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View the BS WIS degree requirements (catalog description) on the NJIT Registrar's web site

Web and Information systems (WIS) is a dynamic specialization area within the computing field, focusing on the study of designing and applying computer and web-based systems and information technology to support the informational and decision making needs of users and organizations. IS focuses on the design, application and evaluation of computers and information systems to all fields of human endeavor, including management, science, medicine, government and organizations.

The Department of Information Systems educates students to assume positions of responsibility and leadership in the Internet economy, and in traditional government and corporate environments. The IS professional must be conversant with the theory, analysis, design, implementation, application and evaluation of computerized information systems in support of users’ needs. The realm of the Information Systems professional covers all aspects of the software development life-cycle, from requirements analysis, system development and design, to testing, evaluation and the deployment of the ultimate computer-based application.

Our dramatic use of computers and the internet in problem solving and in support of human cognitive processes has resulted in a change in the thinking of professionals in every discipline. Modern enterprises are extremely dependent upon Information Systems specialists, with their broad knowledge of computers, information technology and internet applications, for designing their industrial, e-commerce and business procedures and practices. Thus, there is a significant demand upon the educational preparation of future Information Systems specialists, who will study and gain expertise in the methodologies and tools used in building the computer-based systems for meeting the informational and decision-making needs of managers, as well as a broad spectrum of users in organizations.

NJIT's Bachelor of Science (BS) in Web and Information Systems provides the student with a solid foundation in the principles of computing and information systems and their applications. The BS WIS degree provides the student with the most comprehensive treatment of computers, with considerable breadth and depth in information systems and IT topics, the sciences, mathematics and applied quantitative tools, and supporting interdisciplinary studies. Most students interested in information systems enroll in this degree program. (A special option within the BS WIS provides the student with a pre-med concentration, enabling the student to satisfy the requirements for entering medical school while concurrently obtaining a mastery of information systems—this desirable concentration will also be of interest to students interested in medical informatics.)

The curricula for both degrees have been developed according to the foremost educational standards of the leading professional organizations in Information Systems: the Computing Accreditation Commission and the Association for Information Systems. The Department of Information Systems also has close ties with our Industrial Advisory Board. Courses are constantly being monitored and updated to match the changing state-of-the-art in technology and technical content, and new courses are introduced as warranted by new developments in the discipline.

The BS WIS has been carefully structured to meet a specific goal each year: first year, foundations; second year, understanding the computing system; third year, conceptual foundations and applications; fourth year, integration and focus. One of the unique additional requirements in the BAIS and BS WIS degree programs is a 15 credit concentration in an Information Systems environment, which requires the student to complete five elective courses in an application or methodological area related to Information Systems. Also, IS majors must choose a 12 credit specialization concentration in IS—specializations include Databases, Networks, Management of Information Systems, Human Computer interaction (HCI), Systems Analysis and Design, Intelligence and Decision Support, and Web Engineering.

All students with majors in Information Systems are required to prepare a Program of Study Form, with the guidance of our IS Undergraduate Advisor. The form should be prepared as early as possible in the student's career, and changes should be made only in consultation with the IS Academic Advisor.

Accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET, 111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, MD 21202-4012 - telephone (410) 347-7700.