Programs
Information Systems
(15 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 (6 credit hours)
The following two courses are required:
| SPEA-I 516 | Public Management Information Systems | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-I 519 | Database Management Systems | (3 cr.) |
Electives (9 credit hours)
Three courses from the following information systems application groups. (Note: Two of the courses must be from group I, II, or III.)
Group I: Geographic Information Systems
| SPEA-E 518 | Vector-based Geographic Information Systems | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-E 529 | Application of Geographic Information Systems | (3 cr.) |
Group II: Decision Support and Analysis
| SPEA-E 560 | Environmental Risk Analysis | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-P 507 | Data Analysis and Modeling for Public Affairs | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-P 539 | Management Science for Public Affairs | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-P 541 | Benefit Cost Analysis | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-P 562 | Public Program Evaluation | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-V 550 | Data Science for Public and Environmental Affairs | (3 cr.) |
Group III: Design and Management of Information Systems
| SPEA-I 611 | Design of Information Systems | (3 cr.) |
| SPEA-M 602 | Strategic Management of Public and Nonprofit Organizations | (3 cr.) |
Group IV: Networking and Telecommunications
| BUS-S 515 | Foundations of Business Telecommunications | (3 cr.) |
| ILS-Z 525 | Government Information | (3 cr.) |
| ILS-Z 532 | Information Architecture for the Web | (3 cr.) |
| ILS-Z 643 | The Information Industry | (3 cr.) |
Group V: Additional Options
Graduate courses that address issues in information technology, such as programming and the digital economy, are offered in other units such as the Kelley School of Business and the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering. Students may elect to take one of these electives (3 credit hours) in an outside unit with the approval of a concentration advisor and the appropriate Faculty Program Director.