Electives: 12-18 credits
All graduate-level iSchool IST courses are acceptable electives towards the MSIS program. Every semester, the iSchool offers “Selected Topics” courses, listed as IST 600 or IST 700, which can count towards the program. These courses are offered based on sufficient interest of a topic and not covered by standard curriculum but of interest to faculty and students in a particular semester. In addition, students can to take up to six elective credits from other schools at Syracuse University, such as the Whitman School of Management and the College of Engineering and Computer Science.
Exit Requirement: 3-9 credits
Students register for IST 755, the MSIS Capstone course, after the successful completion of IST 614 and at least 24 credits in the degree program. Students register for IST 765, the MSIS Research Capstone course, after the successful completion of IST 614, IST 671, and at least 24 credits in the degree program. IST 765 is intended for students who wish to complete a research project in the area of enterprise digital transformation, under faculty supervision, and in place of IST 755. Students register for IST 971 halfway through their program of study.
Guidelines for Credit Reductions and Substitutions
It is recognized that students who have had at least one year of full-time professional experience in the information technology field may have had significant work emphasis in either technical or managerial activities. Depending upon how much, and which type, of work experience the student has had, some courses in the MSIS program may be redundant with that experience. In an effort to promote the learning of new concepts in more depth, the following guidelines will be used to approve petitions to substitute work experience for certain program requirements or courses:
Students with a minimUm of one full year of full-time professional experience in IT:
Students with one or more years of full-time professional experience in the information technology field may petition to substitute the internship requirement, IST 971, with any 3-credit course that would normally count toward any program requirement. A current resume is required, and joining-leaving letters may also be requested and audited. If students elect this substitution of the internship requirement with a course, they may not count any additional internship credits taken toward the program requirements. All other program requirements will remain standard, and total program credits must equal 42.
Advising Evaluations for Students with a minimum of three full years of full-time professional experience in IT:
Students with three years or more of full-time professional experience in the information technology field may request to have a formal evaluation of their experience by an advisor, which must then be reviewed and approved by the Program Director. The goal of this evaluation is to determine which courses in the IS program from either List A or List B below are most redundant with their prior work experience. A current resume and joining-leaving letters from employers are required and may be audited.
List A: Courses that involve fundamental technical concepts (all are three credits):
- IST 623 - Introduction to Information Security
- IST 639 - Enterprise Technologies
- IST 651 - Scripting for Ent Data Sys
- IST 659 - Data Administration Concepts and Database Management
List B: Courses that involve fundamental managerial concepts (all are three credits):
- IST 614 - Management Principles for Information Professionals
- IST 645 - Managing Information Systems Projects
- IST 654 - Information Systems Analysis
Students with an approved advising evaluation of a minimum of three years, but less than six years, of full-time professional experience in the information technology field may petition to:
- Substitute one course (3 credits), selected in accordance with their advising evaluation from either List A or List B, with prior work experience, and
- Optionally substitute the internship requirement, IST 971, with any 3-credit course that would normally count toward any program requirement. If students elect this internship substitution, they may not count any internship credits taken toward program requirements.
All other program requirements will remain standard, and total program credits, including the approved petition for substitution of one selected course (3 credits) with work experience, must equal 42.
Students with an approved advising evaluation of a minimum of six years of full-time professional experience in the information technology field may petition to:
- Substitute two courses (6 credits), selected in accordance with their advising evaluation from either List A or List B, with prior work experience, and
- Optionally substitute the internship requirement, IST 971, with any 3-credit course that would normally count toward any program requirement. If students elect this internship substitution, they may not count any internship credits taken toward program requirements.
All other program requirements will remain standard, and total program credits, including the approved petition for substitution of up to two selected courses (6 credits) with work experience, must equal 42.
Students with an approved advising evaluation of a minimum of six years of full-time professional experience in the information technology field, and who have demonstrated leadership growth through a record of continuously increasing job responsibilities from technical to managerial should consult the Program Director regarding the possibility of more advanced program alternatives.
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