Type of qualification
Level of study
Once you’ve graduated with a bachelor’s degree – or have equal experience – you can study at the postgraduate level. Doctoral qualifications require additional entry requirements.
Our courses follow the New Zealand Qualification Framework (NZQF) levels.
Time to complete
Where you can study
International students
International students are not New Zealand citizens or residents.
Study a Master of Information Sciences – MInfSc
In the Master of Information Sciences you will study several topics in depth and explore how best to apply your new knowledge and some new technologies.
Studying towards your master’s is a satisfying and challenging process that will give you a sought-after postgraduate qualification. If you want to gain a more detailed understanding of an area of study, either for interest, or to perhaps move up the hierarchy in your career, you should consider this qualification.
What will you learn?
During your study you will learn how to apply problem-solving and analytical thinking skills to the analysis of, and solutions to, complex computing problems in areas such as:
- machine learning
- computer vision
- system security
- user interface design
- data science and analytics.
At Massey you’ll be part of small, interactive classes where you can have close contact with your lecturer.
Include project experience in your CV
The professional practice project is an important part of this master’s (unless you convert to the research thesis). You will spend one semester working full time on your project. You could have the opportunity to get involved in projects for real companies on real issues that they wish to solve. This can lead to employment with the company concerned and also adds substantial value to your resume when you are seeking employment.
180 and 120-credit Master of Information Sciences options
There are options to complete this programme as a three-semester 180-credit taught programme (includes an in-depth professional project) or a 120 credit research programme by thesis if you have the appropriate pre-requisites. A research thesis is recommended if you wish to progress to a PhD. See the Entry requirements and Courses and planning tabs for more information on these options.
A MInfSc is a good fit if you:
- already have a bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification
- want to learn more about a range of specialist topics
- want to progress your career to the next level.
Entry requirements
Admission to Massey
All students must meet university entrance requirements to be admitted to the University.
Specific requirements
To enter the Master of Information Science you will have:
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been awarded or qualified for the Bachelor of Information Sciences or an equivalent qualification, having achieved a B- grade average or higher over the qualifying 300-level majoring courses; or
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been awarded or qualified for a Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent qualification, having achieved a B- grade average or higher over the 300-level majoring courses, and have at least two years’ relevant professional experience demonstrated via a portfolio, and an interview if required: or
- been awarded or qualified for the Bachelor of Information Sciences with Honours or Postgraduate Diploma in Information Sciences, or the equivalent qualification, having achieved a B- grade average or higher over the qualifying 700-level courses.
English language requirements
To study this qualification you must meet Massey University's English language standards.
Documents you will need to supply to support your application
- a copy of your official academic transcript/s for studies taken at all universities other than Massey University
- a CV and portfolio if applying on the basis of a Bachelor’s degree and at least two years’ relevant professional experience
- a short summary of your research interests (200 words or less). Required if you intend on a pathway which includes at least 90 credits of research.
If you are applying for direct entry to the 120 credit thesis you will need to find an academic supervisor. Please see the academic Expertise Directory if you need assistance.
Time limits for Honours, Distinction and Merit
Where your qualification is completed within the stated time limit and to a high standard, you may be able to graduate with Distinction or Merit.
- Look for information under ‘Student Progression’ in the General Regulations for Postgraduate Degrees, Postgraduate Diplomas and Postgraduate Certificates.
- Contact us through the Get advice button on this page if you have any questions.
Prior learning, credit and exemptions
For information on prior learning, exemptions and transfer of credit or other questions:
- review the Recognition of Prior Learning regulations
- contact us through the Get advice button on this page.
English language skills
If you need help with your English language skills before you start university, see our English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses.
Maximum time limits for completion
There are maximum time limits to complete postgraduate qualifications. If you do not complete within the maximum time, you may be required to re-apply for the qualification if you wish to continue your studies.
Official regulations
To understand what you need to study and must complete to graduate read the official rules and regulations or this qualification.
You should read these together with all other relevant Statutes and Regulations of the University including the General Regulations for Postgraduate Degrees, Postgraduate Diplomas, and Postgraduate Certificates.
Returning students
For returning students, there may be changes to the majors and minors available and the courses you need to take. Go to the section called ‘Transitional Provisions’ in the Regulations to find out more.
