Master of Science in Information Systems
The MS program offered by the Department of Information Systems is intended for computer and information systems practitioners who desire to extend their knowledge and experience in IS. Students who wish to enter the graduate program without a Bachelor's degree in information systems will be required to complete the fundamental courses as prescribed by the department.
Students may be admitted to the program in either the Fall or Spring semesters. The MS program requires satisfactorily completing 39 credits (13 3-hour courses) at the graduate level. One or more of the fundamental courses may be waived at the time of admission based on prior academic experience. As a result students entering this program will complete between 30 and 39 credit hours of graduate studies depending on their background. All MS students are required to take five core courses and then can choose five electives from the department's course offerings.
The deadlines for the MS Program are June 1 for Fall and November 1 for Spring. All application materials must be on file in the IS department, by the stated deadlines, for expeditious review - incomplete files will be kept open for the following semester admission decisions.
To apply online:
Complete the UMBC on-line Application.
Non-degree seeking students can obtain application materials from the Graduate School's website. Upon admission, non-degree students can take up to 2 IS courses with permission. Permission to register is dependent upon seat availability.
Academic Admission Requirements:
- The majority of successful applicants have an undergraduate GPA well above 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale).
- All applicants are expected to read, speak, write, and understand the English language fluently. Those whose native language is not English are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The minimum acceptable combined TOEFL score is 550 (written) or 79 (Internet based). Students who have received post-secondary degrees from an U.S. institution and whose native language is not English may be required to demonstrate proficiency in English. (The TOEFL code for UMBC is 5835. The Information Systems Department does not have a designated code.)
- GREs are not required for the MS Program.
MS Degree Requirements:
Fundamentals
- IS 600 - Introduction to Information Systems Implementation
- IS 610 - Database Program Development
- IS 650 - Data Communications and Networks
Core
- IS 601 - Foundations of Information Systems
- IS 603 - Decision Technology Systems
- IS 620 - Advanced Database Project
- IS 636 - Structured Systems Analysis and Design
- (If you took IS 436 at UMBC - Replace with an elective)
- IS 651C - Network Design and Management
- (If you took IS 451 at UMBC - Replace with an elective)
Electives
- Elective 1 - Elective
- Elective 2 - Elective
- Elective 3 - Elective
- Elective 4 - Elective
- Elective 5 - Elective
- No more than 2 core courses can be taken prior to fundamentals without permission of an advisor.
- Either 601 or 636 should be taken during the first semester.
- No more than 2 electives prior to completion of 5 core courses can be taken without prior permission of an advisor.
Additional Details:
- Each MS student is assigned a faculty advisor when admitted to the program.
- Graduate students may take no more than 3 classes per semester without prior permission from their advisor and the Graduate Program Director.
- No more than two electives may be taken outside of your program’s requirements. Approval from your advisor is required before these courses can be taken. Courses taken from the online MS program’s curriculum fall into this category.
- Students will be allowed to complete up to two, pre-approved courses from the Online MS program's curriculum to satisfy their degree requirements. Courses are approved by the Graduate Program Director and are dependent upon space availability considering enrollments in both on campus and online courses. Students will be charged the standard on campus tuition and fees and will be responsible for purchasing all books and supplies associated with the online courses.
- A student may elect to do a masters thesis, in which case two electives may be used for thesis research credits. If a student elects to do a thesis, the student must choose a thesis advisor from the department and form a three member committee that oversees and accepts the thesis. An MS thesis must to be pre-approved by the advisor and submitted to the thesis committee at least three weeks prior to the proposal or final defense.
- MS students must maintain a B average, (i.e., 3.0 GPA).
- Graduate students may be recommended for dismissal after earning 3 Cs, 1 D or 1 F in any graduate level course.
- MS students may not count courses that are audited as part of the MS program and may not take courses under the Pass/Fail option.
- MS students may take ONE independent study. In order for a MS student to take an independent study course, the student must submit in writing to the IS department an abstract of the course of study. The student must have the written permission of the IS department before the student registers for credit.
- All graduate students should consult the University Graduate School Catalog, which contains the University's regulations and procedures for earning degrees.
- MS students who graduated from the IS BS program must substitute additional electives for IS 603, and IS 625.
- If you took any cross listed courses, you cannot take the course at the graduate level for credit towards your degree.
- Any fundamentals courses (IS 600, IS 610, IS 650) which are waived upon admission cannot be counted as electives in the MS program. These courses cannot count toward the 30 credit hour minimum required to earn the MS degree.
- Students can only count one 651 lab for credit towards their degree requirements. This includes IS 651M, 651N, 651U and 651W.
If you need any further information, please contact Shannon Keegan (keegan@umbc.edu).