Mar 22, 2023  
2020-2021 Graduate Catalog 
    
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2020-2021 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Business Analytics and Information Systems, M.S.

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Priority Admission Application Deadlines: http://www.grad.usf.edu/majors

This program is offered partially online.

Concentrations:

Analytics and Business Intelligence
Information Assurance

Also offered as:

  • track under Business Administration (Ph.D.) and application area in Business Administration (M.B.A.)
  • a Bachelor’s/Master’s Pathway

Contact Information

College: Muma College of Business
Department: School of Information Systems and Management (ISM)

Contact Information: http://www.grad.usf.edu/majors

The Master of Science (M.S.) in Business Analytics and Information Systems (BAIS) meets the needs of the marketplace for expertise in analytics, information technology and management. Highly qualified individuals with motivation for leadership in information technology and analytics are encouraged to apply for admission to this program. The major meets the needs of organizations in information services, software development, management consulting, and other sectors wherer data analytics is used in industry. An Advisory Board consisting of senior business analytics and information systems executives works closely with the department to ensure that the program stays relevant and maintains high standards.

The major is offered in two forms – an on-campus option and a weekend executive option.

The on-campus option is designed for students who need flexibility in their course work. Students will work with faculty to design the most effective course sequence and optional thesis/practicum /independent studies to meet the major curriculum requirements and accomplish their career goals.

Alternately, the weekend executive option is intended for full-time working Information Technology/Information Systems/Business professionals who will pursue this degree while remaining employed. The weekend executive option is offered on a cohort basis with a pre-determined set of courses and independent study options selected by faculty based on market needs and student profiles. Students will benefit from an accelerated curriculum with a managerial and leadership approach. To get the full benefit, applicants are expected to have a minimum of 5 years of relevant work experience.

Accreditation
Accredited by the AACSB International – The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

Admission Information

Must meet University Admission and English Proficiency requirements , as well as requirements for admission to the major, listed below. Students are admitted to the M.S./BAIS program based on the evaluation of their application in its entirety, including:

  • GMAT, GRE or other standardized scores for graduate programs (e.g. MCAT, LSAT).
    • For students with 5 years or more of relevant full-time work experience in Information Technology/ Information Systems/ Business Analytics in U.S., the requirement of standardized scores may be waived.
    • Students requesting such waivers should provide information justifying such waivers based on the above criteria. Additional documentation may be sought when deemed appropriate by the program.
  • letters of recommendations.
  • statement of purpose, and
  • relevant work experience.
    • For applicants with a 3-year Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited institution, the following requirements need to be met in addition to those listed above: Minimum GMAT score of 650 or a minimum GRE score of at least 321 (combined verbal and quantitative), and a minimum of 25th percentile in the verbal portion of the test. When the 3-year Bachelor’s Degree is less than 120 hours from Non-Bologna Accord Institutions, a transcript evaluation from A NACES member is required to confirm equivalency.

Curriculum Requirements

Total Minimum Hours: 33 credit hours

  • Core Requirements– 12 credit hours
  • Capstone – 3 credit hours
  • Concentration or Electives – 18 credit hours

The major requires 33 hours of coursework and may be taken either full-time or part-time. Full-time students with appropriate prerequisites may be able to complete the major in one full year (3 semesters) of study. Part-time students and full-time students who need prerequisites will typically need from 1 ½ to 3 years to complete the degree.

Prerequisites
Incoming students are expected to have the following as prerequisites

  1. A course in high-level, object oriented programming language (e.g., C#, C++, Java and Python) or substantial programming experience;
  2. A course in Information Systems Analysis and Design or equivalent experience;
  3. A course in Database Systems or equivalent experience;
  4. A course in Statistics or equivalent professional qualification or experiences
  5. A course in economics, or equivalent professional qualification or experiences and
  6. A course in financial accounting.

These required prerequisite courses may be taken simultaneously with courses in the M.S./BAIS major. Prerequisiite courses do not count toward the 33 credit hours of course requirements in the M.S./BAIS major.

Students have the choice of two options:

On-Campus Option:
Designed for students who need flexibility in their course work, students will work early in the first semester with their major advisor to complete a formal Major Curriculum of Study meeting the Major Curriculum Requirements that will define a coherent sequence of courses to accomplish the student’s objectives. Students have choice of electives as well as the option to complete a master’s thesis or practicum project, depending upon the availability and approval of a faculty sponsor.

