Postgraduate

The Faculty of Information Technology has made changes to the following postgraduate courses for 2025:

• Master of Business Information Systems (C6003)
• Master of Cybersecurity (C6002)
• Master of Artificial Intelligence (C6007)

While the changes for the most part will impact only on new students in 2025, due to changes that have been made to core units, continuing students may need to replace some core units with units from the 2025 versions of the programs as we teach out old versions of the courses.

Changes to the MAI and MCyber are minor only, while changes to the MBIS follow from a course review in 2023/2024. The MBIS replacement units build upon the strengths of the current units, while setting out a clearer, more focussed and more logical pathway for study.

You can find an outline of the 2025 course structures in the 2025 handbook entries.

You should otherwise follow your course map/Handbook entry for the year you commenced your course.

Following the Australian Computer Society (ACS) course accreditation (and re-accreditation) process in 2023, the Faculty of Information Technology has made changes to prerequisites to a number of level 5 FIT units. These changes will ensure that ACS requirements are met. As a result of the changes, some unit offerings will change for 2024.

Some prerequisite changes will be implemented in 2024, others in 2025 (depending on the impact to continuing students).

In implementing these unit changes, the Faculty has endeavoured to minimise the impact on current students. Please ensure that you continue to follow the course map for the year of your commencement and plan your 2024 enrolment with these changes in mind.

Please refer to the below for a summary of future unit changes:

Following a course review in 2022, the Faculty of Information Technology has made changes to our Masters programs for students commencing the program in 2023.

While the changes for the most part will impact only on new students in 2023, due to changes that have been made to foundation units for some courses, continuing students will be give the options of completing the new units as outlined below:

• Master of Artificial Intelligence (C6007)
  • Choose between FIT9131 Programming foundations in Java OR FIT9132 Introduction to databases
• Master of Business Information Systems (C6003)
  • Choose between FIT9131 Programming foundations in Java OR FIT9136 Algorithms and programming foundations in Python.
  • New BIS core elective unit: FIT5231 Indigenous data sovereignty (S2)
  • FIT5101 Enterprise systems will not be offered after 2023 (S1 2023 will be the final offering). If you have not yet completed FIT5101 and commenced your studies in the MBIS prior to 2023, you can replace it with one of the following MBIS units:
  • FIT5206 Digital continuity
  • FIT5086 Organisational informatics
  • FIT5094 IT for management decision making
  • FIT5102 IT strategy and governance
  • FIT5160 Business process modelling, design and simulation
  • FIT5107 Recordkeeping informatics
  • FIT5231 Indigenous data sovereignty
• Master of Cybersecurity (C6002)
  • Choose between FIT9131 Programming foundations in Java OR FIT9130 Systems analysis and design

You should otherwise follow your course map/Handbook entry for the year you commenced your course.

In 2021 the Faculty of Information Technology undertook a review of the Research Stream of our Masters courses. As a result, for 2022, the minor thesis will move from an 18-point project to a 24-point project.

This change will only apply to students who commence their degree in 2022. If you commenced your PG IT degree prior to 2022 and are accepted into the research stream, you will complete an 18-point project as per your course structure. For details, check the course Handbook entry or your course map for the year you commenced your course.

New minor thesis stream

• FIT5126 Master thesis part 1 (6 points)
• FIT5127 Master thesis part 2 (6 points)
• FIT5228 Master thesis part 3 (6 points)
• FIT5229 Master thesis final (6 points)

The 24-point project must be completed across the final 2 semesters of your Masters program with 12 points in each semester.

The additional thesis unit has replaced either a free elective or an FIT elective in the course.

Students who are accepted into the Research stream in 2022 MAY have the option of transferring into the 2022 version of their course and completing a 24-point project. This will depend on the number of electives you have completed so far in your Masters and will be assessed at the time of your acceptance into the Research stream in February 2022.

New Approved Electives in Master of Information Technology and Master of Data Science

New units have been added to the approved electives lists for the 2022 course versions. Students who commence prior to 2022 will be able to complete these new units and count them towards their approved electives.

