The Structure of the IS Program (Overview)
The undergraduate Information Systems (IS) program of the College of Computer
and Information Sciences at PSU is a multi-disciplinary program. It combines
knowledge from the fields of computer science and business administration along
with principles and theories of information systems. The program is structured
into a number of modules comprising the following types of courses: college
requirements, department requirements, and program requirements. College and
Department requirements have both been described in earlier sections of this
catalog.
The Program requirements account for 50 of the total 134 credit hours that an IS
student must complete. These consist of core courses, elective courses, and
supporting courses. Core courses are those that constitute the main areas of
knowledge of the IS discipline. IS elective courses are a list of courses that
introduce different topics of information systems, some of which are more
advanced studies in certain areas of the discipline. Supporting courses
represent the foundation business knowledge for an Information Systems student
and a communication course that strengthens the student’s technical
communication skills.
The following tables give an overview of the Information Systems program and its
classifications according to the major disciplines.
Overview of the Information Systems Program
|
Courses
|
Credits |
|
University Requirements
|
40 |
|
College Requirements |
44 |
|
Program Requirements
|
50 |
|
Total
|
134 |
The Structure of the IS Program According to major discipline
The IS Program according to major disciplines
|
Disciplines
|
Credits |
|
Information System |
37 |
|
Computer Sciences |
25 |
|
Business Studies |
18 |
|
Communication and English
|
11 |
|
Mathematics and Statistics |
9 |
|
Free Electives |
9 |
|
Humanities, Natural Science, and Physical Education |
25 |
|
Total |
134 |
DETAILED STRUCTURE OF THE INFORMATION SYSTEMS PROGRAM
1. University requirements
(40 credits).
2. College requirements (44 credits).
3. Program requirements (50
credits).
3.1 The IS core courses (21 credits).
3.2 The IS electives (9
credits).
3.3 Business courses (18 credits).
3.4 Communication course (2
credits)
3.1 The IS Core Course
The IS core courses provide the main bulk of theory, principles, and knowledge
of the information systems discipline. Additionally, these courses aim to give
the IS student the necessary experience through real application, development,
and practical training.
|
|
Course Title |
Credits
|
|
IS 201
|
Introduction to Information Systems
|
3 |
|
IS 225 |
Systems Analysis and Design I
|
3 |
|
IS 325 |
Systems Analysis and Design II
|
3 |
|
IS 330 |
Database Management Systems
|
3 |
|
IS 333 |
Information Systems Development
|
3 |
|
IS 370 |
Project Management
|
3 |
|
IS 423 |
Decision Support Systems |
3 |
3.2 The IS Electives (9 credits)
This section of IS courses represents a list of more specialized IS elective
courses. The purpose of these courses is to expand the student’s knowledge in
the field of IS. A student needs to select four of the courses listed below.
To fulfill the IS electives requirement, an IS student may select up to two
courses from the 300 or 400 computer science courses, given that all
prerequisites for such courses are met by the student. The student must get the
approval of his advisor in order to register for CS courses.
|
Course |
Course Title |
Credits |
|
IS 421 |
Operations Research
|
3 |
|
IS 444 |
Data Warehousing
|
3 |
|
IS 451 |
Knowledge-Based Systems
|
3 |
|
IS 464 |
Health Information Systems
|
3 |
|
IS 465 |
Geographic Information Systems
|
3 |
|
IS 470 |
IS Total Quality Management |
3 |
|
IS 484 |
Computer Modeling and Simulation
|
3 |
|
IS 489 |
Selected Topics in Information Systems
|
3 |
|
IS 494 |
Industry Link
|
3 |
|
CS 3xx |
---
|
3 |
|
CS 3xx - |
--
|
3 |
3.3 Supporting Business Courses (18 Credits).
Information systems are considered some of a business organization’s most
important assets. An IS graduate has a great opportunity to work in a business
organization analyzing and developing critical business information systems.
This makes it important for an IS graduate to have a basic knowledge of
operations and the working environment of a business organization. Students in
the IS program are required to take six business courses. These courses are
listed below
|
Course |
Course Title |
Credits |
|
ACC 101 |
Introduction to Financial Accounting
|
3 |
|
BUS 101 |
Introduction to Business
|
3 |
|
BUS 371 |
Production and Operations Management
|
3 |
|
BUS 373 |
Management Information Systems
|
3 |
|
FIN 301 |
Principles of Finance
|
3 |
|
MKT 301 |
Principles of Marketing |
3 |
3.4 Supporting Communication Course (2 Credits)
In addition to the college's requirement for communication skills for all its
students, Information Systems students are expected to further improve their
communication skills especially as they relate to the presentation and
expression of technical information.
|
Course |
Course Title |
Credits |
|
COM 301 |
Speech Communication for Technical Information |
2 |