Master of Science in Information Systems

Professors: Narendra Agrawal (Benjamin and Mae Swig Professor), Gangshu Cai (Department Co-Chair), Manoochehr Ghiassi, S. Andrew Starbird, Andy A. Tsay

Emeritus Professors: Stephen A. Smith, Steven Nahmias

Associate Professors: Ram Bala, Tao Li , Haibing Lu (Department Co-Chair), David K. Zimbra, Sami Najafi-Asadolahi, Michele Samorani

Assistant Professors: Hussein El Hajj, Wilson W. Lin, Yu-Wei Lin, Xiaoyan Liu, Mohammad Amin Morid, Michele Samorani, Simrita Singh, Yaqiong Wang, Xiang (Shawn) Wan

Lecturers: Thunyarat (Bam) Amornpetchkul, Homi Fatemi, Rick Schaffzin, Sumana Sur, Xuan Tan, Xiaochen Zhu

MSIS Curriculum

MSIS 2601. Object Oriented Analysis and Programming

Provide students with an overview of object-oriented programming methodology using the Java Programming Language. Course will present different programming paradigms, including structured (procedural) and object oriented, compare and contrast these approaches, object oriented programming concepts including data abstraction, abstract data types, classes and objects, inheritance, polymorphism, encapsulation, packages and interfaces, and multithreaded programming. To support GUI-based Java applications, concepts and tools such as event handling, Generics programming, Swing, and JavaFX, (libraries and classes introduced in JDK 8 and beyond) windowing systems and frameworks are introduced to support modern lightweight development of Java-based Applets. Prerequisite: Knowledge of C programming language or equivalent. (4 units)

MSIS 2602. Information Systems Analysis and Design- Systems Modeling

Methodology to assist in the analysis and design of computer-based information systems for business applications. Tools include data flow diagrams, flowcharts, Structured English, pseudo code, hierarchy charts, structure diagrams, and Warnier-Orr charts. Application of these tools to a systems development project is required. Cross-listed with OMIS 372. Credit will not be given for both (4 units)

MSIS 2603. Database Management Systems- Fundamentals of SQL

This course aims to give an understanding of hands-on experience with the most widely used database tools. The objective of this course is to convey intermediate to advanced database concepts and to acquaint students with state-of-the-art software tools. The course will rely on classroom discussions, media articles and cases, as well as programming exercises and an integrative group project. Use of database software is required. A lab fee is required. Cross-listed with OMIS 366. Credit will not be given for both. Prerequisite: Experience with computer usage. (2 units)

MSIS 2607. Data Analytics- Python

This course provides the essential technical understanding necessary to evaluate and integrate telecommunication technologies into sustainable business models as well as to make decisions concerning the communications infrastructure in any organization. Covering technologies including voice and data networks, local and wide area networking, internet, and generations of wireless technologies to form the basis for the discussion of economic and managerial issues about how the technology is deployed, including issues of interoperability, scalability, regulations, security, service level agreements, convergence, unified messaging, and service quality. (4 units)

MSIS 2613. Database Analysis, Design and Management

Course presents technical and managerial approaches to the analysis, design, and management of business data, databases, and database management systems. The topics include structured and unstructured data management, a comparison of relational and object-oriented databases, relational database conceptual and logical design, and database implementation and administration. (2 units)

MSIS 2604. Information Systems Policy and Strategy

Strategic management and deployment of information systems and technologies (ISTs) to improve business competitiveness. An examination of the role of IST strategy in enabling companies to effectively manage in the turbulent and dynamic business environment brought about by the Internet. Analysis of new business opportunities in electronic commerce brought about by ISTs, including organizational redesign that these technologies require. An examination of implementation and change management issues related to IST deployment in the new environment. Focuses on drawing lessons from the experiences of leading companies that are deploying ISTs to define and support their e-commerce strategies. Cross-listed as OMIS 378. Credit will not be given for both. (4 units)

MSIS 2621. Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing

Introduces the business, technology, and managerial issues related to BI and DW solutions. Students will acquire practical skills in collecting business requirements, planning, defining, designing and developing a BI solution. Emphasis is placed on learning how to derive business value from BI and DW solutions. Hands-on experience will be obtained using a variety of BI tools. Prerequisite: MSIS 2603. (4 units)

