INFORMATION SYSTEMS

Dr. Bill Pierson, Division Chair 

Program Description

The Information Systems program prepares participants to be effective users, designers, and developers of information systems, people who can add value to processes and products in organizations. The program also helps participants improve their professional writing, presentation, and teamwork abilities. Specific objectives expected of graduates include:

• The ability to describe a situation as a system, specifying components, boundaries, and interfaces
• Communication skills for effectively leading teams, collaborating with managers in defining needs and opportunities, and assisting colleagues
• Knowledge of the basic hardware and software components of computer systems and their configurations
• The ability to develop specifications for a software system in terms of functions, modules, and interfaces
• The ability to gather and use information needed by information systems professionals
• Mastery of the technical and human skills needed to successfully deploy information technologies in various organizational settings.

Admission Requirements

1. General Admission Requirements

Each applicant for admission to the M. S. in Information Systems program must have an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university, and must satisfy at least TWO of the following criteria:

• Score at the mean or above on the verbal GRE
• Score at the mean or above on the quantitative GRE
• Score at the mean or above on the analytical writing portion of the GRE
• Score at the mean or above on the Miller Analogies Test
• Have an undergraduate GPA of 2.75 or above
• Have passed the Fundamentals of Engineering exam and/or the Professional Engineering exam

Also, foreign nationals must score at the mean or above on the TOEFL, and must have met all CITE admission criteria prior to registering for the first semester of courses.

Applicants with a wide variety of backgrounds are welcome. In addition to the admission requirements stated above, an applicant wishing to major in Information Systems must have the following credentials and abilities:

• Ability to write structured programs in a high level language and familiarity with computer systems
• Basic mathematical ability. College algebra with a grade of B would minimally meet this requirement
• Ability to use computer software for word processing, spreadsheet analysis, telecommunications, and data management
• Ability to write a coherent, grammatically correct report

2. Program Requirements

Prospective students without the skills outlined above should take the following courses or their equivalent before entering the degree program:

• Computer Systems and Programming
  CS 110 or equivalent
• Mathematical Maturity
  College algebra or IE 610 Statistical Design
• Communication Skills
  This need will normally be addressed by requirements within the program. In some cases, additional work may be required.

3. Admission Process/Materials

To apply to the Marshall University Graduate College, visit the Graduate Admissions website. You can apply online or use a PDF form. Refer to the Graduate Application menu item on the left of the page at that site.

If you are from outside the US, you may find Marshall's International Student Information website a useful resource.

Degree Requirements

Students must complete 36 graduate credit hours at the graduate level, including at least 24 credit hours at Marshall University. The degree consists of 27 credit hours of required courses and 9 hours of approved elective courses.

Required Courses:

• IS 600 - Management Information Systems (3 hrs)
• IS 605 - Systems Analysis Techniques (3 hrs)
• IS 610 - Systems Design (3 hrs)
• IS 621 - Information Structures 1 (3 hrs)
• IS 622 - Information Structures 2 (3 hrs)
• IS 623 - Database Management (3 hrs)
• EM 660 - Project Management (3 hrs)
• TE 698 - Comprehensive Project Formulation
• TE 699 - Comprehensive Project (3 hrs) - after completion of minimum 27 hours

Electives

Three or more elective courses approved by the student's advisor complete the program. In addition to Information Systems courses, these may include courses offered by other disciplines and by other institutions.

Comprehensive Project

The Information Systems degree program culminates with the comprehensive graduate project. This project is not a traditional graduate thesis with a research orientation, but rather a real life industry-type project in which the student undertakes an assignment that requires synthesis of all of the course work and its application to a typical problem from a relevant subject area.

Satisfactory completion of the project for the Information Systems degree program will require:

• Approval of the problem by the faculty committee
• A sensible solution to the problem based on principles of the field
• An effectively written, well documented report that presents the solution
• An oral presentation of the project

Each student must complete a final project that addresses the information system development cycle of analysis, design, and implementation. Where possible, a system should be developed for a local industry, governmental agency, business, college, or hospital, etc. Students receive credit for the final project by registering for TE 699.

Plan of Study

Here are two sample Plans of Study. One is for a full-time IS graduate student and one possible configuration for a part-time student.

Program-Related Links

www.aitp.org – Association of Information Technology Professionals
www.gita.org – Geospatial Information and Technology Association
www.itaa.org – Information Technology Association of America
www.opengis.org – Open GIS Consortium
www.urisa.org – Urban and Regional Information Systems Association