School of Business MS in Information Technology Management Frequently Asked Questions

See the Admissions Requirements page.

Absolutely. Careers and interests can change over the course of a person’s life, so we welcome applicants from all academic backgrounds. If you don’t have any course work or experience in accounting, you’ll take Introduction to Finance and Accounting as a 1-credit course, which will prepare you for our Financial Management course.

Yes, the MSITM program is STEM-designated.

This means that all the students go through the program together at the same pace. Our current students and alumni often state that the cohort is their favorite aspect of the program. Students build trust, become a support system for each other, and often form lifelong friendships. Many network well beyond graduation, and some have even gone into business together.

Classes start in late August for our Fall cohort and early January for our Spring cohort. See Admissions Requirements for deadlines.

For transcripts to be counted as official, they must come to us directly from the institution where you studied. Therefore, you must order your transcripts through a service like Parchment or National Student Clearinghouse, or ask your institution directly to send us your transcripts.

Transcripts may be sent electronically to admissions@northwestu.edu or mailed to:

Northwest University
P.O. Box 579
Kirkland, WA 98083-0579

Students who completed their degree(s) outside of the United States should provide a transcript equivalency evaluation in addition to the official transcript(s).* Any NACES-approved organization can complete this equivalency process. Find a list of providers here: https://www.naces.org/members. Please contact your enrollment counselor if you have questions about this evaluation.

*In the United States, for transcripts to be considered “official,” they must come directly from their undergraduate institution. Transcripts emailed to Northwest University are considered “unofficial” transcripts. Students can request their undergraduate institution to send copies of transcripts to either Northwest University or the evaluation company of their choice.

One provider we work closely with is SpanTran. Order Transcript Evaluation from SpanTran.

Yes! We welcome international to students to apply.

Yes, F-1 international students may utilize CPT through this program. Our graduate enrollment counselor or international student advisor can address any questions you have about the specifics of our CPT policy.

Yes, F-1 international students can qualify for up to three years of OPT.

You will be on campus each month for a two-day residency. These will always fall on a Friday afternoon through Saturday evening. Friday will start with a lunch, and Saturday will begin with a breakfast.

Your residency experience is designed to be just that—an experience—and not just hours of lecture. During your time together, you will work collaboratively with your classmates on group projects, spend time with your experienced professors, and occasionally leave campus to visit a local company.

Each residency is an essential, required element of the MSITM program. If you cannot attend a residency, you will need to take the class at a later date with a different cohort.

Classes start in late August for our Fall cohort and early January for our Spring cohort.

See Admissions Requirements for deadlines.

Two years. The program is six semesters long, going through two fall, spring, and summer cycles. The program has a set schedule, so students cannot graduate sooner, even if they transfer credits in for certain classes.

Throughout the whole program, you will be enrolled for one 8-week course at a time, so you can focus on mastering each subject before moving on to the next. You will take two 8-week classes over the course of a 14-week semester—one class at a time.

No. There are key classes and electives offered in the summer, so students are required to be enrolled during the summer.

Since the program uses a cohort format and courses are designed to be taken sequentially, it is not possible for students to alter the pace of the program. Our research also shows that students benefit greatly from our cohort model by having a better, more collaborative learning experience.

This varies greatly since different students read and complete their assignments at different paces. This is a reading and writing-intensive program. On average, you should expect to devote 15 to 20 hours a week.

Current costs for the MSITM program are listed on our graduate costs page.

Yes, each semester, you should expect to pay about $60 in fees.

Yes, we have a financial services team who can provide financial information specific to this program as well as resources for financial aid. You may contact them by email at financialservices@northwestu.edu or by phone at 425-889-5210.

You may transfer up to nine credit hours of eligible graduate-level coursework, with prior approval from the program director. Please note that transferred credits will not accelerate the time you spend in the program. You would simply sit out the 8-week course that the transferred credits cover.