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The Department of Computer Management and Information Systems in the School of Business offers a Master of Science degree in Computer Management and Information Systems (CMIS). This is an applied program that focuses on information systems and related management issues. The program prepares students to be practitioners in positions such as software developer, systems analyst, consultant, system integrator, technology manager, systems programmer, project leader, and application software specialist.
The curriculum includes specific program foundation courses (prerequisite courses), core (required) courses, career track elective courses, and a capstone exit examination. Electives can be chosen to provide an emphasis in areas such as database or enterprise-wide information systems (ERP). Alliance agreements with Microsoft, Oracle, and SAP mean students gain hands-on experience with prominent database and ERP software. A formal Project Management Concentration is also offered within the M.S. CMIS program and can be completed by selecting certain electives.
Application Procedures
The admission process involves four basic steps. These steps will satisfy requirements for both application to the Graduate School and to the MS in CMIS program.
Step 1. Complete both sides of the Application for Admission to the Graduate School, indicating that your major is the MS in CMIS. Sign and date the application and mail it along with the $30 non-refundable application fee to:
School of Business Student Services Office
P.O. Box 1186
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Edwardsville, IL 62026-1186
Step 2. Applicants must request official transcripts from each of the following institutions:
Graduate Admissions
P.O. Box 1047
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Edwardsville, IL 62026-1047
Step 3. Applicants must take the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) and have official test scores sent to the School of Business. Information may be found on the GMAT web site: www.gmat.org The GMAT school code for the M.S. CMIS program at SIUE is 3T9CD83. GMAT scores are only valid if taken within ten years prior to a candidate's admission.
Step 4. Applicants must submit a statement detailing the applicant's background and career plans. Forward your statement detailing your background and career plans to:
School of Business Student Services Office
P.O. Box 1186
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Edwardsville, IL 62026-1186
Admissions
The minimum requirements for admission to the graduate major in Computer Management and Information Systems are:
The admission process involves two stages: an administrative review of your admission packet, and a review by the CMIS Graduate Committee. Admission decisions will be made by the CMIS Graduate Committee on a "rolling" basis, whenever a complete admission packet is received. To gain admission, students must have at a minimum:
Admissions are often limited to the best students meeting the minimum admission standards due to the high demand for graduate computer courses.
Program Foundation Courses (Prerequisite Courses)
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Program of Study
The program requires 31 semester hours and consists of 6 core courses, 4 elective courses, and a final examination course. Students in the program must maintain a grade point average of at least 3.0 in all graduate courses. No credit is allowed toward degree completion for courses in which a grade below C is earned. All program foundation courses must be completed with a grade of B or better including transfer credit.
Computer Management and Information Systems Core (18 hours):
Elective Courses (12 hours)
Elective courses enable students to add a specialized focus to their study of computing. Examples of specialized focuses include, but are not limited to: systems design, development and implementation, database administration and database programming, and computer networks, among others. The CMIS program director maintains the current list of approved electives. Students must submit a written request to the CMIS program director for approval to deviate from the approved elective list.
Students not possessing prior work experience within the computing and information systems field will be required to select CMIS 587-3 Information Systems Internship as one of their electives. This is to ensure that students not possessing prior work experience are afforded the opportunity to practice learned skills in a supervised information technology environment prior to degree completion. Corporate members of the School of Business Technology Roundtable provide internship opportunities.
Final Examination (1 hour)
Students must enroll in CMIS 589-1 Final Examination for one credit. Each candidate for graduation must pass a final examination conducted by the graduate faculty of the department. The final examination will require candidates to demonstrate an appropriate standard of scholarship and to provide evidence of the ability to think critically, to draw and defend conclusions, and to complete work in a creditable manner.
See the Exit Exam Page for more information.
Transfer, Proficiency, and Prior Learning Experience Credit
Transfer credit can be applied to the program subject to the rules of the Graduate School and subject to approval of the CMIS Graduate Program Director or CMIS Department Chair. Current guidelines allow nine hours of transfer credit. Transfer credit may be applied toward CMIS core and elective courses, but not toward the Final Examination requirement. University course credit hours for proficiency examinations and prior experience will not be granted.
Substitutions
You may request permission to substitute other courses for core courses or to substitute other courses for those courses on the acceptable elective list. The request must be made by written petition to the CMIS Graduate Program Director. For a core course substitution, the petition must document that the student has acquired recent and equivalent background and is qualified for the substitute course. Substitute elective courses must build on the core and be appropriate for your background and career plans. Prior approval of the CMIS Graduate Program Director is required for all substitutions. When a substitution is approved, a copy of the approval letter will be sent to the Graduate School.
Scheduling of Courses
Most courses are scheduled in the evening to accommodate part-time students. The number and variety of courses offered each year are sufficient to support full-time students. The core courses are offered every year. Some courses are offered during the summer. A full-time student can complete the program in two consecutive academic years plus one summer (5 semesters). A part-time student who completes three courses per year can complete the program in 3.5 consecutive calendar years.
Faculty and Staff
See the departmental web site for a current listing.
Prerequisite Courses (all waiverable):
MS 502-3 Quantitative Methods. Methods of quantitative data presentation and analysis. Probability theory; parameter estimation; hypothesis testing; fundamentals of linear regression; correlation, and chi-square analysis; Prerequisite: program admission.
