Why Choose VT-MIT? Q&A with Yiyang Ma

Yiyang Ma, a spring 2020 graduate of the Virginia Tech Master of Information Technology (VT-MIT) program, recently participated in an interview regarding his participation in the aformentioned program. Ma currently works as a managing consultant with IBM, specializing in healthcare supply chain management and information technology.

Why did you choose to pursue VT-MIT?
I pursued VT-MIT to broaden my vision as a strategy consultant and improve skillsets as a technological leader.

What skills and knowledge have you gained or polished so far?
The most valuable knowledge gain is the intuition of applying technology to solve health care and business problems. I also appreciate the relationships built with professors, researchers, and other students.

Specific skills learned include software engineering and development, as well as health care technology. For the former, I completed four programming courses, which made up the software development graduate certificate, as well as a database class, and a security class. For the latter, I took two artificial intelligence classes, two health care technology courses, and one technology leadership course.

How do you think the degree has served you so far in your career development?
I feel more confident about advising my clients on technological strategies. I also feel empowered to solve engineering and programming tasks independently as well as through management of a team.

The VT-MIT program offers students great flexibility. To what extent has this been important to you in managing your work-life balance?
The flexibility is much appreciated. As a busy professional who works a full-time job and sets aside 10 hours a week for fitness training, I cannot find a program that fits my schedule better. In short, VT-MIT delivers flexibility without sacrificing quality. I attribute this to the strong and responsive staff and faculty members.