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Concentrations

The ISQA faculty has developed a series of concentrations to assist students as they work to complete the MS in MIS program. Concentrations consist of coordinating elective courses. Students may choose to take courses that make up a concentration, or not, as they see fit. Concentrations are not minors in the traditional sense, but rather reflect areas in demand in the community. If you have any questions regarding these concentrations, please contact the MS in MIS Graduate Advisor.

The following concentrations are currently offered for MS in MIS students:

  • Data Management
  • Electronic Commerce
  • Geographic Information Systems
  • Health Informatics
  • Information Assurance
  • IT Audit & Control
  • MIS Research
  • Project Management
  • Telecommunications

Data Management

The effective management of data and information is a fundamental task not only in the information society, but also for civilization as a whole. This concentration will prepare students to manage a growing variety of types of data throughout the data lifecycle. The curriculum gives students theoretical and practical training in database design, database administration, data quality management, knowledge management, business intelligence, data integration, and data governance. Students will gain exposure to transaction processing systems, data warehouses, and XML data stores. Students may also gain experience managing geospatial data.

Note: This concentration will be available starting in the Fall 2008 semester.

Prerequisite Course (Core course in MS MIS program)

  • ISQA 8410 - Database Management

Required Courses (9 credit hours)

  • ISQA 8206 - Information and Data Quality Management
  • ISQA 8306 - Database Administration
  • ISQA 8700 - Data Warehousing: Theory and Practice

Electives (3+ credit hours - select 1 course)

  • ISQA 8016 - Business Intelligence
  • ISQA 8736 - Decision Support Systems
  • GEOG 8535/45 - Cartography & GIS (2 Credit Hours + 2 Credit Hours Lab)
  • GEOG 8056 - Geographic Information Systems I
  • ISQA 8080 - Seminar in Management Information Systems (Topic MUST be related to data management. Prior approval from the Graduate Program Committee is required to use this course in the concentration.)
  • ISQA 8990 - Thesis (Research MUST be related to data management. Approval from the Graduate Program Committee is required to use this course in the concentration. Only three hours of the required six hours of thesis credit may be applied to the concentration.)

Free Elective

    A total of 3 credit hours with a number 8000 or above (excluding foundation courses listed in the admissions requirements).

Electronic Commerce

Students interested in Electronic Commerce are encouraged to declare a formal concentration by contacting the MS in MIS Program Director. For an Electronic Commerce concentration, the 12 required credit hours of electives must include the following nine credit hours:

Required Course

  • ISQA 8186 - Electronic Commerce

Electives (Must select two courses from the following list)

  • ISQA 8196 - Process Reengineering with Information Technology
  • ISQA 8525 - Graphical User Interface Design
  • ISQA 8530 - E-Commerce Security
  • ISQA 8700 - Data Warehousing: Theory and Practice
  • ISQA 8080 - Seminar in Management Information Systems (Topic MUST be related to e-commerce. Prior approval from the Graduate Program Committee is required to use this course in the concentration.)
  • ISQA 8990 - Thesis (Research MUST be related to e-commerce. Approval from the Graduate Program Committee is required to use this course in the concentration. Only three hours of the required six hours of thesis credit may be applied to the concentration.)

Free Elective

    A total of 3 credit hours with a number 8000 or above (excluding foundation courses listed in the admissions requirements).

Geographic Information Systems

The use of spatial data for management, analysis, and decision-making has grown dramatically in both the public and private sectors, as global positioning systems, mobile devices, and geographic information systems (GIS) have become widespread. The concentration in GIS provides students with the technical and conceptual skills to manage geospatial data and apply it to solving geospatial problems. Students will learn the principles of geospatial data and mapping systems, global positioning systems, representation and management of geospatial data within computer systems, construction and use of maps, and the use of geospatial functions for decision-support.