In some cases the qualification or specialisation you enrolled in may no longer be taking new enrolments, so may not appear on these web pages. To find information on the regulations for these qualifications go to the Massey University Calendar.
Please contact us through the Get advice button on this page if you have any questions.
Structure of the Master of Information Sciences
If you study full-time you can complete the Master of Information Sciences in three semesters (one and half years). This is a taught programme, and includes an in-depth professional project.
You should initially enrol for the professional pathway. This offers maximum flexibility and you can change the pathway as you progress through the first year.
The 180-credit master’s qualification is made up of two parts. The first part gives you good knowledge and skills that will help you with the research or professional practice part of your qualification (Part Two). You must pass Part One before you can progress to Part Two.
For progression to Part Two of the Master of Information Sciences, two pathways are available. A grade average of B- is needed for the Part One courses.
- Research Pathway: 180 credits consisting of 60 credits of courses (Part One) and 120 credits of research (Part Two).
- Professional Pathway: 180 credits consisting of 120 credits of courses (Part One) and 60 credits of professional practice (Part Two).
Master of Information Sciences 120-credit by thesis - advanced entry
Providing you have completed a recognised postgraduate qualification in advance of the minimum entry requirements, you may be able to complete this degree with a 120 credit thesis.
You will complete a thesis to the value of 120 credits from Part Two of the Schedule.
The 120-credit thesis requires one year of intensive, individual research working with an academic supervisor. You will need to arrange a suitable supervisor before you enrol in the degree.
A research thesis is strongly recommended if you wish to continue to PhD study.
Courses and specialisations
Key terms
- Courses
- Each qualification has its own specific set of courses. Some universities call these papers. You enrol in courses after you get accepted into Massey.
- Course code
- Each course is numbered using 6 digits. The fourth number shows the level of the course. For example, in course 219206, the fourth number is a 2, so it is a 200-level course (usually studied in the second year of full-time study).
- Credits
- Each course is worth a number of credits. You combine courses (credits) to meet the total number of credits needed for your qualification.
- Specialisations
- Some qualifications let you choose what subject you'd like to specialise in. Your major or endorsement is what you will take the majority of your courses in.
Credit summary
180 credits
Professional Pathway
- Part One courses from the Schedule – 120 credits
- Part Two professional project – 60 credits
Research Pathway
- Part One courses from the Schedule – 60 credits
- Part Two thesis – 120 credits
Providing you have completed a recognised postgraduate qualification in advance of the minimum entry requirements, you may be entitled to apply for recognition of prior learning for 60 credits, and complete this degree with a 120-credit thesis.
This is a parts-based qualification. This means there are regulations around your completion of Part One before progressing to Part Two, etc.
Course planning key
- Prerequisites
- Courses that need to be completed before moving onto a course at the next level. For example, a lot of 200-level courses have 100-level prerequisite courses.
- Corequisites
- Courses that must be completed at the same time as another course are known as corequisite courses.
- Restrictions
- Some courses are restricted against each other because their content is similar. This means you can only choose one of the offered courses to study and credit to your qualification.
Part One
Professional Pathway (120 credits) or Research Pathway (60 credits)
Computer Science courses
Course code: 159709 Computer Graphics 15 credits
Graphics devices. Interactive graphics systems. Drawing algorithms. Lines and polygons. Curves and surfaces. Representation of 3-D objects. Perspective. Techniques for visual realism. The course will include practical programming work.
View full course detailsCourse code: 159731 Studies in Computer Vision 15 credits
Selected advanced topics including: low level digital image processing, 2D/3D image processing, image transforms, pattern recognition.
View full course detailsCourse code: 159735 Studies in Parallel and Distributed Systems 15 credits
Selected advanced topics including: Parallel computing; network security; client-server computing; compression; web applications; wireless and mobile computing.
View full course detailsCourse code: 159736 Studies in Operating Systems and Architecture 15 credits
Selected advanced topics including: Concurrency; scheduling; API programming; real-time and embedded systems; fault tolerance; computer architecture; HDLs.
View full course detailsCourse code: 159740 Studies in Intelligent Systems 15 credits
Selected advanced topics including: knowledge-based systems; AI; agents; natural language processing; search and constraint satisfaction.
