Curriculum

Students may earn the Master of Science in Management Information Systems (MS-MIS) degree by following the traditional or the 4+1 pathway. Both options require 36 hours and have the same four prerequisites.

Traditional Pathway

Students complete the program in four semesters (21 months), beginning the program in August and finishing in May of the following academic year. The number of hours in the last semester can be reduced by completing an internship (ISTM 684) for credit during the summer between the second and third semester as a directed elective. This would reduce the course load in the final semester to 6 credits (two classes). The following table outlines the progression through the program via the traditional pathway.

First Semester – Fall

(9 hours)
  • ISTM 622 – Advanced Database Management
  • ISTM 624 – Advanced Systems Analysis & Design
  • ISTM 630 – MIS Project Management
Second Semester – Spring

(9 hours)
  • ACCT 640 – Accounting Concepts & Procedures
  • ISTM 635 – Business Information Security
  • ISTM 643 – Corporate Information Planning
Third Semester – Fall

(9 hours)
  • ISTM 637 – Data Warehousing
  • Directed elective
  • Directed elective
Fourth Semester – Spring

(9 hours)
  • ISTM 631 – Information Systems Design & Development
  • Directed elective
  • Directed elective

4+1 MS-MIS Pathway

To be eligible for this option, a student must currently be enrolled as an undergraduate student at Texas A&M University. Students selecting this option will receive a bachelor’s and master’s degree in a total of five years. Interested students must apply for this option before or during their junior year at Texas A&M, and are required to meet with the MS-MIS academic advisor, Dr. Aaron Becker, prior to submitting an application.

An undergraduate GPR ≥ 3.25 is required. The GRE or GMAT is also required and the standard program prerequisites apply.

To complete the MS-MIS program in one year beyond the undergraduate degree, students must complete at least nine credit hours of graduate-level course work before earning their undergraduate degree.  These nine credit hours of graduate work must be completed as follows:

  • Take at least six hours of graduate coursework in your last spring semester as an undergraduate student (these hours are in addition to the hours required to complete the undergraduate degree).
  • Participate in a summer internship for credit (ISTM 684) during the summer between graduating with an undergraduate degree and beginning the MS-MIS program.

4+1 Pathway for MIS majors

The table below provides an example of the course load for an undergraduate MIS major pursuing the 4+1 MS-MIS pathway.

During UG Program – Spring

(6 hours)
  • ISTM 635 – Business Information Security (offered in spring only)
  • Directed Elective
Summer Before First Semester
of MS-MIS Program(3 hours)
  • ISTM 684 – Internship (as Directed Elective)
First Semester – Fall

(15 hours)
  • ISTM 622 – Advanced Database Management
  • ISTM 624 – Advanced Systems Analysis & Design
  • ISTM 630 – MIS Project Management
  • Directed Elective
  • Directed Elective
Second Semester – Spring

(12 hours)
  • ISTM 631 – Information Systems Design & Development
  • ISTM 643 – Corporate Information Planning
  • ISTM 650 – Business Data Mining
  • Directed Elective

4+1 Pathway for non-MIS majors

The following table illustrates a typical course load for an undergraduate student with a major other than MIS.

During UG Program

(15 hours)
  • ISTM 250 – Introduction to Programming Logic
  • ISTM 315 – Database Management
  • ISTM 320 – Systems Analysis and Design

Hold for Graduate Credit:

  • ISTM 643 – Corporate Information Planning (offered in spring only)
  • Directed Elective
Summer Before First Semester

(3 hours)
  • ISTM 684 – Internship (as directed elective)
First Semester – Fall

(15 hours)
  • ISTM 610 – Data Communications (last prerequisite)
  • ISTM 622 – Advanced Database Management
  • ISTM 624 – Advanced Systems Analysis & Design
  • ISTM 630 – MIS Project Management
  • Directed Elective
Second Semester – Spring

(15 hours)
  • ISTM 631 – Information Systems Design & Development
  • ISTM 635 – Business Information Security
  • ISTM 650 – Business Data Mining
  • Directed Elective
  • Directed Elective