MSIS 2622. Enterprise Systems and Analytics

Enterprise systems are data troves that can be used to improve business performance. Enterprise systems offer historic data that can be used to optimize business processes or uncover fraudulent activities. Gives students an understanding of enterprise system fundamentals, design options for business processes, and enterprise systems data. (4 units)

MSIS 2627. Big Data Modeling and Analytics

Learn to analyze a massive amount of data with distributed computations using Spark\'s high-level data transformations. This class will teach scalable approaches to process large amounts of text with MapReduce, Spark, and Amazon Athena (an interactive query service that makes it easy to analyze data in Amazon S3 using standard SQL). (4 units)

MSIS 2628. Applied Cloud Computing

Computing is migrating to the cloud. In this course, you will understand computing-as-a-service concepts by using services from major cloud providers and learn how to deploy and manage cloud infrastructure. This course focuses on hands-on skills required to operate on the three prime cloud service platforms from Amazon, Google, and Microsoft. This course will offer an applied perspective on the core features of these platforms such as load balance, auto-scaling, serverless computing, and cloud AI. (2 units)

MSIS 2629. Dashboards, Scorecards, and Visualization

This course enables you to transform data into persuasive dashboards that effectively inform and guide management actions. Dashboards are persuasive if they motivate actions in an intended audience. Dashboards are effective if they offer comprehensive and reliable information. This course introduces and discusses the fundamental design principles and technology of dashboards and allows you to design, implement, and critique dashboards. (2 units)

MSIS 2630. Web Programming

The course will focus on the design and development of web based applications using a number of currently popular tools and strategies; also to be explored is the use of databases as data repositories for web applications. Core technologies including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, and MySQL will be emphasized. (2 units)

MSIS 2636. Deep Learning

Introduction to the topic of Deep Learning Neural Networks (DLNs), Linear Learning models using Logistic Regression, and adding hidden layers to create Deep Feed Forward Neural Networks. Detailed algorithms are used to train these networks using Stochastic Gradient Descent and the resulting algorithm called Backprop. Training processes of these networks are used with the Tensor Flow tool and the MNIST and CIFAR-10 image data-sets. Some specialized DLN architectures include the following: (a) Convolutional Neural Networks (ConvNets), (b) Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs), (c) Reinforcement Learning. Model parameter initialization, underfitting and overfitting are discussed as well as techniques such as Regularization. Issues such as the Vanishing Gradient problem that often cause problems during training are also discussed. (4 units)

MSIS 2631. Machine Learning

The course will prepare participants for more rigorous analysis of large data sets as well as introduce machine learning models and data analytics for business intelligence. The course will be a rigorous and broad treatment of AI, machine learning, and deep learning. The course will use both R and Python programming languages to undertake hands-on learning in ML. (4 units)

MSIS 2638. Cloud Computing Architectures

Technologies make Cloud Computing possible and how IT leverages these technologies to make the enterprise computing environment more efficient. Students will learn how hardware virtualization is made possible through computer architecture advancement, hypervisor-based virtualization and container-based virtualization, and microservices. (4 units)

MSIS 2639. Data Visualization

Transform data into persuasive dashboards that effectively inform and guide management actions. Dashboards are persuasive if they motivate actions in an intended audience. Dashboards are effective if they offer comprehensive and reliable information. Introduces and discusses the fundamental design principles and technology of dashboards and allows you to design, implement, and critique dashboards. (2 units)

MSIS 2641. Information Technology: Ethics and Public Policy

This course examines the intersection of law and commerce as it relates to technology companies such as those based in Silicon Valley. Students will learn to understand how to operate in this environment and the typical issues that arise in this environment as they relate to contracts, securities, intellectual property, privacy, and employment. (2 units)

