electives. Please see below. Students should note that they may be required to enrol in some units Online, depending which campus you are on.
Internship Opportunity
Students in the Master of Information Systems are able to apply for an internship. Please refer to the various majors under "Course Structure" in the Handbook for more information. You will undertake the internship in place of doing your discipline capstone unit.
Elective Opportunities:
There are three elective streams in this course as follows:
Graduate Certificate in Project Management
You can complete the following three units from the Graduate Certificate in Project Management, plus one general elective from the elective list below.
Graduate Certificate in Project Management (GCPM) units in addition to PPMP20007 Project Management Concepts are:
PPMP20008 Initiating and Planning Projects
PPMP20009 Project Management Methodologies
PPMP20010 Executing and Closing Projects
Minors
There is an opportunity for students to undertake a minor from disciplines in the Master of Information Technology (MIT). Please refer to the handbook for information. If you opt for a minor you will not need to also complete elective units.
General Electives
Select your four electives from the Electives Listing below.
Computing Requirements
You need access to a desktop or laptop computer for your studies.
Microsoft Windows (any recent version) is the recommended operating system. While you should be able to complete most tasks on other operating systems (e.g., macOS, Linux), you may not receive support from teaching staff if issues arise due to the use of a non-Windows operating system. Also, there are a small number of tasks that require Microsoft Windows (running natively on hardware, not in a virtualised environment). For those tasks, if you are using macOS or Linux then you must organise access to a Windows computer, e.g., in a CQU computer lab or another computer.
If you are buying a new computer or upgrading an existing computer, then you are recommended to purchase at least 16 GB of RAM and at least a mid-range CPU (i.e., Intel Core or AMD equivalent; a Celeron or Pentium is not suitable). The CPU should support hardware virtualisation (e.g., Intel VT-x or AMD-V). Other components (e.g., monitor, disk, graphics) should be the best quality and highest capacity you can afford. If you already own a computer with 8GB of RAM and any Intel or AMD CPU then it will be sufficient for most of your study (but you may need to use CQU computer labs for some specialised tasks).
If you do not have your own computer, or a computer that meets the above recommended requirements, then you may use a computer in a CQU computer lab. However, you must be prepared to spend significant time outside of scheduled classes in the lab (e.g., to complete assessments). Not having access to a suitable computer, or limited access to CQU computer labs, is not a valid reason for an adjustment of assessment (e.g., an extension).
CQU provides ICT students free and/or low-cost access to Microsoft and other software. You can find out more about the free software and computer requirements at the Course Orientation; otherwise ask your Unit Coordinator.
Interim Awards
As part of this course, students may be eligible to receive one or more of the following Interim Awards upon successful completion of relevant units (refer to the handbook for each course)
You must contact a Course Advisor to obtain an Interim Award. Please note Interim Awards are not conferred automatically, and you cannot apply for an Interim Award once you have received your Masters Award.
Advanced Standing
Advanced standing allowing direct entry into the 2nd term is available to students who can demonstrate they have attained the required knowledge. These students will undertake 11 units to complete the course. To be granted advanced standing, a student must:
Have a Bachelor degree; and
Be able to demonstrate they have the required knowledge, based on the content of units COIT20245, COIT20246, COIT20248 and COIT20249; and
Either:
Have two years relevant work experience; or
Have one year other postgraduate education; or
Have attained a final year GPA of 4.7 in their undergraduate degree at an Australian institution or equivalent.
Students that do not meet all requirements of Advanced Standing may still be considered for credit towards specific units. Note that credit cannot be granted towards capstone units or internship.
Part-Time Course of Study
In formulating their course of study, candidates who are studying part-time by distance education should give consideration to their work and other commitments and the prerequisites for advanced units, and if necessary seek advice from the Course Advisor via: Ask a Course Advisor.
For Course Planners please refer to the following website: Planning your Study - Course Planners