Core Courses (12 Credits)

MSIS 605
Strategic Management of Technology
The course aims to provide students with an understanding of technology and information management such that s/he will be able to contribute to this area at a strategic level in any organization.  The student will become familiar with a number of tools used in technology and innovation management.  This Course is concerned with the strategic management of technology and its application on the path to innovation.  Topics include the integration of business strategy with technology, developing firm’s ability to innovate and assessing innovation in established firms.  Case studies and examples from a variety of industries constitute a major element of the course.  Strategic Management of Technology and Innovation takes the perspective of the general manager at the product line, business unit, and corporate levels.
3 credits

MSIS 607
Effective Oral and Written Communication for Managers
This course is designed to emphasize and enhance the importance of communication skills for corporate managers in the business world. It identifies and reviews the foundations of communication for business – listening, speaking, writing, and reading. It broadens the communication experience by building communication skills with technologies and practical business applications and by developing intercultural communication skills for the global business community. The ultimate mission of this course is to prepare students to become confident, flexible, and resourceful communicators in the competitive business world.
3 credits

MSIS 609
Information Technology Project Management
Designed to prepare students to understand the principles of project management and prepare them to organize and manage resources and deliver all work required to complete a project in the designated time frame. In this course, practitioners will learn how to use IT architecture to bring order to the otherwise chaotic world of information systems, by defining a set of guidelines and standards, and then adhering to them. The student will learn to view IT architecture as a reflection and integral part of business strategy, rather than as a stand-alone entity. In addition, students will receive a unique perspective on the issues surrounding the management of information technology in various organizations. Each topic will be taught in a practical manner using case studies that analyze how selected companies implemented various IT strategies, and how those strategies affected their bottom line.
3 credits

MSIS 655
Capstone Course: Information Systems Research Project Seminar
This seminar is the capstone course in the Information Technology Master’s degree major. The capstone project is a cumulating experience to the program beyond the required course work. As such, class discussions should bring together the theoretical and practical bases of the field, and provide seminar members with opportunities to discuss contemporary issues in information systems and computer technology. The seminar represents students’ ability to formulate a project and implement it from start to finish using a combination of their conceptual, technical and applied knowledge
Must be taken in final semester of program
3 credits

Required Courses for Database Concentration (12 Semester Credits)

MSIS 615
Database Management and Administration
This course will address the basic concepts of database design such as normalization, data manipulation using SQL and some more complex and current database management and administration issues such as designing and implementing distributed database systems, Object Oriented database modeling and design, client/server systems, implementing data warehouses, OLAP tools, implementing databases for e-commerce applications, XML, Web database development.
Prerequisite: Two semesters of study in programming at the undergraduate level
3 credits

MSIS 616
Advanced Database Administration
This course builds on Database Management and Administration. It includes additional data modeling techniques and upper Normal Forms (Boyce/Codd, Fourth, and Fifth). It delves into the concepts of database integrity and transaction management, concurrency protocols (locking and time stamping), and security schemes. The class also covers database optimizers, performance and tuning, and advanced SQL topics.
Prerequisite: MSIS 615
3 credits

MSIS 620
Data Mining and Warehousing
Data warehousing is an emerging technology within the IT industry. The main focus if this course is to introduce basic and intermediate concepts, methodologies ad techniques of Data Warehousing based on the relational data models. Topics include data modeling theories (entity-relationship diagrams) and their implementation in CASE tools, star and snowflake schemas, implementation of physical data warehouses in commercially available RDBMS such as SQL Server, data manipulation language and Structured Query Language (SQL) to manage data within the data warehouse. The main goal is to train the audience to assume roles such as data warehouse architect, project manager, or administrator throughout their professional career.
Prerequisite: MSIS 615
3 credits

MSIS 624
Client/Server Database Implementation
The development of efficient database applications requires an understanding of the fundamentals of database management systems, and techniques for database administration. The emphasis in this course is Client/Server Database Implementation. Topics include principals of Microsoft client/server architecture, performance and tuning. Special importance is    assigned to the system administration and advanced questions in database maintenance.
Prerequisite: MSIS 615
3 credits

Required Courses for Data Communications Concentration (12 Semester Credits)

MSIS 640
Data Communications
This course introduces the student to Data Communications and related terminology. It describes LAN/WAN network components and their corresponding functions. The approach explains data flow throughout a network and generates a keen understanding of how “connections” and “communications” are achieved in various network configurations. The student also develops and understanding and functionality of the Internet. The student will retain the ability to discuss cutting edge data communications networking technologies in an in depth manner.
Prerequisite: Two semesters of study of Local Area Networks at the undergraduate level
3 credits

MSIS 641
Advanced Data Communications and Internet Technologies
This course provides the student with procedures for performing network analysis, architecture, and design, The student covers critical design process issues, such as addressing and routing, security and management.. It uses a systems approach to teach these concepts, which views the network and its environment as part of the larger system, looking at interactions and dependencies between the network and its users, applications, and devices. . It completes the process from analysis to design. The course focuses on the relationships between major functions of the network, such as security, network management, performance and addressing and routing.
Prerequisite: MSIS 640
3 credits

