My MITB experience
First of all, I would like to thank all my readers as I have been receiving very positive feedback about my last post with regards to my journey to analytics. I feel very encouraged that many would like me to produce more content and I am very much happy to do so. A feedback that I received was with regards to my journey in MITB as there are not many resources out there that is applicable to prospective students. I definitely agree on that as I have prospective students that connected with me over meal times to understand the curriculum and most importantly to understand whether it is worth your money and time. Before joining MITB, I also had a hard time knowing what to expect from such a programme. I would like to say every journey is different and I can only give my take on what I have experienced. In the beginning of this post, I will give an overview before going down to my experience and my rationale for taking those courses. There are many things about the university and I may not be able to cover all(which I could do more posts later).Without further ado, here goes my journey…
The Available Tracks
As you may know, MITB stands for Masters of IT of Business and currently (2018) is offering 3 different tracks:
1) Financial Technology & Analytics Track
2) Analytics Track
3) Artificial Intelligence Track
I joined MITB in the year 2016 and the curriculum was slightly different compared to what it is offering now. This year would be the first year that it is offering the artificial intelligence track and I would love to take that track if I were to do the course all over again. I chose the Analytics track back then because I felt that it gives a broader view of analytics in different industries whereas I would say the financial technology track is mainly catered to the people from the finance and banking industry. In the financial technology track, you will get to learn more in depth of the banking domain and how analytics could be applied to its operations. For more information, you should check out the Masters of IT in Business website.
In order to graduate from the programme, you have to take a total of 13 course units. There is a requirement of the type of modules you take depending on the track you chose. For example, if you are in the financial track, you are required to take more modules in relation to the financial industry as compared to a student from the analytics track who can take it as an optional elective. I have taken a module from the financial track as part of my electives even though I am from the analytics track. MITB is always improving its curriculum as the industry evolves so you can be certain that they are doing their best to put their students well into the market.
Subjects Available
As you can see from the image, there are currently 5 types of series of modules available (back in my time there was only 4). The A, B & C series are relevant to the track that you have selected to take. More information on the subjects available are also listed on their website. As mentioned earlier, you need to take a total of 13 units in order to graduate. Below are the requirements that you have to take. It has been updated with effect from August 2018. There are compulsory modules that you have to take such as financial accounting. After all, the course intends to impart IT with a blended knowledge of business as well. Hence, the importance of such modules in the curriculum. These modules are normally in the D series. Just to note on a case by case basis, you can request for exemption. For example, I was an ex-undergraduate student from SMU and therefore I can be exempted from the topics I used to take before.
If you have checked out the website, you will see quite a variety of courses outside of analytics like project management, Cybersecurity and IoT. It is really a good mix of courses that are relevant to this digital age. Finally, in the E series, there is internship and capstone. Either of those will represent the weight of two modules, meaning that the completion of internship or capstone project will be considered as finishing two course units. If you are a full-time student, I would recommend taking on internship because what matters is industry exposure and experience. I was a part-time student with a full-time job so I can either take two modules or complete a capstone project. The classes normally starts at 7pm in the weekday evenings or during the day on a Saturday(9am or 1pm). Effectively, you can take on a full-time student work load while working full-time if you are really up for the challenge. However, I will not recommend it if you have a huge commitment.
Internship normally lasts about a semester long(4–6 months depending on the contract). Effectively, you become like a part-time student as you have to go to classes after your internship. Alternatively, you can ask for a leave of absence if you want to fully concentrate on internship itself. Do note that you have an option to change from full-time student to part-time student and vice versa, including changing course tracks as well. However, it is subjected to case by case basis. I believe it greatly helps a lot of students. There are occasions that the students were converted to full-time employees while on internships, so the flexibility definitely helps the students to manage their time and commitments.
For part-time students, you can either choose to do a capstone project or take 2 modules instead. Capstone project can be quite intensive as you have to do the whole project by yourself with a professor as a supervisor. As I did not take capstone project, I can only share what my friends had gone through. If you have taken up projects in the working world, it is highly similar because you are going to deal with an actual problem and provide your solutions with sound reasoning and analysis. You can source for your own project from your company or other external organisations. For example, you can ask your manager that you are going to do a capstone project for the company and then liaise with the university administration to get all the proceedings done. Do understand your project well before the undertaking because there were cases that the data provided could not be useful for any analysis and your efforts had to be scrapped. That is the only risk that my fellow students had encountered during their coursework. The progress of the project also highly depend on you. It can stretch to 6 months to almost more than a year, so be sure to allocate your time properly.
