Department website: https://www.uwplatt.edu/program/master-science-information-systems-management
Dr. Xiaotong Liu, Program Coordinator
Master of Science in Information Systems Management
Address: University of Wisconsin-Platteville
1 University Plaza
Platteville, WI 53818-3099
Phone: 608.342.6124
Email: liuxiao@uwplatt.edu
Statement of Purpose
The program prepares students to manage organizational data from a holistic perspective, recognizing that data is central to organizational decision-making and under constant threat of theft from hackers and inadvertent misuse from employees. This program teaches students both how to appropriately utilize available data and how to manage and preserve its integrity.
Student Learning Outcomes
Graduates will:
- Work in cross-functional teams to develop insights that guide organizational decision-making.
- Design and implement technical processes that gather and interpret data.
- Clearly communicate results of data analysis to both internal and external stakeholders.
- Analyze the effects and importance of ethical practices in the use of organizational data.
- Construct appropriate policies and procedures to manage and protect information across a wide range of information systems.
Introduction
People may be the heart of an organization, but the effective flow and management of data is ultimately what keeps the organization healthy. This requires an astute blend of technical and leadership skills; it’s more than infrastructure and it’s certainly more than administration. The information systems management program embraces this balance to prepare you for senior leadership roles in a wide range of data-driven environments. The program is intentionally designed to address both the system and the human elements of safeguarding, extracting, and interpreting organizational data. You will also gain valuable experience in communicating results of data analysis to both internal and external stakeholders.
Admission Requirements for Master of Science in Information Systems Management
Those seeking admission to the Master of Science in Information Systems Management must have earned a bachelor’s degree from a nationally or regionally accredited institution recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. International degrees will be evaluated on an individual basis. To be eligible for admission in full standing, a student must have an overall undergraduate grade point average of 2.75 or higher, or 2.90 on the last 60 credits from the degree-granting institution. Students who do not qualify for admission in full standing may be admitted on a trial enrollment justified by the admitting department and approved by the director of the School of Graduate Studies. Students are allowed seven years from the date of admission into the program to complete degree requirements; extensions may be granted for extenuating circumstances.
Program entrance requirements and degree completion requirements are consistent with those of the graduate programs of the institution. Students seeking admission should follow the instructions found in the Online Admission Policies and Procedures section of this catalog.
Special Students
Students who have earned a bachelor’s degree from a nationally or regionally accredited institution recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation may register as a Special Student. Students will receive academic credit for courses taken while on this status. Students can be considered for admission into a degree program if they maintain a 3.00 grade point average in all graduate-level work and all other admission requirements are met. With the program area advisor’s approval, students may transfer up to 12 credits earned at UW-Platteville into a degree program. All graduate-level work will be included in computing a student’s GPA.
Curriculum
To be considered for admission, applicants will need:
- Bachelor's degree from a regionally or nationally accredited institution that meets UW-System standards and is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.
- Overall undergraduate GPA of 2.75 or above or 2.90 on the last 60 credits from the degree-granting institution.
- No GRE or GMAT is required.
Applicants not meeting minimum requirements may gain admission through the comprehensive review process. International degrees are considered on an individual basis.
Students must maintain an overall cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better to graduate.
The ISM degree program has a 30-credit curriculum, wherein students will complete a 21-credit core (including a 3-credit Capstone course) and 9 credits of electives from one of two emphasis to satisfy degree requirements.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Core Courses | 21 | |
| Applied Project Management | ||
| Applied Accounting | ||
| Data Visualization and Communication | ||
| Data Driven Decision Making | ||
| Data Management and Ethics | ||
| Capstone in Information Systems Management | ||
| Organizational Change Leadership: Theory and Practice | ||
Business Analytics Emphasis
The Business Analytics emphasis area consists of four courses, of which, students must select three.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| OCL 7310 | BUSINESS ANALYTICS | 3 |
| BUSADMIN 7510 | Marketing Analytics | 3 |
| BUSADMIN 6170 | Predictive Analytics | 3 |
| PROJMGT 7030 | Project Risk Management | 3 |
Cybersecurity Emphasis
The Cybersecurity emphasis area consists of four courses, of which, students must select three.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| INFOMGT 7310 | Foundations of Cybersecurity | 3 |
| INFOMGT 7320 | Cyber Risk Management | 3 |
| INFOMGT 7330 | Cybersecurity Law and Policy | 3 |
| CRIMLJUS 7340 | Cyber-Crime | 3 |
ACCTING 7210 Applied Accounting 3 Credits
The Applied Accounting course is designed to provide you with the necessary skills to provide entry-level accounting support. In addition to developing basic accounting skills, the course will enhance knowledge of general business practices.