View full course detailsData Science courses
Course code: 158739 Data Mastery: Scripting, Databases and Data Privacy 15 credits
An introduction to the field of analytics, including the process of identifying an analytics problem in context, identifying sources and acquiring data, preparing data for analysis to address the problem. Emphasis is placed on developing programming skills relevant for data processing and data retrieval from databases. Special attention is given to privacy, security and ethical considerations surrounding data, and to communication of results.
View full course detailsCourse code: 158755 Data Science - Making Sense of Data 15 credits
A study of the science of drawing knowledge and insights from data, including the concepts and techniques of data mining, machine learning and natural language processing. The course covers both theoretical and practical aspects using a range of software tools and algorithms.
View full course detailsCourse code: 161762 Multivariate Analysis for Big Data 15 credits
Research methods suitable for the analysis of big datasets containing many variables. The fundamentals of data visualisation, customer segmentation, factor analysis and latent class analysis with examples taken from business and health fields. Emphasis will be placed on achieving a conceptual understanding of the methods in order to implement and interpret the outcomes of multivariate analyses.
View full course detailsCourse code: 161777 Practical Data Mining 15 credits
A practical approach to data mining with large volumes of complex data; prepare, cleanse and explore data; supervised and unsupervised modelling with association rules and market basket analysis, decision trees, multi-layer neural networks, k-nearest neighbours, k-means clustering and self-organising maps, ensemble and bundling techniques, text mining; use of leading software tools; business examples and research literature.
View full course detailsInformation Technology courses
Course code: 158736 Advanced Machine Learning 15 credits
A review of advanced machine learning algorithms that use deep learning to extract knowledge from enterprise data. The course includes a practical component in which students adapt and apply deep learning algorithms to practical data sets.
View full course detailsCourse code: 158738 Implementation and Management of Systems Security 15 credits
Security and privacy are important features of information systems, in particular with the case of free access, as in Web-based services or E-commerce systems. The goal is to restrict the access of information to legitimate users only. For this purpose techniques from cryptography and information theory have to be studied.
View full course detailsCourse code: 158740 Location Systems: Spatial Databases, Tools and Applications 15 credits
This course will develop knowledge and skills in the use of geographic information science in an interdisciplinary context. Students will learn how to work with clients to identify requirements, model and collect data and create a location-based web application. A range of areas and a variety of different uses of geographic information will be covered using open source tools. An interdisciplinary group project will form part of the course.
View full course detailsCourse code: 158741 Location Data: Mapping, Analysis and Visualisation 15 credits
This course will develop knowledge and skills in the processing, analysis and visualisation of data that has a location on the earth. Location data is more and more readily available, and students will learn how to transform and integrate data from multiple sources, consider the impact of data uncertainty and privacy, and perform appropriate analysis for environmental, social and economic applications. Different data collection methods will be discussed, and a range of open source tools will be used.
View full course detailsCourse code: 158750 Information Sciences Research Methods 15 credits
A study of information science research, its methods, practices, social context and relationships to other fields of study. Research skills including research design, literature evaluation, data collection, data analysis and publication are practised in this course.
View full course detailsCourse code: 158751 Object-Oriented Software Development - Theory and Practice 15 credits
A study of the object-oriented paradigm applied to software development and database design. The course includes practical work with an object-oriented analysis and design method, a UML CASE tool and an object-oriented programming language.
View full course detailsCourse code: 158757 User Interface Design and Evaluation 15 credits
Focuses on the design and evaluation of human-computer interfaces (HCI) for computerised information systems covering: task analysis, the process of design, the use of rapid prototyping in HCI design, and formative and summative usability testing, as well as the integration of user interface design techniques into the SDLC. The approach is hands-on.
View full course detailsCourse code: 158780 Information Technology Project Part 1 15 credits
An in-depth study of Information Technology research, exploring both research methods and project execution. This course provides a practical approach to the principles and practices of academic research, and incorporates a full execution of the preliminary parts of a project life cycle, including the proposal, literature review, methodology and pilot study.
View full course detailsCourse code: 158781 Information Technology Project Part 2 15 credits
A continuing study of information sciences research, exploring both research methods and project execution. This course provides a practical approach to the principles and practices of academic research, and incorporates a full execution of the latter parts of a project life cycle, including the research practicum, analysis of results and reporting of conclusions.
View full course detailsBusiness courses (Choose no more than 30 credits from)
Course code: 152700 Organisation and Management 30 credits
A study of the theories of management and their application within organisations.
