Today’s competitive business environment requires that companies leverage Information Technology to gain a competitive edge and to operate efficiently. The Master of Science in Information Systems provides students with the managerial and technological skills that support these goals. The focused program consists of 31.5 credits in IS-related courses and an abbreviated business core (waivable based on prior academic background). Students take core courses in key topics such as database management systems, global issues in IT, systems analysis and design, and IS strategy and may customize their degree by selecting from diverse elective courses. Graduates of the program are employed in diverse industries in positions such as project managers, system developers, technology leads, IT managers, and systems analysts. The MS program conforms with the DHS - STEM program so that international students who graduate from the MSIS program may be eligible for an additional extension on their optional practical training (OPT).
MS in Information Systems Program Learning Goals
| Information Systems Strategy | Students will be able to analyze or develop an organization’s information systems strategy and align it with that organization’s overall business strategy. |
| Information Systems and the Organization | Students will be able to analyze or develop an organization’s information systems strategy and align it with that organization’s overall business strategy. |
| Information Technology Infrastructure | Students will be informed about the major components of current organizational Information Technology infrastructure. |
| Information Systems Development | Students will understand and apply general Information Systems development principles. |
| Teamwork and Leadership | Students will gain conceptual knowledge and analytical skills helpful to functioning effectively in teams and experience opportunities to understand and develop leadership competencies. |
MS in Information Systems Curriculum
| English Language Proficiency (No longer required for students entering Spring 2020 and on.) | ||
| Students who completed their undergraduate education in a non-English speaking country will be required to take non-credit bearing modules in Grammar Troubleshooting and American English Pronunciation offered by the Division of Continuing and Professional Studies. These modules may be waived based on a waiver exam. The modules are not required for students who completed a four-year degree in an English-speaking country. | ||
Courses in Specialization (31.5 credits) | ||
| Required (13.5 credits) | ||
| Business Communication I | 1.5 credits | |
| Information Technology Strategy | 3 credits | |
| Principles of Database Management Systems | 3 credits | |
| Systems Analysis and Design | 3 credits | |
(capstone) | Information Systems Development Project | 3 credits |
| ||
Choose 12-18 credits Choose 12-18 credits from the list below for the MS-IS degree. If you plan to specialize in one of the concentrations, please ensure that you take the appropriate electives specific to those tracks. | ||
| Graduate Internships I, II, and III (in IS) | 3 credits | |
| Globalization and Technology | 3 credits | |
| Sustainability and Information Technology | 3 credits | |
| Object-Oriented Programming I | 3 credits | |
| Networks and Telecommunications | 3 credits | |
| Cybersecurity | 3 credits | |
| Social Technology and Business | 3 credits | |
| Object-Oriented Programming II | 3 credits | |
| Data Warehousing and Analytics | 3 credits | |
| E-Business Principles and Technologies | 3 credits | |
| Digital Media Management | 3 credits | |
| Business Modeling with Spreadsheets | 3 credits | |
| Information Technology Project Management | 3 credits | |
| CIS 9551 | Blockchain Technologies and Applications | 3 credits |
| Principles of FinTech | 3 credits | |
| Risk Management System and Information Security | 3 credits | |
| Business Intelligence | 3 credits | |
| CIS 9558 | Information Technology Audit | 3 credits |
| Programming for Analytics | 3 credits | |
| Data Visualization | 3 credits | |
| Data Mining for Business Analytics | 3 credits | |
| Integrating Information Technology and Business Processes | 3 credits | |
| Special Topics in Information Systems Technologies | 1.5 credits | |
| Special Topics in Information Technologies | 3 credits | |
| Special Topics in Information Systems Strategy | 1.5 credits | |
CIS 9797 (formerly CIS 9775) | Special Topics in Information Systems Strategy | 3 credits |
| As of Spring 2020, the CIS elective list will also include CIS/STA 9665 Applied Natural Language Processing and CIS/STA 9760 Big Data Technologies. | ||
| Business Electives: Choose 0-6 credits from the list below: | ||
| Financial Reporting | 3 credits | |
Current Topics in Financial Accounting (no longer effective for students entering Spring 2020)* | 3 credits | |
| Special Topics in Accountancy | 3 credits | |
| Corporate Finance | 3 credits | |
| Managing Business Operations | 3 credits | |
| Introduction to Quantitative Modeling | 3 credits | |
| Managerial Statistics | 3 credits | |
| *As of Spring 2020, ACC 9810 is no longer included in the business elective list. Instead, ACC 9806 Financial Statement Analysis and Reporting and TAX 9861 Federal Income Taxation: Theory and Practice will be added to the business elective list. | ||
| Concentration in Data Analytics (requirements through Fall 2019; requirements effective Spring 2020 listed below) | ||
| Students will take all required courses (13.5 credits) and will take at least 9 credits from the following list of electives. To complete the remaining 6 –9 elective credits, students will select from the CIS and Zicklin electives listed | ||
| Object-Oriented Programming | 3 credits | |
| or | ||
| Programming for Analytics | 3 credits | |
| Data Warehousing and Analytics | 3 credits | |
| Data Visualization | 3 credits | |
| Data Mining for Business Analytics | 3 credits | |
| Concentration in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance (requirements through Fall 2019; requirements effective Spring 2020 listed below) | ||
| Students will take all required courses (13.5 credits) and will take the three courses listed below. To complete the remaining 9 elective credits, students will select from the CIS and Zicklin electives listed above. | ||
| CIS 9350 | Networks and Telecommunications | 3 credits |
| CIS 9355 | Cybersecurity | 3 credits |
| CIS 9558 | IT Audit | 3 credits |
Concentration Requirements Effective Spring 2020:
| Concentration in Data Analytics (requirements for students entering Spring 2020 and on) | ||
| Students will take all required courses and will take at least 9 credits from the following list of electives. To complete the remaining 6 – 9 elective credits, students will select from the information systems and business electives listed above. | ||
| CIS 9660 | Data Mining for Business Analytics | 3 credits |
| CIS 9650 | Programming for Analytics | 3 credits |
| CIS 9440 | Data Warehousing and Analytics | 3 credits |
| CIS 9655 | Data Visualization | 3 credits |
| CIS/STA 9665 | Applied Natural Language Processing | 3 credits |
| CIS/STA 9760 | Big Data Technologies | 3 credits |
| Concentration in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance (requirements for students entering Spring 2020 and on) | ||
| Students will take all required courses and will take the two required courses for the concentration (6 credits) and one of the electives (3 credits) from the list below. To complete the remaining elective credits, students will select from the information systems and business electives listed above | ||
| Required Courses for the concentration | ||
| CIS 9350 | Networks and Telecommunications | 3 credits |
| CIS 9355 | Cybersecurity | 3 credits |
| Concentration Electives (take at least one course) | ||
OR | IT Audit OR Risk Management and Information Security | 3 credits |