• Master of Information Technology (C6001)
  • FIT5147 Data exploration and visualisation (S1, S2)
  • ​​FIT5225 Cloud computing and security (S1)
  • FIT5227 Introduction to 3D modelling and virtual reality (S2)
• Master of Data Science (C6004)
  • FIT5205 Data in society (S1, SB)

From semester 1, 2020, all commencing IT postgraduate students will begin their studies at the Clayton campus and the Faculty will begin transitioning all current students studying at Caulfield to Clayton. The transition of students from Caulfield to Clayton will take approximately 12 months to complete (with most postgraduate units remaining at Caulfield until semester 2, 2020).

Postgraduate units offered at Clayton in semester 1, 2020

• FIT5047 Fundamentals of artificial intelligence (previously Intelligent systems)
• FIT5057 Project management
• FIT5136 Software engineering
• FIT5145 Introduction to data science
• FIT5147 Data exploration and visualisation
• FIT5197 Statistical data modelling (previously Modelling for data analysis)
• FIT5216 Modelling discrete optimisation problems (new in 2020)
• FIT9123 Introduction to business information systems
• FIT9130 Systems analysis and design
• FIT9131 Programming foundations in Java
• FIT9132 Introduction to databases
• FIT9136 Algorithms and programming foundations in Python
• FIT9137 Introduction to computer architecture and networks
• MAT9004 Mathematical foundations for data science

The majority of remaining postgraduate units will move to Clayton in semester 2, 2020.

Units that will remain at Caulfield in semester 2, 2020

• FIT5120 Industry experience studio project
• FIT5122 Professional practice

Units no longer offered in 2020

Following the 2018/2019 course review, a number of PG units will no longer be offered. See course specific information for replacements for these if this is required.

• FIT5011 Network design and performance
• FIT5034 Quality of service and network management
• FIT5104 Information and knowledge management professional practice
• FIT5111 Information systems development practices
• FIT5141 Advanced topics in information technology
• FIT5142 Advanced data mining
• FIT5178 Applied project management
• FIT5194 Computer based global project management
• FIT5211 Algorithms and data structures
• FIT9133 Programming foundations in Python
• FIT9134 Computer architecture and operating systems
• FIT9135 Data communications

Course specific information

Summary of course changes for 2020

In the 2020 course foundation:

• FIT9134 Computer architecture and operating systems and FIT9135 Data communications have been merged to become one unit: FIT9137 Introduction to computer architecture and networks.
• FIT9133 Programming foundations in Python has been replaced by FIT9136 Algorithms and programming foundations in Python. FIT9136 will still contain python programming, but will also cover the basics of data structure and algorithms, including their design, analysis and implementation in Python.
• All students commencing studies in 2020 will be required to complete FIT5125 IT research methods as a core unit.
• All Master’s programs have changed their core unit requirements.
• The Master of Networks and Security (C6002) has changed names to become the Master of Cybersecurity (for students commencing in 2020).
  • The networks stream of the MNS has been removed and been replaced with further cybersecurity units.
• The Master of Data Science (C6004) streams in Data Analytics and Data Science have been removed.

Transition arrangements for students commencing prior to 2020

If you commenced your degree prior to 2020, you should follow the course outline for the year you commenced your studies. If you have not yet completed one or more of the pre-2020 core units that are no longer offered, follow the instructions below and enrol in the approved replacement unit.

• Master of Information Technology (C6001)
  • FIT9134 – replace with FIT9136
  • FIT9135 – replace with FIT9137
• Master of Business Information Systems (C6003)
  • FIT5104 – replace with FIT5122 (if you are completing the library/archive and Industry Experience streams)
    – replace with a level 5 MBIS unit (if you are completing the library/archive and research streams)
• Master of Data Science (C6004)
  • FIT9133 – replace with FIT9136
  • FIT9134 – replace with FIT9137 (or choose FIT9123 as outlined in the Handbook)
• Master of Networks and Security (C6002)
  • FIT9133 – replace with FIT9136 * (or choose FIT9131 as outlined in the Handbook)
  • FIT9134 – replace with FIT9136 *
  • FIT9135 – replace with FIT9137 *

Note: If you have not yet completed both of FIT9133 AND FIT9134, you will complete FIT9131 Programming foundations in Java AND FIT9136 Programming foundations in python.

The following MNS units will be offered for the final time in 2020 as we teach out the networks stream of this degree:

• FIT5010 Network protocols standards (semester 1)
• FIT5083 Network infrastructure (semester 1)

If you have not yet completed your two Networks stream units, you should enrol in both these units in semester 1, 2020.