Programs

Information Systems

(18 credit hours) The information systems (IS) concentration prepares students for entry-level and mid-career positions—such as systems analysts, consultants, Webmasters, and database managers—in the exciting, evolving, and rapidly growing fields of computing and communication technologies as they apply to public organizations. The IS concentration builds on a solid core of three courses and provides the flexibility to add three more electives from a wide range of course offerings. Students are encouraged to combine the IS concentration with other concentrations to strengthen their technical skills in a variety of applied areas.

Required Courses (9 credit hours)

The following courses are required:

SPEA-V 516 Public Management Information Systems (3 cr.)
SPEA-V 519 Database Management Systems (3 cr.)

Select one of the following:

SPEA-E 518 Vector-based Geographic Information Systems (3 cr.)
SPEA-V 550 Topics in Public Affairs (GIS only) (3 cr.)
Electives (9 credit hours)

Three courses from the following information systems application groups. (Note: Two of the courses must be from group A, B, or C.)

Group A: Geographic Information Systems

SPEA-E 518 Vector-based Geographic Information Systems (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 519 Applied Remote Sensing of the Environment (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 529 Application of Geographic Information Systems (3 cr.)
SPEA-V 550 Topics in Public Affairs (GIS only) (3 cr.)

Group B: Decision Support and Analysis

SPEA-E 555 Topics in Environmental Science: Computing Methods for Environmental Science (3 cr.)
SPEA-E 560 Environmental Risk Analysis (3 cr.)
SPEA-V 507 Data Analysis and Modeling for Public Affairs (3 cr.)
SPEA-V 539 Management Science for Public Affairs (3 cr.)
SPEA-V 541 Benefit-Cost Analysis of Public and Environmental Policies (3 cr.)

Group C: Design and Management of Information Systems

SPEA-V 602 Strategic Management of Public and Nonprofit Organizations (3 cr.)
SPEA-V 611 Design of Information Systems (3 cr.)
SPEA-V 613 Implementation of Information Systems (3 cr.)

Group D: Networking and Telecommunications

BUS-S 515 Foundations of Business Telecommunications (3 cr.)
ILS-Z 643 The Information Industry (3 cr.)
ILS-Z 525 Government Information (3 cr.)
ILS-Z 532 Information Architecture for the Web (3 cr.)

Group E: Additional Option

Graduate courses that address issues in information technology, such as programming and the digital economy, are offered in other units such as the Department of Computer Science, the School of Informatics, the Kelley School of Business, and the School of Library and Information Science. Students may elect to take one of these electives with the approval of a faculty advisor.

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