Required Courses (15 hours)

  • GEOG 8535 - Cartography & GIS (2 Credit Hours)
  • GEOG 8545 - Cartography & GIS Lab (2 Credit Hours)
  • GEOG 8056 - GIS I (4 Credit Hours)
  • GEOG 8666 - GIS II (4 Credit Hours)
  • ISQA 8736 - Decision Support Systems (3 Credit Hours)


Health Informatics

Students interested in health informatics are encouraged to declare a formal concentration by contacting the MS in MIS advisor. The health informatics concentration integrates MIS, medical informatics theories and methods, and medical data representation and coding requirements. Students selecting this concentration are strongly encouraged to choose the thesis option to enhance their opportunities for obtaining gainful employment in this field. Students accepted into this concentration are expected to have prior experience or education in the life sciences and allied disciplines such as pharmacy, medicine and nursing. Students are to start coursework in the health informatics concentration after completion of the core courses. For a health informatics concentration, 15 credit hours of electives are required as follows:

Required Courses (12 hours)

  • ISQA 8570 Information Security, Policy, Privacy and Ethics
  • PA 8760/PSM 810 US Health Care System: An Overview
  • ISQA 8400/ IMED 840 Clinical Systems Architecture and Function
    The two courses above are prerequisites for the following course:
  • ISQA 8500/ SURG 850 Readings in Clinical Informatics

Elective (3 hours)

This is not an exhaustive list. Other courses may be taken as electives with approval of the Chair, Graduate Program Committee.
  • ISQA 8525 Graphical User Interface Design
  • ISQA 8196 Process Re-engineering with Information Technology
  • ISQA 8700 Data Warehousing: Theory and Practice
  • ISQA 8080 Seminar in Management Information Systems (Topic MUST be related to health informatics. Prior approval from the Graduate Program Committee is required to use this course in the concentration.)
  • ISQA 8900 Independent Research in Management Information Systems (Topic MUST be related to health informatics. Prior approval from the Graduate Program Committee is required to use this course in the concentration.)
  • ISQA 8990 - Thesis (Research MUST be related to health informatics. Approval from the Graduate Program Committee is required to use this course in the concentration. Only three hours of the required six hours of thesis credit may be applied to the concentration.)


Information Assurance

The Information Assurance (IA) concentration focuses on the planning, deployment, and management of security technologies to achieve information assurance. Students interested in Information Assurance are encouraged to declare a formal concentration by contacting the MS in MIS Program Director. For an Information Assurance concentration, the 12 required credit hours of electives must include the following:

Required Courses

  • ISQA 8560 - Information Warfare and Security
  • ISQA 8570 - Information Security, Policy, and Ethics

Electives (Must select two courses from the following list)

  • ISQA 8530 - E-Commerce Security
  • ISQA 8546 - Computer Security Management
  • ISQA 8580 – Security Risk Management and Assessment
  • ISQA 8080 - Seminar in Management Information Systems (Topic MUST be related to Information Assurance. Prior approval from the Graduate Program Committee is required to use this course in the concentration.)
  • ISQA 8990 - Thesis (Research MUST be related to Information Assurance. Approval from the Graduate Program Committee is required to use this course in the concentration. Only three hours of the required six hours of thesis credit may be applied to the concentration.)


IT Audit & Control

The IT Audit and Control Concentration will provide students with the technical, organizational, accounting/auditing, and managerial background to plan and conduct IT audit and control activities. The concentration will cover the following conceptual areas: business risks and the management of business risk, IT risk as a component of business risk, the need to manage IT risks, basic type of controls required in a business system in order to control IT risks, controls associated with top management, system development, programming, data resource management, database, security, operations management, quality assurance, boundary controls, and communications. Issues associated with new system control risks created by the use of the internet for business applications and electronic business will also be covered in one or more courses. Students will learn and apply and integrate technical, managerial and conceptual skills needed to plan and conduct IT audits and establish appropriate controls. For an IT Audit and Control concentration, the 12 to 15 required credit hours of electives must include the following courses.

Prerequisite Courses

Students must have completed at least 9 hours of the MS in MIS core courses (beyond foundation requirements) prior to enrolling for the concentration. In addition, the following preparation is required for this concentration:

  • BSAD 8110 - Accounting and Financial Fundamentals (This course is only required for students who have had no exposure to accounting fundamentals. Students will be given an automatic waiver if they have taken two semesters of accounting in their undergraduate degree.)

Required Courses (9 hours)

  • BSAD 8200 - Managerial Accounting
  • ISQA 8570 - Information Security, Policy and Ethics
  • ISQA 8596 - IT Audit and Control (new course - cross-listed with ISQA 4590)

Electives (Must select two courses from the following list)

This is not an exhaustive list. Other courses may be taken as electives with approval of the GPC Chairperson.

