Information Management (M.S.)

The Master of Science in Information Management is designed for individuals who wish to pursue a career in managing the information and information systems which form the infrastructure of business and government agencies today. While providing a thorough grounding in modern information technology, this program emphasizes the way information technology is efficiently and effectively managed. The program provides the academic foundation for those who seek to become an organization's chief information officer or to attain another senior position, such as a consultant, systems integrator, or project manager in the field of information resource management.

Students completing the Information Management program are expected to be effective leaders in organizations by being able to:

synthesize the underlying principles of the field;
analyze enterprises and organizations as a precursor to managing their information needs;
evaluate information as a resource;
evaluate the relationship between information and decision making;
apply the relationship of people, process, and technology to information management and the creation and operation of information systems with ethical awareness;
analyze the trends and developments in the information management field; and
synthesize the skills and abilities of an information architect and project manager through critical thinking, decision making, and communications skills.

Note: The School of Business Administration strongly recommends that candidates have at least two years of work experience before applying.

Degree Requirements

Completion of the M.S. in Information Management requires a total of 36 semester credits consisting of 30 credits in required courses, 3 credits in elective courses, and 3 credits in project work. If a student can demonstrate a depth of prior experience and/or education in a required content area, electives may be substituted for required courses. All requirements for the degree must be completed within five years of the initial registration. Graduate students may transfer up to 12 credits of similar graduate coursework from an accredited institution.

IM Core Requirements

IM 501 Information Technologies
IM 503 Conceptual Foundations of Information Management
IM 510 Database Management
IM 512 Information and Decision Making
IM 515 Telecommunications Management
BT 523 Knowledge Management
IM 525 Systems Development
IM 540 Economics of Information Technology
MGT 561 Ethics in the Information Age
IM 565 Information Resources Management
IM 599 Project
Elective (3 credit hours)

IM 501 and IM 503 are prerequisite to all other IM and BT courses. IM 565 is the capstone course and cannot be taken until the student has completed at least 27 credit hours in the program. IM 565 is prerequisite to IM 599.

Open Elective
A student may choose any School of Business Administration 3-credit graduate course; however, an additional BT or IM course is strongly recommended.

The Project
The project is a direct application of program material to the student's specific professional interest or area. Other means of satisfying the intent of the project may also be arranged, such as a large research paper or traditional graduate research for those continuing to a doctoral program.