Getting your course subjects
If you have seen my previous blog post, you will understand by now that I am quite hardcore in my learning. However, before my graduation, the admin changed the regulations to restrict the number of modules a student can take, considering that some students might be too ambitious and take up more than they can handle. In my opinion, it also helps to allocate the class resources more effectively by preventing students hogging up places which they might drop it later. If my memory serves me well, I think part-time students are allowed to take maximum of 2 modules per semester and full-time students are allowed to take up to maximum of 4 modules per semester. However, on a case by case basis, you can request for exceptional approval to take extra modules provided you are able to handle the workload.
The school system requires you to select your modules online by going to their internal portal when the window opens. I may spoil the market a little but those popular courses will normally be snapped up within the first 10 minutes, so you have to be fast and decisive. It is almost like playing fastest-fingers first.
Typical course schedule
Now I will delve deeper on what you will be learning in the course that you have successfully signed up for. Normally, the first two weeks of the course are exploratory period and you can opt to drop it if you feel that the topic is not of your interest or you feel that you will not be able to handle the workload. There is no penalty for dropping the module during the first two weeks. Subsequently, your grades will be affected and it will be reflected in your transcript.
It will be best to mingle with your fellow course mates because you have to form groups for projects. A typical course is about 15 weeks long with a recess week in between which you can use it to take a break, catch up with work or have fun. Every week will cover a different topic and each course has a different way of giving grades to the students.
A typical requirement will consist as below:
- Individual Assignments — This is an individual component so that you can base solely on your own efforts.
- Project report and presentation — In every module, there is a need to form project groups as this is to simulate real life working environment. Some classes will randomly assign your groupings or you can choose to find close friends to form a group
- Quizzes/mid-terms/final exams — This really varies differently from course to course, depending on how the professors would like to structure their lesson plan. Typically mid terms and final exams form the highest weightage for individual components
- Class participation — For the shy, this will be a disadvantage to you. Singapore Management University is well known for class participation marks as part of their curriculum. Do take it as a chance to practice asking questions as in the working world you may have to speak up a lot as well.
Lessons usually last about 3 hours with 15 minutes of break in between so be sure to rest enough to pay attention in class. Different courses also have different level of difficulties and workload. I won’t be able to cover all but for example in the data analytics lab module, it is very tedious because you have to do a lot of data cleaning, there are a lot of assignments and heavy project work. However, it does not have final exam. For another module such as Analytics Framework, it covers business aspects and has a final exam but the assignments are not as heavy. Be sure to ask your seniors or mentors for advice in relation to taking up these courses.
Not just theory…
Singapore Management University has always been active to provide a holistic education for its students. In some classes, the professors will engage external speakers from relevant industries to speak to the students. At times, there are seminars where they invited C-suite executives or highly experienced experts to speak and educate the students. It provides a great opportunity for networking with the leaders. There are also plenty of workshops available to boost your skill-sets so that you will be ready for the industry. As an alumni, I think this kind of opportunities are worth going for, especially if you intend to expand your network and understand the industry better.
Recognition and rewards
I guess one of the most important question is whether you will be able to benefit from taking up this course. From a personal point of view, I did gained a lot from the programme as I was an individual transiting from accountancy to data analytics. It does not make me an expert after I graduate, but it opened doors for more opportunities. It is a heavy expense to consider but in the long run it may pay off well. If you are capable of self-studying, it might be a good option as well because you will save the money and still be able to perform equally well. More importantly, it is about building your portfolio as it goes. The thing to remember is that learning does not stop after graduation as till this day I am still continuing my education by reading tech news, watching tutorial videos and adding more value as I go. Many thanks for reading this post and I really hope I can share more with you. Please leave some comments or feedback on what you would like to know next in the link. Thanks for reading!
I have recently created my own blog https://goingmeraki.com
and a youtube channel, hopefully to document more of my journey and my sharing to you all out there!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC274tF6HRQSza08IZlB15TQ/featured