Components: Class
Typically Offered: Fall/Summer
BUSADMIN 7600 Applied Project Management 3 Credits
This course is organized around the project management life-cycle and provides students with essential project management concepts, with a focus on the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®), while addressing an important area of industry growth: the use of projects to achieve the strategic goals of organizations. Furthermore, this course is an introduction to contemporary project management tools and techniques across three broad areas: organizing and initiating projects, planning projects, and performing projects.
Components: Class
Typically Offered: Spring/Summer
INFOMGT 7010 Data Visualization and Communication 3 Credits
One of the skills that characterizes great business data analysts is the ability to communicate practical implications of quantitative analyses to any kind of audience member. Even the most sophisticated statistical analyses are not useful to a business if they do not lead to actionable advice, or if the answers to those business questions are not conveyed in a way that non-technical people can understand. This course provides a specialized focus on how to become a master at communicating business-relevant implications of data visualization analyses. The course content includes how to streamline data analyses and highlight their implications efficiently using visualizations. By the end of the course, students will be able to make effective visualizations that harness the human brain's innate perceptual and cognitive tendencies to convey conclusions directly and clearly. Additionally, students will be gain experience in designing and presenting business "data stories" that use these visualizations, capitalizing on business-tested methods and design principles.
Components: Class
Typically Offered: Fall/Spring/Summer
INFOMGT 7020 Data Driven Decision Making 3 Credits
Sound business decision-making requires robust data. However, raw data can only go so far without effective interpretation and analysis to inform decision-making. Big data adoption in businesses has grown three-fold between 2015 and 2018. As more companies begin to realize the power of incorporating big data into business decision-making, working professionals will require the tools necessary to effectively adopt a real-world approach to data driven decision making. This course will guide students in becoming more data literate from an organizational perspective. Business and tech are becoming so intertwined that there's a growing demand for hybrid professionals. These professionals need to be able to think creatively, be digitally savvy, have a business understanding, and be comfortable with data. In this course, students will explore how emerging technology is likely to influence data analysis and modeling and discover how to develop their plan for deploying data-driven insights within their business.
Components: Class
Typically Offered: Spring/Summer
INFOMGT 7110 Data Management and Ethics 3 Credits
This course will engage students in activities and discussion related to the critical ethical issues arising from the widespread distribution of big data and information systems management in the Internet age. It blends historical perspectives on data with ethics and case examples to help students develop a workable understanding of current ethical issues in information systems management. Ethical concepts addressed in the course include: access and use of private versus public data sources; data ownership and proprietary rights; differences between secure, private, confidential, and open data; proper use versus the abuse and misuse of statistics, maps, and graphs; fallacious reasoning; deduction versus inference from data; bias versus objectivity in the interpretation of data; data falsification and cases of scientific fraud; and the proper referencing of sources versus plagiarism. Importantly, these issues will be addressed throughout the lifecycle of data - from collection to storage to analysis and application. Course assignments will emphasize application of ethical models and reflexivity on theory, giving students an in-depth exploration of ethical issues in information systems management. Students will be exposed to practical ethical challenges that they may face in their future careers in information systems management.
Components: Class
Typically Offered: Fall/Spring/Summer
INFOMGT 7840 Capstone in Information Systems Management 3 Credits
Students will draw upon and synthesize knowledge and skills learned throughout the program by applying it to a topic or case study as assigned. Capstone work (minimum 150 hours) will be completed in partnership with site mentor/supervisors. A substantive work project deliverable demonstrating summative application of coursework taken in the program will be expected. This course is the final course of the program.
Components: Independent Study
Prereqs/Coreqs: P: All required core courses in the program, as well as two courses from one of the elective areas
Typically Offered: All
OCL 7330 Organizational Change Leadership: Theory and Practice 3 Credits
This course provides an introduction to leadership theory and practice, both generally and specifically. Strategies for identifying and positively affecting the core of the organization will be discussed. Methods for adapting to and affecting change in interpersonal and group situations will be covered. P: Previous course covering leadership topics (e.g. - introduction to leadership, organizational behavior).
Components: Class
Typically Offered: Fall/Spring/Summer