Information Systems, Information Security and Assurance Concentration, M.S.

Nita Brooks, Program Director
615-904-8177
Nita.Brooks@mtsu.edu

The Information Systems and Analytics department offers the Master of Science in Information Systems with concentrations in Information Security and Assurance, IT Project Management, General Information Systems, and Business Intelligence and Analytics. Core and elective classes may also be combined to form a strong foundation in database-related topics. The department also offers courses for the Master of Business Administration degree and a minor in Information Systems for students seeking a master’s degree other than the M.B.A.

The graduate program director serves as advisor for students majoring in Information Systems. Prospective students are encouraged to contact the graduate program director or the department to discuss the program.

Please see undergraduate catalog for information regarding undergraduate programs.

Admission Requirements

For admission to the M.S. program:

The GMAT or GRE exam is required; however, the GMAT is preferred. Applicants with at least a 3.0 undergraduate GPA from an AACSB international school of business or a 3.7 undergraduate GPA are exempt from the exam requirement.

Admission without exception requires an index score of at least 950, or at least 1000 if calculated using upper-division courses only, as calculated by 200 x undergraduate GPA plus GMAT score, or GRE score converted to GMAT score using tools provided by ETS (Educational Testing Services). Limited exceptions to the index score requirement may be granted at the discretion of the program coordinator in consultation with the department chair.

Foundation Courses

The business prerequisites for a student seeking an M.S. in Information Systems are similar to those required for the M.B.A. and include:

ACTG 3000 - Survey of Accounting for General Business (or ACTG 2110 and 2120);
BIA 6000 - Quantitative Methods Survey (or BIA 2610 and 3620);

A recent graduate of an AACSB-accredited program would normally possess an adequate background in the business prerequisites.

Application Procedures

All application materials are to be submitted to the College of Graduate Studies.

Applicant must

submit an application with the appropriate application fee (online at www.mtsu.edu/graduate/apply.php);
submit official GMAT scores;
submit official transcripts showing a GPA in previous academic work.

Degree Requirements

The Master of Science in Information Systems with a concentration in Information Security and Assurance requires completion of a minimum of 30 semester hours. INFS 6980 must be passed with a grade of B- or higher with a maximum enrollment of two times.The degree is to be completed within six years from the time of admission to the degree program.

Curriculum: Information Systems, Information Security and Assurance

The following illustrates the minimum coursework requirements.

Required Courses (12 hours)

BIA 6905 - Applied Business Analytics 3 credit hours
INFS 6700 - IT Project Management: Strategies for Success 3 credit hours
INFS 6790 - Seminar in Database Management 3 credit hours
INFS 6980 - ISA Capstone 3 credit hours *
* Must be taken in last semester; must make B- or higher; may repeat only once.

Concentration (9 hours)

INFS 6300 - Management of Security Operations 3 credit hours
INFS 6301 - Vulnerability Management and Penetration Testing 3 credit hours
INFS 6302 - Security Analytics 3 credit hours

Electives (9 hours)

Three hours of approved courses at the 6000 level
Six hours of approved courses at the 5000 or 6000 level

If a student does not have INFS 4790 or INFS 5790 or equivalent, then one of the electives must be INFS 5790.

Choose from:

INFS 5790 - Database Design and Development 3 credit hours
INFS 5830 - Database Programming 3 credit hours
INFS 5840 - Study Abroad 3 credit hours
INFS 5900 - Business Data Communications 3 credit hours
INFS 6190 - SQL for ETL and Analytics 3 credit hours
INFS 6200 - Modeling for Problem Solving 3 credit hours
INFS 6620 - Advanced Computer Applications for Business 3 credit hours
INFS 6701 - IT Project Risk and Recovery 3 credit hours
INFS 6702 - IT Project Planning and Implementation 3 credit hours
INFS 6810 - Big Data for Analytics 3 credit hours
BIA 6910 - Business Intelligence 3 credit hours
BIA 6920 - Data Mining and Predictive Analytics 3 credit hours

Program Notes

No more than two (2) 5000-level classes may be taken as part of the degree program.

Students planning to graduate in the minimum amount of time, including summer attendance, should plan their programs carefully in order to meet course sequencing and scheduling constraints. The program director can provide scheduling assistance.

A limited number of graduate assistantships are available on a competitive basis to qualified students.

No foreign language or thesis is required in the program.

INFS 6750 may not be taken to satisfy either a required or elective course in the program.

Students without an undergraduate degree in information systems or demonstrable professional experience in the discipline are required to complete the additional prerequisites of INFS 2600, INFS 3800 (or INFS 6000), and INFS 4790 (or INFS 5790 ). INFS 5790 may be taken for credit toward the graduate degree. Students without formal training or experience in IT may be encouraged to take some additional INFS courses. A portion of these requirements may be satisfied in conjunction with the student’s graduate studies.

Candidate must

file a degree plan with the College of Graduate Studies prior to entry into the program;
file a Notice of Intent to Graduate form in the College of Graduate Studies within the first two weeks of the term in which candidate intends to graduate.