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2024-2025 Graduate Catalog

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Business Analytics, M.S.

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Muma College of Business  
Department: School of Information Systems and Management 

Concentrations:

  • Analytics and Business Intelligence
  • FinTech
  • Information Assurance

Also offered as:

 
The online global AIBA is a self-supporting program.  Information on tuition and fees can be found here.

Please note: With the exception of the Department of Children and Family (DCF) waivers, all other waivers (including State of Florida and USF employee) are not accepted for Self-Funded/Self-Supporting or Market Rate Tuition program courses. For additional information, visit: USF Tuition Waiver.

 

The Master of Science (M.S.) in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Business Analytics (AIBA) prepares students for growing needs for expertise in artificial intelligence, business analytics, data science, data engineering, and information technology in the industry. The major meets the needs of organizations in information services, software development, technology consulting, and other industry sectors where artificial intelligence and business analytics are used. An Advisory Board consisting of senior artificial intelligence, business analytics, and information systems executives works closely with the department to ensure that the program stays relevant and maintains high standards.

 

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. program based on the evaluation of their application in its entirety, including:

  • GMAT or GRE scores
    • For applicants with three (3) years or more of relevant full-time work experience in Information Systems/ Business Analytics in the geographic region where the program is offered, the requirement of standardized scores may be waived.
    • For applicants with a Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems / Business Analytics from USF or equivalent U.S. universities (as deemed by the program) with a GPA of 3.50 or higher, the requirement of standardized scores may be waived.
    • Applicants requesting such waivers should provide appropriate documentation justifying such waivers based on the above criteria. Additional documentation may be sought by the program.
       
  • Two letters of recommendations.
  • Statement of purpose.
  • Relevant work experience in information technology, information services, business analytics, or related sectors.
  • 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– 15 credit hours
  • Capstone – 3 credit hours
  • Concentration or Electives – 15 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./AIBA major. Prerequisite courses do not count toward the 33 credit hours of course requirements in the M.S./AIBA major.

 

Core Requirements (15 Credit Hours)

The following 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./AIBA major and as such it must be taken during one of the last two semesters of the student’s major.

Concentration or Elective Options

Students select from the following concentrations or complete 15 hours of electives.

Analytics and Business Intelligence Concentration (15 Credit Hours)

Students will have to complete three (3) of the following courses (9 credit hours):

FinTech Concentration (15 Credit Hours)

Information Assurance Concentration (15 Credit Hours)

Electives (15 Credit Hours)

Students not opting for a concentration must complete 15 credit hours of electives as listed below. Students opting for a concentration may take any of the electives listed below to meet the 33-credit requirement of their degree that they have not already taken as part of their concentration. A maximum of nine (9) credit hours of non-departmental electives may be allowed in other areas of specialization, such as Management, Computer Science, and Supply Chain Management, with prior approval of the M.S./BAIS academic advisor:

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 6945 Business Analytics and Information Systems Internship  would be taken for each semester that the student works on a project. The practicum would count for one to six hours of the 15 hours of AIBA electives.

Research/Project Option (1-3 Credit Hours)

The research/ project option requires working on an AIBA related project that involves research or community engagement. The project is supervised by a faculty member. One to two credits of ISM 6905 Independent Study  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 15 hours of AIBA electives.

Comprehensive Exam

In lieu of a comprehensive exam, assessments comprising the capstone course (ISM 6155 Enterprise Information Systems Management  ) 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.

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