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New Jersey Institute of
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A Public Research University |
MS IS QUICK LINKS: MSIS Home / Description / Frequently Asked Questions / Advising / How to Contact Us /
Other MS IS LINKS: On-Line Advising / Course Planning Form / Non-CIS Electives / Masters Project / Evaluating Courses / Useful Links / Forms / Acronyms
IS Department QUICK LINKS: IS Dept Home / Degrees / Courses / Faculty / People / Research / Location
Note: Students may follow the requirements for when they entered the MS IS program, or any newer ones.
The most frequent misunderstandings within the MS IS program can be avoided by the following:
This set of requirements pertains to MS IS students entering in Fall 2003 and later. Students enrolling prior to Fall 2003 are free to follow any set of requirements in force at the time or after they entered the MSIS program, including this new set of requirements for Fall 2003.
The field of Information Systems (IS) concerns the effective design and use of information technologies by individuals, groups and organizations. IS can be applied to many different areas, including support of business, science, engineering, community, social and education activities, both in the public and private sectors. Across all these areas, IS is broadly concerned with the effective use and integration of computing technologies into human endeavors; that is, with human-centered computing.
The study of Information Systems is based upon the concept that there is a growing body of knowledge on the relationships between people and computers that is independent of any specific application. Understanding of the total system involves both the human and the computing environment as an integrated whole. Students will master both the technology and the understanding of human behavior in the computing environment.
The MSIS program provides solid grounding in three principal areas, all of which are applicable to the areas described above:
The program emphasizes the planning, investigation, design, development, application, management and evaluation of Information Systems. The program trains students to be integral members of application design and development teams.
The program also provides exposure to the state-of-the-art in IS research, so that students will be prepared to work with both emerging concepts and technologies. For students wishing to become directly involved in research, there are ample opportunities to participate in ongoing projects, as well as to write a master's thesis under faculty supervision. A number of master's-level courses are also included in the Ph.D. curriculum. The MSIS program is designed as a subset of the Ph.D. program in IS. The description here includes several notes for students considering continuing on with the Ph.D. program.
The program is offered both face-to-face and in a distance learning mode employing collaborative learning methods including team and project activities.
There also are a number of NJIT Certificate Programs which offer a four course subset leading to this degree. The following certificates provide a starting subset of the MS IS degree:
Note that the set of certificate programs NJIT offers does update periodically, so check the Certificate Program homepage to confirm the programs currently offered.
For further information on the MS IS program, please first check the MS IS Frequently Asked Question List and the MS IS Advising System. If your questions are not answered there, please feel free to contact an MS IS Program Advisor at msis @ oak.njit.edu.
NJIT has related Masters programs in Computer Science, Telecommunications, Information Systems Management and Management of Technology (MBA).
The field of IS is broadly interdisciplinary. Applicants with degrees in any field are therefore welcome to apply for the MS IS program. A series of "bridge courses" are used to develop the required skills of incoming students who may not have been exposed to some parts of the IS curriculum.
Applicants with undergraduate degrees in Information Systems, Management Information Systems, Information Technology, Computer Science, Computer Engineering and similar areas usually are sufficiently prepared for entry. Requirements for entry include a working knowledge of the C++ programming language, at least one year of calculus, one course in calculus-based probability and statistics, and finally an additional advanced mathematics course such as discrete analysis.
Applicants must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher in their prior academic work. (Applicants not meeting this requirement, but who have significant work experience since their last degree may be considered on an individual basis.)
Applicants without a prior undergraduate or master's degree from the United States must submit GRE, GMAT or MCAT scores for admission. Others do not need to take these exams.
* Note that CIS 505 is a concentrated, advanced level programming course. It is equivalent to CIS 113 and CIS 114, and students may choose to take these two courses instead.
** Note that CIS 565 is a customized version of CIS 350 and CIS 465. Students may choose to take both of thse courses separately instead to obtain a deeper background in information systems before starting the MS IS program.
Mathematics
Students must have at least a B in all CIS bridge courses, and no grade lower than a C in the others.
Students without an excellent command of English may be required to take specific written and spoken English courses.
Final determination of bridge requirements can only be made from the examination of a completed formal application folder.
Applicants with prior coursework covering the bridge topics should attach a note to their application clearly showing which courses correspond to these bridge requirement, if possible.
Applicants with work experience in the field of computer or information systems may have work experience applicable to satisfying part of the bridge program. Such applicants should submit with their application a detailed description of their of work experience covering job responsibilities, required computer skills and knowledge, and typical computer based work projects. Clearly explain which courses this experience would satisfy, and why.
Students who have high-enough grade averages in prior academic work (and GRE, GMAT, or NCAT scores high enough for entry in the Ph.D. program) can meet the less specific bridge requirements for the Ph.D. in IS program.
Important Note: If you are assigned any bridge courses or English courses, you *must* take these preparation courses before taking graduate courses. In your final semester of preparation courses (or if you are delayed by prerequisites for particular bridge courses), you may also sign up for graduate level courses to fill your schedule.
