Moving Toward the Next Generation of Graduate Degree Programs in Information Systems

The curriculum recommendations for master’s level degree programs in Information Systems (most recently, MSIS 2006) have served the IS community well and formed a strong foundation on which many departments have built their graduate programs. Changes in technology, the way in which IS/IT solutions are procured and provided, and the need to raise the profile of master’s programs in IS, however, have created a need to review the master’s level model curriculum. This article builds on recent discussion on this topic within the IS community and is intended to move the conversation regarding the curriculum revision forward. Through three program exemplars and integrative discussion, the article identifies and addresses key questions related to the curriculum revision and provides guidance for any department that is currently in the process of modifying its degree program

MSIS 2006: Model Curriculum and Guidelines for Graduate Degree Programs in Information Systems

This article presents the MSIS 2006 Model Curriculum and Guidelines for Graduate Degree Programs in Information Systems. As with MSIS 2000 and its predecessors, the objective is to create a model for schools designing or revising an MS curriculum in Information Systems. The curriculum was designed by a joint committee of the Association for Information Systems and the Association for Computing Machinery. MSIS2006 is a major update of MSIS 2000. Features include increasing the number of required courses from 10 to 12 while revising prerequisites, introducing new courses and revising existing courses to modernize the curriculum, and alternatives for phased upgrading from MSIS2000 to MSIS 2006. As with the previous curriculum, it is the product of detailed consultation with the IS community. The curriculum received the endorsement of 8 major IS professional groups

Future of Master’s Level Education in Information Systems

Master’s level programs in Information Systems provide exciting opportunities for schools and departments that are willing to actively engage with their corporate partners and other key stakeholders to develop products that simultaneously address the needs of students, employers, and other stakeholders and build on the core strengths of the IS discipline. This article reports on the results of a panel discussion on master’s level education in IS that took place at AMCIS 2010. The panelists included experienced program directors, curriculum experts, and academic administrators from both North America and Europe. Their contributions brought together descriptions of successful program models, in-depth understanding of how the context for master’s programs in IS is changing, and ideas regarding the future direction for master’s education in IS

A Competency Based MSIS Curriculum

In response to the changing industry demands and increasing diversity of student needs when embarking on IS graduate studies, we determined that a fundamental redesign of the MSIS curriculum was necessary. We saw that the expanding IT universe now has more specialties than ever before while competitive forces simultaneously demand that firms keep costs under strict controls. Facing such pressures, firms demand more from IT professionals in the breadth and depth of their IT knowledge and skills coming from numerous knowledge domains. From these trends and issues we formulated the competency concept that forms the foundation for the new curriculum. A student earns a competency by completing four courses in a module. Now students can choose to pursue multiple competencies and can return to upgrade skills after graduation. We describe the process and issues we faced as well as the competency-based modular curriculum. We end with discussing the remaining issues that we are handling

MSIS 2016 global competency model for graduate degree programs in information systems

[Extract] This document, “MSIS 2016: Global Competency Model for Graduate Degree Programs in Information Systems”, is the latest in the series of reports that provides guidance for degree programs in the Information Systems (IS) academic discipline. MSIS 2016 is the seventh collaborative effort between ACM and AIS (following IS’97, IS 2002, and IS 2010 at the undergraduate level; MSIS 2000 and MSIS 2006 at the graduate level; and CC 2005 as an integrative document).(undefined)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Redesign of a Master\u27s in Information Systems Curriculum: The Influence of Global Sourcing

We present a case study of a successful response to outsourcing, and IS job and enrollment declines through an IS curriculum redevelopment in a business school. First, we examine literature on outsourcing/offshoring phenomenon and on IS curricular redesign. A conceptual framework is presented that is useful in understanding the role of global collaborative group projects for learning about outsourcing in the IS graduate curriculum. A case study of one approach to an IS graduate curriculum redesign is then presented. The case examines the results of a survey of IT executives that informed the design of the curriculum. The case study curriculum is compared to the MSIS 2006 national model, and results are interpreted from prior literature and workforce trends

Increasing Student Success at Minority-Serving Institutions: Findings From the BEAMS Project

Details the five-step process used at over one hundred campuses to craft data-driven action plans to improve student success as part of the BEAMS (Building Engagement and Attainment for Minority Students) initiative. Includes case studies

Business Informatics: An Engineering Perspective on Information Systems

The abstract is included in the text

Undergraduate Information Systems (IS) Curriculum and Career Track Development in United States Colleges and Universities: Assessment of Adherence to IS 2010 Curriculum Guidelines

The purpose of this study was to survey information systems (IS) curriculum in Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accredited information systems programs across the United States, to evaluate current adherence to the IS 2010 curriculum guidelines, and to assess the number and type of career track developments initiated as a result of less stringent requirements in the new curriculum guidelines. In addition, an analysis was conducted to see if curriculum in AACSB-accredited information systems programs across the United States changed significantly since other similar evaluations reported in 1996 and 2006, and whether it is closer in adherence to the IS 2010 curriculum guidelines. The results of this study provided a current-state description of IS curriculums in the United States, specifically: (a) percentage adherance relationships and between AACSB-accredited information systems programs to IS 2010 curriculum guidelines; (b) defined curriculum profiles or latent class cluster characteristics of recent career track developments that have emerged; and (c) perceptions of adherence by the IS department faculty compared to the assessed adherence to IS 2010 curriculum guidelines. In the findings, a comprehensive view of the landscape for adherence to IS curriculum guidelines is discussed, including the following. (a) There is a wide range of adherence to the IS curriculum guidelines. In addition, none of the IS program assessed were either entirely compliant or not compliant at all. (b) Some topics are widely covered (over half) as core curriculum while other topics are offered as core curriculum in less than half of IS programs. (c) Very few IS programs have formally implemented the IS 2010 career track guideline recommendations. (d) IS programs implementing formal career tracks specify a reasonably small number of track options for students to consider. (e) IS programs that include career tracks provide unique offerings beyond the proposed sample tracks depicted in the IS 2010 curriculum guidelines. (f) There appear to be reasonably well-defined categories or clusters of IS programs as related to IS 2010 curriculum guideline adherence. (g) IS program faculty describe a higher perceived adherence to IS curriculum guidelines than what is actually assessed in this study. (228 pages