Degree Requirements
Requirements listed here are in addition to requirements stated in the Degree Requirements section of the Graduate Bulletin.
The M.S.I.S. degree program requires, excluding pre-program requirements, 30 credits of course work at the 500 or 800 level, with a minimum of 18 credits at the 500 level. The M.S.I.S. degree requires 9 credits of prescribed courses:
- INFSY 535 Object-Oriented Design and Program Development in Business (3)
- INFSY 540 Information Technology and Knowledge Management (3)
- INFSY 554 Master’s Project (3)
Students are also required to take 15 credits of Information Systems courses from an approved list available in the program office. Students also must take 6 credits of electives from the 500-level courses offered by Penn State Harrisburg’s School of Business Administration. The INFSY 554 Master’s Project course involves development of an original master’s project in the student’s field of interest and preparation of a scholarly paper.
Data Analytics Track: The objective of this Track is to provide the student with data analytical skills that enable them to gain data insights and transform data into strategic decisions.
In consultation with their adviser, a student in this Track shall select 9 credits from the following:
- BUS 510 Business Analytics and Decision Modeling (3)
- INFSY 555 Data Management Systems (3)
- INFSY 556 Data Warehousing (3)
- INFSY 565 Intelligent Systems in Business (3)
- INFSY 566 Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery (3)
- INFSY 547 Web Enabled Technologies (3)
Entry Requirements
Analytic Skills Requirement: Prior to enrolling in their M.S.I.S. course work, students are required to demonstrate competence in Analytic skills. This requirement may be demonstrated by: (1) satisfactory completion of college-level mathematics course or (2) successful completion of a mathematics proficiency examination approved by the M.S.I.S. program. This requirement must be taken either during the first semester or summer session before the student's matriculation and completed with a grade of C or better.
Computer Skills Requirement: Students are required to demonstrate proficiency in the use of computer applications. This requirement can be satisfied through completion of a college-level computer applications or information systems course within the past five years with a grade of B or higher or by documented significant computer-related work experience. If this requirement has not been met prior to admission, a college-level computer-based information systems course such as M I S 204 is required. Course work must be taken either during the first semester or summer session before the student's matriculation and completed with a grade of B or higher.
Communication Skills Requirement: Successful completion of the M.S.I.S. program requires the ability to think clearly and to write and speak persuasively. Part of this requirement can be met by obtaining a score of "4" or more on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) or Graduate Record Exam (GRE) Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA). If this score is not achieved, students must satisfy this requirement through additional course work in writing skills or other work developed in consultation with the M.S.I.S. Program. This requirement must be satisfied during the first semester or summer session of the student's matriculation and completed with a grade of B or higher. The speech component of this requirement is satisfied through individual and group presentations in courses in the M.S.I.S. Program.
Pre-Program Requirement: The Pre-program requirement provides a basic foundation in theory, tools and techniques required for the management of profit and non-profit organizations. It also provides a basic understanding of applications of financial accounting, the creation and distribution of goods and services, and how people relate to others in various organizations, helping to merge two related disciplines: business and information systems. Students who have completed the appropriate pre-program courses previously must have completed the courses with a grade of B or higher within seven years prior to admission, or through equivalent graduate course work completed with a B or higher within seven years prior to admission or college level course work validated by recent work experience. Students who have not met these tests of relevancy, grade or currency, prior to admission to the program must take these courses at the graduate level and early in Program.
Pre-Program Requirement: 9 credits
- BUS 505 Data Analysis for Business Decisions (3) and select 6 credits from:
- ACCT 501 Financial Statement Analysis (3)
- MNGMT 511 Organizational Behavior (3)
- BUSEC 502 Economics for Managers (3)
This page is not a part of the official Penn State University Bulletin.