MSIS 2801. Mobile Payment and eCommerce Security

This course reviews the advancements in mobile payments, crypto-currency and on-line transaction security and will prepare you to engage in platform and application development for this emerging new market. You will learn the fundamentals of secure chip-cards processing as mandated by Europay, MasterCard and Visa (EMV). Various mobile payment technologies will be discussed in detail with a special focus on the pros and cons of Near Field Communication (NFC), secure element, Host Card Emulation (HCE), Bluetooth, QR codes, tokens and eWallets. The course covers online transaction security risks such as Heartbleed, and fraud prevention methods including multi-level authentication, biometrics, cloud-based security and Fast Identification Online (FIDO). The course concludes with a discussion on the role of crypto-currency and future trends. (2 units)

MSIS 2803. Internet of Things

This course introduces students to the principles underlying the Internet of Things (IoT). It starts with the history of various technologies that have enabled IoT. It will cover types of IoT architectures, sensor technologies, hardware platforms, communication protocols at various IoT stacks, machine-to- machine communication, IPv6-based solutions, the IEEE 802.15.4 standard that governs and defines IoT protocols, the IoT cloud infrastructure, and security and remote management of IoT devices. This course will IoT principles. Students who would like to take on leadership or managerial roles will find the principles learned in this course very helpful in implementing a unique and effective IoT-based business strategy for their organization. Students will be required to work in teams to design and build working a IoT systems. (2 units)

MSIS 2804. Mobile Programming

Mobile platforms and apps have become core components of business today. With over 2.5 million apps available for smartphones, understanding the basic concepts underlying mobile apps has become a core necessity for business practitioners - particularly for executives and entrepreneurs. Business professionals now need to obtain in-depth knowledge of what is inside a mobile app, how one gets built, and where the business value resides. The best and most practical way for these professionals to develop this knowledge is for them to actually build a set of mobile apps, hands-on from the ground up. This course presents the business and technical foundation for mobile platforms and app development. (2 units)

MSIS 2805. How Engineers, Business people and Lawyers Communicate With Each Other

Students from business, engineering, and law learn to understand each other\'s perspectives, speak each other\'s language, and work together effectively in a collaborative environment. Students from different schools will be organized into teams to work together on a simulated project involving a technological matter, such as privacy/security or IP. (2 units)

MSIS 2637. Reinforcement Learning

The objective of this course is to provide an in-depth introduction to the topic of Reinforcement Learning (RL) algorithms. These algorithms are based on the theory of Dynamic Programming and Markov Decision Processes, which originated more than fifty years ago. (2 units)

MSIS 2634. Natural Language Processing

This course teaches students the fundamentals of Natural Language Processing (NLP). NLP has recently found several applications in business. There is now a foundation of content that students who wish to work in this field need to know and this course is aimed at providing students with a conceptual understanding of the field and its business applications, and a technical toolkit to implement NLP models. (2 units)

MSIS 2606. Software Project Management

MSIS 2645, 2646, 2647. Design Capstone

Capstone Design project for M.S. in Information Systems. (6 units)

MSIS 2640, 2642, 2643. Industry Capstone

Capstone Project Proposal for M.S. in Information Systems. 6 units)

MSIS 2644. Practicum

M.S. in Information Systems Master\'s Thesis(6 units)

MSIS 2496/2596/2696. Internship

Enriches the academic experience of MSIS students through a structured experiential-learning program. Designed as a partnership between the Leavey School of Business, partner employers, and the student, the experiences gained through an internship complements classroom learning, and provides an extension of the classroom experience, integrating theory and practice. This course may not be repeated for credit. And class is only offered in specific quarter(s). Prerequisite: Good academic standing in either the MS in Business Analytics, Finance and Analytics or Information Systems program AND instructor approval. (1 unit)

MSIS 2497/2597/2697. Internship II

Continuation of MSIS 2496/2596/2696. This course may not be repeated for credit. And class is only offered in specific quarter(s). Prerequisite: Successful completion of MSIS 2496/2596/2696, good academic standing in either the MS in Business Analytics, Finance and Analytics or Information Systems program AND instructor approval. (1 unit)

Additional Core Course Required Of All MSIS Students

ACTG 2608. Financial and Managerial Accounting

This course introduces the roles, concepts, legal requirements and impacts of financial reporting. Financial statements and the analysis and recording of transactions, with a focus towards interpretations of reported results are covered. (2 units)

Master of Science in Information Systems (MSIS)