2015-2016 Graduate Course Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Information Management, MS
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 Return to: School of Information Studies
Contact:
Carsten Oesterlund, Program Director, 309 Hinds Hall, 315-443-2911, igrad@syr.edu
Website:
Information Management
Overview:
Information has a fundamental effect on the structure, process and success of all organizations. Those who can manage the tools of information acquisition, use, retention and transfer can enable their organizations to develop and leverage strategic advantages based upon information. Along with these advantages comes also the responsibility to set forth and manage policies for the use and protection of information resources at all levels across the enterprise.
The Master of Science in Information Management (IM) is designed to prepare students to respond to four basic challenges confronting organizations today:
- Increasing the effectiveness of managers and executives who work with information resources;
- Designing and managing mission-critical information technologies within organizations;
- Developing corporate and government policies to maximize the benefits resulting from the widespread use of these technologies; and
- Leveraging information resources to achieve strategic advantage for business, government, and nonprofit organizations.
The iSchool at Syracuse University is a leading center for defining both the theory and the practice of information management. Like the school itself, the IM program is interdisciplinary in focus, combining expertise in the strategic management of information resources, organizational psychology, human-computer interaction, information economics, information policy, e-business, information technology, as well as data management.
Professional Values and Competencies:
IM graduates acquire skills in management and organizational change, solution analysis and design, communication and collaboration, business process improvement, and applied information technology. Our graduates learn to approach challenges with strategic vision, while ensuring that technology solutions integrate with enterprise goals.
Learning Outcomes:
IM graduates have a diverse set of skills that enable them to participate at all levels of information technology management. They are expected to acquire competencies in the following:
- Management of Technology: Students will be able to integrate technical and solution development concepts with the principles of management, strategy, and financial analysis. Students will be able to apply these concepts in the analysis of complex management case studies and problems. Students will be able to analyze, compare, evaluate, and clearly articulate the relative value of IT investment alternatives.
- Management of Solution Development: Students will be able to employ their knowledge and comprehension of information-related disciplines in the development of information system solutions. These disciplines include systems analysis and design, project management, IT procurement, and user analysis. Students will be able to apply these disciplines to the solution of organizational and business problems.
- Technical Knowledge: Students will be able to describe operation and use of information and communication technologies, including database management systems, networks, operating systems, information security, and Internet technologies. Students will be able to apply these technologies to solve information problems at the individual and organizational levels.
- Organizational Context of IM: Students will be able to articulate the environmental forces that affect the application of IT solutions. Such forces include demographic, social, economic, and ethical factors, as well as local, national, and international information policy and regulation.
- Evolution of the IM Field: Students will be able to use their knowledge of the history and current state of the management of information technology to create and evaluate plausible scenarios for the future evolution of technology and the field.
- Professional Communication Skills: Students will be able to demonstrate the application of principles, norms, and practices governing professional communication in their field through developing and delivering effective professional communications.
- Leadership and Teamwork Development: Students will be able to demonstrate the principles of leadership, followership, and effective collaboration in both co-located and virtual team contexts.
- Information Literacy, Analysis, and Problem Solving: Students will be able to find, organize, manage, evaluate, and use information resources effectively for the solution of professional problems.
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Curriculum:
The 42-credit curriculum includes a 10-credit primary core requirement, a 15-credit secondary core requirement across three core areas, 8 to 14 credits of electives, and a 3 to 9 credit exit requirement. Some requirements can be waived on the basis of the student’s professional full-time work experience (see Waiver Policy below). The master’s degree program must be completed within seven years although most students complete the degree in two years. The program is available to part-time and distance students and can be completed at the student’s own pace through evening, short courses, and online delivery.
(Courses, other than those listed below, may apply to the Secondary Core. Students should review the full iSchool curriculum and make requests for substitutions, as appropriate. Students should consult Advising in Student Services for these requests.)
The program includes three components:
I. Primary core (10 credits)
IST 601 and IST 621 (gateway courses) must be taken in the first semester of the student’s program (gateway courses), unless specifically advised based on the timing of a student’s entry into the program.
II. Secondary Core (15 credits)
Management Approaches and Strategies Track (6 credits)
Technological Infrastructure Track (6 credits)
User Information Needs Track (3 credits)
III. Electives (8 to 11 credits)
All iSchool courses are acceptable electives. In addition, with the approval of their academic advisors and the program director, students are allowed to take up to 6 credits of certain courses from other schools at Syracuse University (such as the Whitman School of Management and the College of Engineering and Computer Science) as electives toward their MS/IM program.
IV. Exit Requirement (3 to 9 credits)
Waiver Policy:
- Students with more than one year of full-time professional IT experience in the information technology field may waive the internship requirement (experience may be audited). This waiver will not reduce the total credits required for the IM degree but will allow the student to take other course electives to fulfill the credit requirements for the degree.
- Students with a minimum of three years of full-time work experience in the IT field, may petition to reduce the credit requirement of the program by three credits, substituted by work experience, which will be audited. Students should consult Advising in Student Services regarding the procedures for this petition.
Master of Science in Information Management for Executives
Contact:
Carsten Oesterlund, Program Director, 309 Hinds Hall, 315-443-2911, igrad@syr.edu
Website:
Information Management for Executives
Overview:
Our Executive IM program will confer a Master’s of Science in Information Management on your diploma.
Students with six or more years of appropriate full-time professional management experience in the information management field and who demonstrate appropriate professional qualifications may apply to the Master of Science in Information Management Executive Program. Those accepted into the program may waive the internship requirement, and reduce the number of credits required for the degree to 30.
This degree program can be completed on campus, online, or through a combination of both options. Students take the same classes and learn from the same accomplished faculty members who teach in the 42-credit hour program. They can tailor their coursework to fill knowledge gaps or deepen their existing knowledge to develop a specialty.
To qualify for this program, applicants must demonstrate through both the extent and quality of their professional experience that they are strong candidates for leadership roles in the IM field. Applications will be evaluated on four dimensions to assess leadership potential and qualification for the executive program:
Years of Professional Experience:
A minimum of six years is necessary to be considered for the executive degree program. In some cases more than six years of experience may be necessary to demonstrate the qualifications required for admission to the executive degree program.
Appropriate Job Responsibilities:
The applicant’s professional experience must be in one or more domains that are central to the IM field. (Examples are application development, database management, information security, network management, system integration, systems analysis, business process analysis, enterprise architecture, software engineering. Note that this list is not exhaustive.)
Continually Increasing Responsibility:
The candidate must be able to demonstrate that his or her career shows a steady progression through increasingly responsible positions.
Curriculum:
The 30-credit curriculum for students in the M.S. in Information Management: Executive Track will be determined in collaboration with an academic advisor and the program director, and includes:
- Primary Core (9 credits)
- Secondary Core (9 credits)
- Electives (9 credits)
- Exit Requirement (3 credits)
With the advisor’s and program director’s approval, qualified students may substitute advanced courses for introductory primary and secondary core courses.
(Courses, other than those listed below, may apply to any track. Students should review the full iSchool curriculum and make requests for substitutions, as appropriate. Students should consult Advising in Student Services for these requests.)
I. Primary Core (9 credits)
Management and Financial Track
II. Secondary Core (9 credits)
Technological Infrastructure Track
User Information Needs Track
III. Electives (9 credits)
Students have a broad range of electives to choose from, including those available for students in the school’s other master’s degree programs. In addition to formal courses, students may fashion an independent study by collaborating with a faculty member.
IV. Exit Requirement (3 credits)
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Return to: School of Information Studies
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