How MSITM.com Handles Research, Comparisons and Advertising
MSITM.com aims to make graduate-program comparisons useful without hiding the limitations of the underlying data. These standards apply to program profiles, guides, comparison tables, editorial ratings and external-ranking coverage.
1. Prefer primary sources
Official university program pages, catalogs, tuition schedules, admissions pages and career reports are the default sources. Government sources are preferred for federal rules and labor-market benchmarks. Secondary sources are used when necessary and should be identified as such.
2. Compare the actual degree
A university-level or business-school ranking is not automatically a ranking of every master’s degree at that university. MSITM.com identifies the ranked academic unit and separates aligned programs from programs housed in a different school.
3. Keep unlike career statistics separate
Cohort placement reports, alumni-market salary databases, graduate earnings records, BLS occupation wages and employer lists answer different questions. MSITM.com labels the evidence type and preserves response-rate or methodology caveats when they are available.
4. Do not invent missing numbers
When a school uses a tuition estimator rather than publishing one fixed total, the profile should say so. When a Fall 2027 deadline has not been posted, an older date should not be silently relabeled. Missing or unverified information is preferable to false precision.
5. Explain editorial classifications
Labels such as AI Exposure and broad program-type categories are MSITM.com editorial classifications based on published curriculum. They are not university-provided labels. Methodology pages explain the criteria behind these classifications.
6. Preserve the year and scope of rankings
External rankings are shown with the publisher, release/year and category. Rankings from MBA specialties, public affairs, business analytics or other adjacent categories are not treated as interchangeable.
7. Advertising does not control editorial coverage
MSITM.com may display advertising. Advertisers do not determine which programs are added to the database, how programs are described, the order of comparison tables, editorial AI labels or the interpretation of external rankings. Sponsored or paid content, if added in the future, should be clearly labeled and separated from independent comparison content.
Update history: major database and methodology changes are recorded in the MSITM.com Research Update Log.
8. Update fast-changing fields
Tuition, application deadlines, test policies, curricula and employment reports should be reviewed at least annually and preferably each admissions cycle. Profiles include review dates where practical.
9. Corrections should improve the live record
If an official source shows that a program name, tuition figure, curriculum, STEM status, deadline or outcome has changed, the current profile should be corrected rather than preserving an outdated claim for appearance’s sake. Historical figures can remain when they provide useful context, but the year should be visible.
10. No guaranteed outcomes
Program data, salary reports and rankings do not guarantee admission, employment, salary, visa eligibility or return on investment. Students should verify requirements with the university and evaluate programs based on their own background, goals and finances.
Research methodology → | Career-outcomes methodology → | About MSITM.com →
Last reviewed: September 17, 2026.