Executive Weekend Option:
Intended for full-time working Information Technology/Information Systems/Business professionals who will pursue this degree while remaining employed. Offered on a cohort basis, students will meet the Major Curriculum Requirements through a pre-determined set of courses, electives, and independent study options selected by faculty and noted on the formal Major Curriculum of Study, based on market needs and student profiles. Students will benefit from an accelerated curriculum with a managerial and leadership approach. To get the full benefit, applicants are expected to have a minimum of 5 years of relevant work experience.

Core Requirements (12 Credit Hours)

The following four courses provide an understanding of the state-of-the-art in research and practice in technical areas of Information Systems Management.

Capstone Course (3 Credit Hours)

This course is considered the capstone of the M.S./BAIS major and as such it must be taken during one of the last two semesters of the student’s major.

Concentration Option Requirements

Students select from the following concentrations or complete 18 hours of electives.

Analytics & Business Intelligence Concentration (18 Credit Hours)

In addition to the Technical Core and Capstone courses, students must complete the following:
Required Courses (12 Credit Hours)

In addition, graduate students who take the required four courses for this concentration and earn an average GPA of 3.00 or higher in these courses, will receive a SAS approved Certificate in Analytics and Business Intelligence, when they use a SAS analytics package as part of some of these courses.

Specifically, graduate students will need to use, among other tools, SAS Enterprise Miner or an equivalent SAS analytics package in the Data Mining, Statistical Data Mining and Statistical programming for Business Analytics courses. If students take at least one of the courses marked with a * as part of the analytics and business intelligence concentration, they will receive a SAS approved Certificate in Analytics and Business Intelligence.

Students will have to complete four out of the following seven courses:

Electives (6 Credit Hours)

To complete the Analytics and Business Intelligence concentration, students will need to meet the 33 credit hour requirement for the MS in BAIS degree program by taking graduate level electives for the program. Other electives from across the campus may also be taken to meet the 33 credit hour requirement with prior approval of the academic advisor of the program.

Information Assurance Concentration (18 Credit Hours)

In addition to the Technical Core and Capstone courses, students must complete the following:

Required Courses (6 Credit Hours)
Electives (6 Credit Hours)

Any two elective courses from the set of courses listed below

Electives (6 Credit Hours)

To complete the Information Assurance concentration, students will need to meet the 33 credit hour requirement for the MS in BAIS degree by taking graduate level electives for the major. Other electives from across the campus may also be taken to meet the 33 credit hour requirement with prior approval of the academic advisor of the program.

Electives (18 Credit Hours)

Up to eighteen graduate level credits may be selected from additional Information Systems courses or (with prior approval by the academic advisor) other areas of specialization such as areas of Management, Decision Sciences, Computer Science, Logistics, etc. Existing Course Offerings:
In addition, the following Special Topics are being offered:

Thesis Option (6 Credit Hours)

The master’s thesis option requires six credits of ISM 6971 , which count as six of the 18 BAIS elective credits. The thesis must make a well-defined contribution to the research and development in an area of Information Systems.

Practicum Option (1-6 Credit Hours)

The practicum option requires an investigation of a new information technology artifact. The project typically occurs in the student’s place of employment and is jointly supervised by a faculty member and a manager in the company. One credit of ISM 6905  would be taken for each semester that the student works on a project. The practicum would count for one to six hours of the 18 hours of BAIS electives.

Research/Project Option (1-3 Credit Hours)

The research/ project option requires working on an BAIS related project that involves research or community engagement. The project is supervised by a faculty member. One to two credits of ISM 6905 would be taken for each semester that the student works on a project. The research/ project option would count for one to three hours of the 18 hours of BAIS electives.

Comprehensive Exam

In lieu of a comprehensive exam, assessments comprising the capstone course (ISM 6155 ) fulfill the requirements for the comprehensive assessment in the program.

Graduate Certificate Options

Note that students in the Program can also obtain graduate certificates in (1) Compliance, Risk and Anti-Money Laundering and/or (2) Information Assurance by selecting elective courses suitably.

Bachelor’s/Master’s Pathway

Also available as a Bachelor’s/Master’s Pathway  

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