  • ISQA 8080 - Seminar in Management Information Systems (Topic MUST be related to IT audit and control. Prior approval from the Graduate Program Committee is required to use this course in the concentration.)
  • ISQA 8546 - Computer Security Management
  • ISQA 8196 - Process Reengineering with Information Technology
  • ACCT 8060 - Advanced Managerial Accounting
  • ACCT 8096 - Advanced Auditing (Requires ACCT 4080 - Principles of Auditing)
  • ISQA 8900 - Independent Research in Management Information Systems (Topic must be related to IT audit and control. Prior approval from Graduate Program Committee is required to use this course in the concentration.)
  • ISQA 8990 - Thesis (Research MUST be related to IT audit and control. Approval from the Graduate Program Committee is required to use this course in the concentration. Only three hours of the required six hours of thesis credit may be applied to the concentration.)


MIS Research

Students interested in Applied Research Methods in MIS are encouraged to declare a formal concentration by contacting the MS in MIS advisor. The applied Research Methods in MIS concentration prepares students for the thesis option, the PhD, and positions in consulting or research. For an applied Research Methods in MIS concentration, the 12 required credit hours of electives must include the following:

Required Course

  • ISQA 8156 - Advanced Statistical Methods for IS&T

Electives (Must select two courses from the following list)

  • ISQA 8160 - Applied Distribution-Free Statistics
  • ISQA 8340 - Applied Regression Analysis
  • ISQA 8080 - Seminar in Management Information Systems (Topic MUST be related to research design or statistics. Prior approval from the Graduate Program Committee is required to use this course in the concentration.)
  • ISQA 8990 - Thesis (Research MUST be related to research design or statistics. Approval from the Graduate Program Committee is required to use this course in the concentration. Only three hours of the required six hours of thesis credit may be applied to the concentration.)

Free Elective

    A total of 3 credit hours with a number 8000 or above (excluding foundation courses listed in the admissions requirements).

Project Management

The Project Management Concentration will provide students with the technical, organizational and managerial background to be effective project managers, project leaders, information technology managers, and software engineers. The curriculum in this concentration integrates project management standards developed by organizations such as IEEE (The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) and PMI (Project Management Institute) with conceptual background from disciplines such as project management, software engineering, management science, psychology, organization behavior, and organization change. Students are to start coursework in the project management concentration after completion of at least 9 hours of the core courses including ISQA 8210 (Managing Software Development). For a Project Management concentration, the 15 required credit hours of electives must include the following courses.

Required Courses (6 hours)

  • ISQA 8810 - Information Technology Project Fundamentals
  • ISQA 8820 - Project Risk Management

Electives (6 hours) - Must select two courses from the following list

This is not an exhaustive list. Other courses may be taken as electives with approval of the GPC Chairperson.

  • ISQA 8570 - Information Security Policy and Ethics
  • ISQA 8196 - Process Reengineering with Information Technology
  • ISQA 8080 - Seminar in Management Information Systems (Topic MUST be related to Project Management. Prior approval from the Graduate Program Committee is required to use this course in the concentration.)
  • ISQA 8900 - Independent Research in Management Information Systems (Topic must be related to Project Management. Prior approval from Graduate Program Committee is required to use this course in the concentration.)
  • ISQA 8990 - Thesis (Research MUST be related to Project Management. Approval from the Graduate Program Committee is required to use this course in the concentration. Only three hours of the required six hours of thesis credit may be applied to the concentration.)

Free Elective (3 hours)

  • A total of 3 credit hours with a number 8000 or above (excluding foundation courses listed in the admissions requirements).


Telecommunications

Students interested in Telecommunications are encouraged to declare a formal concentration by contacting the MS in MIS Program Director. For an Telecommunications concentration, the 12 required credit hours of electives must include the following nine credit hours:

Required Course

  • ISQA 8240 - Telecommunications Planning, Analysis, and Design

Electives (Must select two courses from the following list)

  • ISQA 8230 - Telecommunications Management
  • ISQA 8530 - E-Commerce Security
  • CSCI 8200 - Interconnection Networks
  • CSCI 8210 - Advanced Communication Networks
  • CSCI 8556 - Communication Networks
  • ISQA 8080 - Seminar in Management Information Systems (Topic MUST be related to Telecommunications. Prior approval from the Graduate Program Committee is required to use this course in the concentration.)
  • ISQA 8990 - Thesis (Research MUST be related to Telecommunications. Approval from the Graduate Program Committee is required to use this course in the concentration. Only three hours of the required six hours of thesis credit may be applied to the concentration.)

Free Elective

    A total of 3 credit hours with a number 8000 or above (excluding foundation courses listed in the admissions requirements).

This page was updated on January 11, 2008.