ENG 491-3 Technical and Business Writing. Technical communication, professional correspondence, reports, proposals, descriptions, and evaluations, word processing and graphics software. For students in English, Business, Engineering, Nursing, the Sciences, and the Social Sciences. No experience with software or computers is required.
ACCT 501-3 Financial Accounting. Source, nature, and interpretation of accounting data; analysis, measurement, and presentation; significance, and relevance of output information to a variety of external needs; financial reporting in a global economy. Prerequisite: program admission.
MGMT 514-3 Management of Organizations. Organization theory and management principles with regard to organization structure, process, and behavior; includes motivation, interpersonal and group dynamics, organization design and effectiveness.
CMIS 310-3 Information Technology Hardware and Systems Software. Principles and application of computer hardware and software from theoretical underpinnings to installation and configuration of systems. Hands-on and simulated exercises will be completed to emphasize a real-world setting.
CMIS 515-3 Information Systems in Business. Information systems from a theoretical perspective with emphasis on business information systems and their development for effective planning, control, and strategy.
Meet the prerequisite requirement for two of the next three computer programming courses:
CS 140-3 Introduction to Computing I. Programming course that assumes basic computer literacy. Introduces the C++ language and basic problem solving. Two lecture hours and two laboratory hours per week.
CMIS 142-3 Visual Basic Programming. The Visual Basic Programming language is used to teach business computer programming using a visual programming approach; includes fundamental programming principles for event-driven programming.
CMIS 230-3 Java Programming for Business. Application of business problem-solving techniques, program design and development, and programming logic dealing with the Java SDK Platform. Students apply logical methods to the design and creation of JAVA programs.
CMIS 260-3 COBOL Programming. Business-oriented computer programming using listings, computations, comparisons, tables/arrays, files. Students apply logical methods to the design of programs. Prerequisites: a previous course in computer programming.
Meet the prerequisite requirement for one of the next three business functional courses:
FIN 513-3 Corporate Finance. Capital budgeting, financial asset pricing, risk management, investments, dividend policy, cost of capital, and long-term performance. Function and role of international and U.S. capital markets. Prerequisites: ACCT 501; MS 502 or equivalent.
MKTG 516-3 Marketing Management. Understanding marketing environment, and its functional role and managerial implications. Focus on needs satisfaction, market segmentation, target marketing, positioning, and marketing mix.
PROD 519-3 Operations Management. Management of manufacturing and service operations. Topics include process technology and product design, forecasting, long range and aggregate planning, management of independent and dependent demand, and quality. Prerequisite: MS 502 or equivalent.
Computer Management and Information Systems Core (18 hours):
CMIS 570-3 Software Systems Design. Techniques and tools for information systems analysis and design. Process-oriented modeling and structured design concepts and techniques. Re-engineering business processes, and quality-assurance and reliability. Prerequisite: CMIS 515 or instructor permission.
CMIS 564-3 Database Design. Enterprise-wide data modeling. Conceptual database design, entity-relationship and object-oriented models. Physical database design, relational model, and normalization theory. Prerequisite: CMIS 515 or instructor permission.
CMIS 540-3 Project Management. Theory and techniques for managing technology projects within constraints of time, functionality, and resources. Topics include project initiation, planning, executing, controlling, and closing. Prerequisite: CMIS 570.
CMIS 468-3 Business Telecommunications. Concepts and terminology dealing with data communication and distributed systems with emphasis on business applications. Prequisite: Program admission.
CMIS 520-3 Managing Technology. Application of systems models to improve a manager's ability to identify, understand, control, evaluate, plan, acquire, and use technology. Prerequisite: CMIS 515.
MBA 534-3 Strategic Management. Analysis, formulation, and implementation of firm's strategy studied from a general management perspective. Interrelationships between the firm and its external environment, and between the firm's corporate, business, and functional strategies are emphasized. Prerequisites: Completion of all program prerequisite courses; Consent of program director.
Elective Courses (12 hours):
Students will take four electives from a list of approved courses that are maintained by the program director. Students not having prior work experience in the information systems field will be required to complete a three-credit internship as one of their electives. Students may petition to add a course to the list of electives by justifying how that course adds to their program focus. The list of current electives includes:
CMIS 430 Advanced Java Programming
CMIS 460 Advanced Visual Basic Programming
CMIS 462 UNIX and Server Systems
CMIS 472 End User Systems Development
CMIS 535 Project Management Standard Processes
CMIS 536 Procurement Management in Projects (1.5 credit hours)
CMIS 537 Project Risk Management (1.5 credit hours)
CMIS 563 SQL-PL/SQL
CMIS 565 Oracle Database Administration
CMIS 572 Rapid Application Development and Prototyping
CMIS 557 Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
CMIS 588 Seminar: SAP ABAP Programming
CMIS 588 Seminar: ERP Configuration
CMIS 588 Seminar: Information Security
CMIS 588 Seminar: Oracle Developer Tools
CMIS 588 Seminar (other topics)
CMIS 587 Information Systems Internship
CMIS 597 Independent Study in CMIS
CMIS 598 Readings in Information Systems
Final Examination (1 hour)
CMIS 589
See the Exit Exam Page for more information.