The course planning form lays out much of the information in this program description. Use it to plan out your courses for your degree. Please bring this (or email it) to the Program Director whenever you wish to discuss your progress.
Students are required to take 36 credits (12 courses). The required courses are:
All six IS core courses are required:
- CIS 663 Systems Analysis and Design (recommended)
or CIS 673 Software Design and Production Methodology (acceptable, but not preferred)- CIS 677 Information Systems Principles
- CIS 675 Information System Evaluation
- CIS 679 Management of Information Systems (not required for anyone who took CIS 455 as an undergraduate)
- CIS 634 Information Retrieval
- CIS 658 Multimedia Systems
We recommend that students start taking the core courses immediately. Note that one must take CIS 677 before CIS 675 or CIS 679.
The remaining six courses are electives. All CIS courses at the 600- and 700-level are valid electives.
MS IS students may take no more than 2 non-CIS courses total. Not all courses at NJIT are valid electives. Be sure the check the Non-CIS Electives list to determine which courses are valid electives! (Students with a CS or IS academic background or with several years work experience in IS or CS may take up to four courses outside the CIS area. They *must* get written approval from the IS Advisor to take more than two courses outside CIS.
--> Students planning to continue with the IS Ph.D. program may take up to four non-CIS courses *after* gaining written approval from their MS IS Advisor.
--> Students planning to continue with the IS Ph.D. program are advised to take as many 700-level courses as possible.
We strongly recommend the following courses as electives:
We recommend the following advanced CIS electives for particularly outstanding Masters students:
Non-seminar CIS 785 and CIS 786 (special topics), and IS- or CS- related independent study courses in any department count as CIS electives. You must write down the topic studied in any of these courses for them to count as elective credit.
While we encourage people to partake in NJIT's Cooperative Program, it does not count as IS elective credit.
We strongly encourage students to consider a one-semester Masters Project (CIS 700) or two-semester Masters Thesis (CIS 701). The masters project provides the opportunity to apply knowledge and skills to develop an application system or solve a complex problem. The thesis option extends the project by conducting publishable research in the project area. Both courses count as IS electives, and are not mandatory for graduation.
--> Students planning to continue with the IS Ph.D. program might not be able to take a CIS 700 implementation project for Ph.D. credit. Similarly, it is possible that only 3 credits of CIS 701 will count towards the IS Ph.D. program. Therefore, if you are going to do a masters project or thesis, then please check with the Ph.D. program coordinator first to ensure that all of it counts for Ph.D. course credit.
--> Students planning to continue with the IS Ph.D. program should take two of their electives from the following set of Computing Science Tools and Methodologies courses. Choose one course from each category. Additional courses from this list can be included as additional electives.
If you are assigned any bridge courses or English courses, you *must* take these preparation courses before taking graduate courses. In your final semester of preparation courses, you may also sign up for graduate level courses to fill your schedule. This applies to both full- and part-time students.
If you are going to partake in NJIT's Cooperative Program, you must have completed all bridge and IS core courses before beginning your Co-op. In this case you should take CIS677 and CIS663/673 in your first semester after completing bridge courses, with CIS675 in your second semester. Certain exceptions will be made for students who have completed all bridge courses before starting on graduate courses, and who begin their core courses as soon as they have completed their bridge courses.
Bridge Courses: Candidates must have at least a C in each Math bridge course and CIS565, and at least a B in every other CIS bridge course.
IS Core Courses: Candidates must have a B average in all six IS core courses (CIS677, 663/673, 675, 679, 634, 658), with no core course grade lower than a C+.
Overall: Candidates must have a B average in all graduate level courses combined (500-level and above, including any 500-level English and bridge courses).
The program welcomes part-time and distance students. All core courses and most other courses are offered in a distance learning mode as well as the normal face-to-face (classroom) offerings.
Application forms may be obtained from the Office of University Admissions (NJIT, University Heights, Newark NJ 07102, Tel: +1 973 596-3300. Admissions forms also appear on the NJIT website (http://www.njit.edu/admissions). A non-refundable fee is required with the actual application for admission.
Those seeking credit for bridge course prerequisites should include in the application package a detailed resume and/or explanation with specific details of various related job experiences or former academic courses previously taken.
NJIT does not award funding for first semester masters students. Once you are here you can talk to individual professors and see if any research assistantship positions might open up in your second semester. There are some opportunities for support, but not many. You also can register yourself on the "blue list" at the Graduate Studies Office if you have a 3.5 GPA or above. Again, there are a few opportunities for support, but not many.
There are several scholarship opportunities available for minority and newly-nationalized U.S. citizens. Please contact the Graduate Studies Department for more details.
Those interested in the Masters in Information Systems who have specific questions, should first check the MS IS Frequently Asked Question List and the MS IS Advising System. If your questions are not answered there, please feel free to contact an MS IS Program Advisor at msis @ oak.njit.edu.
The program advisors can not and will not evaluate any resumes and application material that is not part of a formal application to NJIT. It is impossible to express (before the complete application is reviewed) any specific opinions about admission, support, and or transfer credits. However, academic questions on the program are welcome. See the program contact information to get in touch with us.
This page was last updated on: 7/7/04
