As a sequential curriculum, students must start and finish the MIS major in the prescribed sequence. Because the majority of coursework is completed during the junior year, students are well prepared for summer internships before their senior year.

Core IDSC Course (required for all CSOM undergraduate students):
IDSC 3001 Information Systems for Business Processes and Management (3 cr)

Prerequisites: BA 1001 or experience using Windows/Internet

Developing/using IS to support business processes, managerial decision making, and organizational strategy. Technology components of IS. Impact on organizations. Creation/change processes. Managerial issues. Techniques for designing, developing, and implementing IS. Databases and user interfaces. Computer/communications network platforms. Internet, e-business, and e-commerce applications.

Executive Summary

Main IDSC Courses (required for students majoring in MIS):

IDSC 3101 Introduction to Programming (2 cr)

Prerequisites: none.

This course will introduce students to the basics of computer programming used by companies all over the world to build today’s most sophisticated information systems. The course covers variables, control structures, data structures such as arrays and collections, elements of programming style, and basic graphical user interfaces (GUIs).

Executive Summary

IDSC 3102 Intermediate Programming (2 cr)

Prerequisites: IDSC 3101 or equivalent experience (based on the instructor’s consent).

This course will supplement students’ basic knowledge of programming concepts by introducing intermediate programming concepts that allow the student to develop larger and more full-featured applications. The course will cover object-oriented programming, database applications, and modern web applications, style, performance, and UI design.

Executive Summary

IDSC 3103 Data Modeling and Databases (2 cr)

Prerequisites: IDSC 3001

Introduce the basic concepts for designing, using, and implementing database systems. Design database using normalization techniques. Retrieve data from database using Structured Query Language (SQL). Analyze a business situation and build an appropriate database application.

>IDSC 3104 Information Technology Infrastructure (2 cr)

Prerequisites: 3001

The course covers fundamental concepts of IT infrastructure and infrastructure planning and management. Topics include fundamentals of networking and telecommunications, storage technologies, operating systems, servers, service-oriented architecture (SOA) and web-services, and the organizing principles of an adaptive infrastructure.

IDSC 3202 Analysis and Modeling for Business Systems Development (4 cr)

Prerequisites: IDSc 3001

Improving and automating key business processes in manufacturing and service industries. Concepts of business process automation, roles of business management and of MIS. Selecting business process opportunities, business process analysis, process modeling of work flow and data flow, decomposition, software tools. Traditional/object analysis methodologies.

Executive Summary

>IDSC 4204W Information Services Management (4 cr)

Prerequisites: IDSC 3202

Information services as a service function. Techniques, activities, and issues for management/control of systems development at project level. Relationship of function, roles, and organizational structures. IS planning/business strategy, skill development, career pathing. Management of acquisition, subcontracting, outsourcing, operations, and user support.

Note: This is a writing-intensive course of the MIS program.

>IDSC 4301 Information Systems Capstone Course: A Live Case (2 cr)

Prerequisites: IDSC 4204W.

The IDSc curriculum prepares students to solve managerial problems by the appropriate application of technology. The Capstone Course is an opportunity for students to integrate various technologies to solve a significant problem. Working with people from a host organization, teams of students will solve the problem using a “live case” format.

Executive Summary

Elective IDSC Courses:

IDSC 4401 Information Security (2 cr)

Prerequisites: IDSC 3104 or instructor’s consent.

Concepts/issues of security and data integrity threats that undermine utility, robustness, and confidence in electronic technologies in facilitating business transactions.

>IDSC 4411 Accounting Information Systems and IT Governance (2 cr)

Prerequisites: IDSC 3001.

The information technology audit function, internal control, IT audit process, smart IT operations, network security, systems development life cycle, enterprise resource planning risk, compliance issues, IT governance, business continuity, and frameworks and methodologies. Lectures, case studies, and real world examples demonstrate this material.

IDSC 4421 Financial Information Systems and Technologies (2 cr)

Prerequisites: IDSc 3001

IS in financial services, corporate financial operations, and investment management. Traditional vs. electronic financial markets, computerized trading, digital sources of financial data, electronic money, and decision technologies in financial services. Software development skills for personal investments.

Executive Summary

IDSC 4431 Advanced Database Design (2 cr)

Prerequisites: IDSc 3103

Comparative review of data modeling methodologies. Advanced constructs in database design. Modeling subtypes and supertypes, ternary and higher-order relationships, integrity constraints. CASE tools; representation of facts; verbalization of a data model for human understanding and validation.

Executive Summary

IDSC 4441 Electronic Commerce (2 cr)

Prerequisites: IDSc 3001

The Internet and web technology as a business enabler. Issues and trends surrounding the effective application of e-commerce initiatives. Technological infrastructure, revenue models, web marketing, business to business strategies, online auctions, legal and ethical aspects of the web, web server hardware and software, payment systems, and security. Effective conceiving, planning, building and managing of e-commerce initiatives.

Executive Summary

IDSC 4490 Information Systems Special Topics (2 cr)

Prerequisites: Specified individually for each section (or instructor’s consent).

Discussion and analysis of current topics and developments in information systems.

Note: Topics for various course sections are determined on a yearly basis. Currently offered sections include: “Business Intelligence” and “The Business of Blogs, Communities, and Online Social Networks”.

>IDSc 4491. Independent Study in Information Systems (1 - 4 cr)

Prerequisites: Instructor's consent

>IDSc 4496. Information Systems Industry Internship (2 cr)

Prerequisites: IDSc 3202

Learning by working in IS activities and receiving appropriate training from a sponsoring organization. Custom designed to meet pre-established learning objectives. "Work practice" plan required and must be approved by the organization and the director of IDSc undergraduate studies.