Information Management and Technology
Contact David Mo Ha, 245 Hinds Hall, 315-443-2911; imt@syr.edu.
Faculty Marilyn P. Arnone, Robert Benjamin, Scott A. Bernard, Susan M. Bonzi, Derrick L. Cogburn, Kevin Crowston, Michael D'Eredita, David Dischiave, Susan Dischiave, Renee Franklin, Paul B. Gandel, Martha A. Garcia-Murillo, Robert Heckman, Jill Hurst-Wahl, Jill Hurst-Wahl, Michelle L. Kaarst-Brown, Bruce R. Kingma, Barbara Kwasnik, R. David Lankes, Kenneth Lavender, Elizabeth D. Liddy, Ian MacInnes, Nancy McCracken, Lee W. McKnight, David Molta, Milton L. Mueller, Scott R. Nicholson, Michael S. Nilan, Megan Oakleaf, Carsten S. Oesterlund, Joon S. Park, Jian Qin, Jeffrey H. Rubin, Steven B. Sawyer, Steven B. Sawyer, Ruth V. Small, Jeffrey M. Stanton, Zixiang (Alex) Tan, Arthur Thomas, Arthur Thomas, Howard Turtle, Howard Turtle, Murali Venkatesh, Ping Zhang
The B.S. in information management and technology teaches students to understand the value of information to society, organizations, and individual professionals. Students are prepared to analyze the information needs of individuals and organizations and to design and manage information systems that meet specific needs.
Information is now recognized by many organizations as their most valuable resource. Information professionals are employed by a variety of organizations, including governments, health care facilities, research institutes, legal services, large and small retail industries, banks and investment companies, sports and entertainment industries, consulting firms, colleges and universities, and international agencies.
The study of information focuses on the use and users of information as much as upon the systems that manipulate it. Students must have a broad education in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities, as well as in the areas of information management and information technologies.
All students take an information management and technology primary core of 24-25 credits, which includes basic courses in information technology, information-based organizations, and information management. Students select five additional information management and technology courses from the following concentrations:
- information security,
- project management,
- network management,
- web design and management, and
- database management.
Courses within the information management and technology curriculum prepare students for a wide array of positions that:
- perform organizational information needs analysis and information planning;
- formulate information and information technology policies and procedures;
- conduct research and development in information technologies appropriate to support an organization’s mission;
- facilitate technology transfer between organizational units;
- monitor and evaluate information resources, including information sources, services, and technologies;
- coordinate information resources management across and outside an organization; and
- budget for and acquire information resources.
Students may further focus on an area of interest by incorporating one or more concentrations into their coursework, thus enhancing their resumes and marketability.
As information specialists are in high demand in the marketplace, careers are not limited to specific disciplines or industries. Our graduates are highly sought for such positions as information security managers, information management consultants, web design and development managers, database developers, project managers, process managers, database designers and managers, systems and design analysts, network administrators and managers, technology evaluators, user training and support technicians, and many other roles.
Some students may prefer to continue their education after receiving the bachelor’s degree in order to pursue a professional career in such fields as business, education, government, law, librarianship, or medicine. The B.S. degree is an excellent preprofessional degree in that it combines a broad liberal arts education with computer and information technology skills; information seeking, use, and presentation skills; and a conceptual understanding of information’s role in the modern society and economy.
Students graduating with a major or minor from the iSchool can petition to waive up to 6 credits toward one of the school’s master’s degree programs, thereby reducing the number of credits needed to complete the graduate degree.
Information management and technology majors often complement their programs with a minor. A sample of minors include the following:
Accounting
Biology (especially for pre-med)
Chemistry (especially for pre-med)
Economics
Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises
Finance
Management Studies
Marketing
Philosophy
Policy Studies
Public Communications
Sport Management
Learning Outcomes
The educational objectives of the undergraduate program in information management and technology are to enable graduates to do the following:
- Maintain knowledge of the functional areas of information management and their application to a variety of organizational contexts.
- Use critical thinking skills and creativity to understand the uses of information for solving complex problems.
- Understand the uses of information technologies for solving human problems.
- Accomplish goals through effective leadership and teamwork.
- Understand the need for and use of information in relation to ethical, societal, regulatory, and technological issues.
- Clearly and effectively communicate ideas in writing and orally.
- Use relevant technologies appropriate to solve problems.
- Recognize the need for and an ability to engage in lifelong learning.
MAJOR REQUIREMENTS
To graduate, students must complete 120 credits and must maintain at least a 2.5 grade point average in the information studies core.
The 120 credits must be distributed as follows: 39-40 credits in information management and technology; 12 courses/36 credits in arts and sciences electives; 21-23 credits in skills electives; and 21-24 credits in free electives.
I. Information Management and Technology Major (39 to 40 credits)
The information management and technology curriculum includes a 24-25 credit required core and 15 additional credits in information management and technology courses. The 24-25 credit core consists of the following courses:
A. Primary Core (24 to 25 credits)
IST 101 First-Year Forum (1 credit) (first-year students only)
IST 195 Information Technologies
Technology Courses
IST 233 Introduction to Computer Networking
IST 346 Operating Systems Administration
IST 459 Introduction to Database Management Systems
Management Courses
IST 335 Introduction to Information-Based Organizations
IST 352 Information Analysis of Organizational Systems
IST 445 Managing Information Systems Projects
IST 466 Professional Issues in Information Management and Technology
B. Information Management and Technology Electives (15 credits)
As students define their professional interests, they may choose coursework to match their planned career paths.
Students must complete five additional IST courses in the concentrations below. Concentrations consist of two required courses and one course from those recommended.