View full course detailsCourse code: 156700 Essentials of Marketing 30 credits
An introduction to the theory and practice of marketing. This course assumes no previous background in marketing.
View full course detailsCourse code: 157701 Health Information Management 30 credits
A study of the management of information and information systems relevant to the planning and delivery of high-quality healthcare.
View full course detailsPart Two
Professional Pathway (Choose 60 credits from)
Course code: 158888 Information Technology Professional Project 60 credits
Candidates will undertake a practical and/or research IT project including some or all of the following: requirements engineering, product modeling, user interface design and evaluation, systems security, software testing, and quality assurance. This may be conducted either individually or in groups and assessment may be in a variety of ways including written and oral presentations and software demonstrations.
View full course detailsCourse code: 159870 Research Report 60 credits
Course code: 159888 Computer Science Professional Project 60 credits
Candidates will undertake a practical and/or research project including the design and production of a significant software application. This may be conducted either individually or in groups and assessment may be in a variety of ways including written and oral presentations and software demonstrations.
View full course detailsResearch Pathway (Choose 120 credits from)
Course code: 158897 Thesis 120 Credit Part 1 60 credits
A supervised and guided independent study resulting in a published work.
View full course detailsCourse code: 158898 Thesis 120 Credit Part 2 60 credits
A supervised and guided independent study resulting in a published work.
View full course detailsCourse code: 159897 Thesis 120 Credit Part 1 60 credits
A supervised and guided independent study resulting in a published work.
View full course detailsCourse code: 159898 Thesis 120 Credit Part 2 60 credits
A supervised and guided independent study resulting in a published work.
View full course detailsFees and scholarships
Fees, student loans and free fees scheme
Your tuition fees may be different depending on the courses you choose. Your exact fees will show once you have chosen your courses.
There will also be some compulsory non-tuition fees and for some courses, there may also be charges for things such as study resources, software, trips and contact workshops.
- Get an estimate of the tuition fees for your qualification
- View a list of non-tuition fees that may be payable
Already know which courses you're going to choose?
You can view fees for the courses that make up your qualification on the course details pages.
Student loans (StudyLink) and Fees Free scheme
You may be eligible for a student loan to help towards paying your fees.
The New Zealand Government offers fees-free tertiary study for eligible domestic students. Find out more about the scheme, including how much could be covered and your eligibility on the Fees Free website.
Scholarship and award opportunities
Find more scholarships and awardsFees disclaimer
This information is for estimation purposes only. Actual fees payable will be finalised on confirmation of enrolment. Unless otherwise stated, all fees shown are quoted in New Zealand dollars and include Goods and Services Tax, if any. Before relying on any information on these pages you should also read the University's Disclaimer Notice.
Careers and job opportunities
In demand
IT employers are constantly seeking increasing numbers of staff, often because of increased demand and new projects. You’ll have an edge over those with a bachelor’s qualification.
A Master in Information Sciences gives you the best of theory and practice in information sciences. You will have the ability to step into projects in professional practice and it is a stepping stone into a leadership role. It will open up greater opportunities in your career, more quickly.
Earn more
A Ministry of Education report found that:
- earnings and employment rates increase with the level of qualification completed
- five years after leaving study, most young domestic graduates will be earning above the national median earnings
- young masters graduates earn 86 per cent more than the national median
- good careers are associated with better health, better wellbeing and more satisfying lives.
Related study options
Computer Science – Bachelor of Science
Massey provides you with the technical skills and knowledge to take your place in the fastest-growing industry in the world. Connect with the industry while you study for a head start in software development.
Computer Science – Bachelor of Information Sciences
Massey provides you with the technical skills and knowledge to take your place in the fastest-growing industry in the world. Connect with the industry while you study to get a head start in software development.
Graduate Diploma in Information Sciences – GradDipInfSc
Massey’s Graduate Diploma in Information Sciences will give you the software design and development skills needed to make you a sought-after employee, both in New Zealand, and internationally.
Postgraduate Diploma in Information Sciences – PGDipInfSc
A postgraduate diploma is the stepping stone to a research-based degree such as a master’s.
Useful planning information
Key information for students
Compare qualifications and academic information across different New Zealand institutions. Learn more on careers.govt.nz