MSIS 645
Network Security
This course provides students with insightful knowledge of every key aspect of information security, from the basics to advanced cryptography and authentication, secure web and email services, and emerging security standards. It will also provide students with the knowledge and skills to design a secure network infrastructure. The students will learn modeling threats, and analyzing security risks in order to meet business requirements for securing computers in a networked environment. The course encourages decision-making skills through simulation of scenarios that may be encountered in real-life. Students are given the task of collecting the information and sorting through the details to resolve the given security requirement.
Prerequisite: MSIS 647
3 credits

MSIS 647
Computer Networking: Routing and Switching
This course uses a structured approach to explaining how networks work including the physical layer of networking, computer hardware and transmission systems, and network applications such as e-mail, domain name system, World Wide Web and multimedia.  It covers current network technologies including wireless networks, Bluetooth, videoconferencing, streaming video, and voice over IP
Corequisite: MSIS 640
3 credits

Electives: Select three of the following courses (9 Credits)

MSIS 626
Database Security
Database security has a great impact on the design of today's information systems. This course will provide an overview of database security concepts and techniques and discuss new directions of database security in the context of Internet information management.  This vendor neutral course expands the security context of database technologies and examines in detail the exploitation of database vulnerabilities – irrespective of the underlying vendor technology. It exposes the pitfalls of database design, their means of identification and the methods of exploiting vulnerabilities. This course also provides an overview of security issues in database systems and shows how current and future commercial systems may be designed to ensure secrecy and confidentiality. Security models, basic security mechanisms and software, database security, intrusion detection and security models for next generation databases are covered.
Prerequisite: MSIS 615
3 credits

MSIS 628
Special Topics in Database
The goal of this course is to explore in-depth theoretical and practical issues of advanced database management system. The main focus of this course is to introduce specific concepts, methodologies and techniques of the applications development and database internet applications itself, storage and indexing, transaction, query management and optimization, concurrency control and recovery.
Prerequisite: MSIS 615
3 credits

MSIS 630
Web Database Application Development
This course introduces students to the principles and practice of implementing and designing medium-size web database applications. Students will learn to apply Web programming technology and tools for database implementation on the Web, including server side scripting, session management, and authentication. Students will also investigate Internet database application issues including database design, human computer interface (HCI) techniques, and evaluation criteria for designing good Web database applications.
Prerequisite: MSIS 616
3 credits

MSIS 632
Distributed Database Management Systems
This course covers the design and implementation of parallel and distributed databases with a focus on data distribution, transaction processing, concurrency control and recovery, distributed database architecture, distributed database design, distributed query processing, query decomposition and optimization of distributed queries, distributed transaction management and concurrency control, distributed DBMS reliability, and distributed database operating systems.
Prerequisite: MSIS 615
3 credits

MSIS 634
Object-Oriented Database Systems
This course introduces the essential features of object-oriented database systems. We will present a general overview of the fundamental concepts of the OODB model and its advantages over relational databases. We will study in detail the design, query language and query processing using a current implementation of an OODBMS.
Prerequisite: MSIS 615
3 credits

MSIS 643
Advanced Topics in LAN
This advanced course extends the knowledge of the LAN network environment by introducing the two most commonly used applications used to create mail services, Microsoft Exchange Server/Outlook and IBM Lotus Domino messaging server/Notes.  This course will provide the student with an understanding and comparison of Microsoft Exchange Server/Outlook and Lotus Domino/Notes, their installation, messaging protocols, recipient and distribution lists, address lists, storage and mailboxes, public folders, message routing.
Prerequisite: MSIS 641
3 credits

MSIS 652
UNIX / Linux System Administration
This course provides students with insightful knowledge of all aspects of configuring and managing an Internet-based server with the Linux operating system. It will teach the students software configuration and installation, user management, security, and data integrity. This course will provide the students with all the standard and advanced techniques to set up and maintain a Linux environment.
Prerequisite: MSIS 640
3 credits

MSIS 648
Advanced Network Security
This Advanced Network Security course focuses on the managerial aspects of information security for future managers.  It provides a study of information security concerns and techniques to protect against the risk of revenue loss and vulnerability utilized in current business environment.
Prerequisite: MSIS 647
3 credits

MSIS 644
Wireless Networks
This course gives the student the background, knowledge and practical details needed design, deploy, manage, and troubleshoot a wireless local-area networks (WLANs). Starting with an overview of the technology and architecture of WLANs, this course explains services and advanced features that such applications can provide. Most importantly, it provides practical design guidance and deployment recommendations. It begins with an overview of Ethernet technologies, 802.11 standards, and physical layer technologies. It addresses challenges and solutions associated with security, mobility, and QoS. Radio frequency fundamentals are reviewed in detail, as are site-surveying methods. A series of case studies that highlight WLAN design considerations in various business environments help place all the concepts covered in the context of real-world applications.
Prerequisite: MSIS 640
3 credits

MSIS 650
Advanced Computer Networking: High Performance Networks
The course focuses on performance concepts and issues of TCP/IP networks including wired, wireless, optical, and satellite networks.  It covers TCP/IP networks performance evaluation methods, network traffic management in routers and hosts, and implementations of TCP/IP protocol stack in hardware and software.
Prerequisite: MSIS 645
3 credits