Concentrations
Information Security
Required
IST 423 Introduction to Information Security
IST 429 Organizational Information Security
Recommended
IST 400 Database Security
IST 425 Risk Management
IST 452 Advanced Computer Networking
Project Management
Required
IST 325 Information Management Consultation
IST 419 Applied Economics for Information Managers
Recommended
IST 322 Information Resources Planning
IST 442 Introduction to E-Commerce
IST 456 Information Policies and Decision Making
IST 476 Integrated Information Systems Projects
Network Management
Required
IST 452 Advanced Computer Networking
IST 475 Telecommunications Projects
Recommended
IST 448 Broadband Wireless Network Technologies
IST 453 Telecommunications Regulations
IST 463 Design and Management of Internet Services
Web Design and Management
Required
IST 463 Design and Management of Internet Services
IST 479 Electronic Commerce Technologies
Recommended
IST 449 Human Computer Interaction
IST 452 Advanced Computer Networking
IST 553 Information Architecture of Internet Services
Database Management
Required
IST 400 Database Security
IST 469 Advanced Data Administration Concepts and Database Management
Recommended
IST 463 Design and Management of Internet Services
IST 479 Electronic Commerce Technologies
IST 553 Information Architecture of Internet Services
C. General Information Management and Technology Electives
(15 credits)
Students may take any of the courses listed above, any 500-level course, or any of the following:
IST 300 Selected Topics
IST 337 Digital Information Retrieval Skills
IST 341 Observations and Analysis of Information User Behavior
IST 422 Acquiring, Procuring, and Financing Information Technology
IST 426 Business Information Sources and Strategic Intelligence
IST 443 Critique of the Information Age
IST 444 Information Reporting and Presentation
IST 471 Internship in Information Management and Technology
IST 472 Cooperative Education in Information Management and Technology
IST 476 Integrated Information Systems Projects
IST 490 Independent Study
IST 499 Honors Thesis/Project (Honors students only)
II. Skills Electives (21-23 credits)
Programming Skills (3 credits)
All students majoring in information management and technology are required to complete one computer programming course from the list below:
IST 256 Application Programming for Information Systems
CPS 196 Introduction to Computer Programming: C
CPS 335 JAVA Programming for the Internet,
or
Any approved programming course
Communications Skills (12 credits)
WRT 105 Studio 1 or
WRT 109 Studio 1 (Honors)
WRT 205 Studio 2 or
WRT 209 Studio 2 (Honors), or another writing course with permission of advisor
WRT 303 Advanced Writing Studio: Research and Writing
or
WRT 307 Advanced Writing Studio: Professional Writing
CRS 225 Public Advocacy
or
CRS 325 Presentational Speaking
or
IST 444 Information Reporting and Presentation
Quantitative or Language Skills (6-8 credits)
All information management and technology majors are required to attain minimum competence in either a foreign language or mathematics. Students may satisfy this requirement by completing either the quantitative skills or the language skills requirement of the Liberal Arts Core curriculum of the College of Arts and Sciences.
III. Arts and Sciences Divisional Electives (12 courses; minimum 36 credits)
More than one-third of the courses required for completing the information management and technology major are taken in the College of Arts and Sciences. The three divisions of the Arts and Sciences—Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Social Sciences, and Humanities—play a central role in the information management and technology curriculum. Students are required to take three courses in each of the three divisions. In addition, three courses in any of the divisions must be completed to fulfill this requirement.
IV. General Electives (21-24 credits)
Students can take any Syracuse University course open to them or concentrate on a minor, a dual degree, a combined degree, a cooperative education or internship experience, or study abroad.
Minor in Information Management and Technology
Contact David Mo Ha, 245 Hinds Hall, 315-443-2911;
imt@syr.edu.
The 18-credit minor program in information management and technology can be taken with any SU major, with the approval of the student’s home college. The minor complements many majors because all organizations need people who understand information resources and information technology. Students who minor in information management and technology will increase their employability in a variety of careers.
- Biology and chemistry majors who want to work in a research lab will be more employable if they can use online information systems to retrieve information and manage data, such as genome sequences.
- Retailing and business students will be better prepared to work in business if they have skills in microcomputer applications and office systems technology.
- Communications students must be able to research information and present and package it effectively in video, audio, and print form. An information management and technology minor will provide those skills.
- Economics, history, and political science majors with courses in information systems and information policy will find many opportunities to work in federal, state, and local government.
- Health and Human Services majors who minor in information management and technology will be better prepared to work in the automated, information-intensive environment of the health care industry.
- Design and art majors will learn how information technology gives them new tools by which to enhance the world.
Required Courses (9 credits)
IST 195 Information Technologies
One course from each of the following areas:
Technology Courses
IST 233 Introduction to Computer Networking
IST 346 Operating Systems Administration
IST 459 Introduction to Database Management Systems
Management Courses
IST 335 Introduction to Information-Based Organizations
IST 352 Information Analysis of Organizational Systems
IST 445 Managing Information Systems Projects
Electives (9 credits)
Select three other information management and technology courses, preferably from one or more of the information management and technology concentrations.
Admission
Students considering the minor may delay enrolling until the third year of study. However, interested students are encouraged to begin planning with a School of Information Studies advisor during the first or second year. Students are required to fill out a brief application form. Applicants must have a grade point average of at least 3.0. Depending upon available spaces, students with GPAs below 3.0 may be considered. However, there may be times when GPA requirements will be higher than 3.0 due to space restrictions. Students must also meet other criteria as determined by the faculty of the School of Information Studies.