Information Systems

MSIS Curriculum

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Master of Science in Information Systems

Curriculum & Degree Requirements:

The Master of Science in Information Systems (MSIS) consists of 30 credits, all earned in course work. The program consists of five three-credit required core courses and a minimum of fifteen additional credits from a list of elective courses approved for the program drawn from a range of disciplines. If some required courses are duplicative of courses that may have been taken in the student’s undergraduate degree program, those courses need not be repeated, and the student will select in consultation with the MSIS Graduate Coordinator and the Steering Committee additional approved courses to arrive at the total of 30 credit hours.

Although copied below, the official degree requirements may be found in the Graduate Catalog (select current year catalog and then Graduate Programs, Certificates and Specializations > Information Systems).

The MSIS is offered wholly on-campus as well as entirely online.

Required Courses:

For new students starting by Fall 2024, the following five courses must be taken and all count toward the graduate degree unless they were counted in a student’s undergraduate program.

• SIE 507 – Information Systems Programming (3 credits)*
• SIE 515 – Human Computer Interaction (3 credits)*
• SIE 525 – Information Systems Law (3 credits)*
• SIE 550 – Design of Information Systems (3 credits)*
• SIE 557 – Database System Applications (3 credits)*

Students must take at least fifteen additional credits that are approved in advance by the MSIS Steering Committee from the following approved elective course listings in order to arrive at the total required of 30 credits. Students should NOT assume that any combination of the following courses will be approved by the Steering Committee. Students should obtain approval of their full program of study prior to taking elective courses to ensure that they count towards their degree requirements. Students may propose additional graduate courses than those listed below be included on their program of study on a case-by-case basis or added to the list. The MSIS Steering Committee assesses the reasonableness of such requests and makes the final decision on whether specific additional courses serving the objectives of the MSIS program and the needs of the student may be included.

Some of the elective graduate courses listed may require prerequisites in addition to the minimum required for general admission to the MSIS graduate program. Some schools and departments grant enrollment preference to graduate students in their own programs so check with the relevant department or college as appropriate.

* = regularly taught by distance methods

* = regularly taught by distance methods

For descriptions of the above elective courses and potential additional electives, see the Graduate Catalog (select current year catalog and then Graduate Courses > Prefix(for example SIE  or BUA) > Filter).

In addition to the above, courses at the 400 level or above taken through other university campuses or by distance methods may be approved on a graduate student’s formal Program of Study through transfer of credit as long as the course did not count towards another academic degree. No more than three courses may be transferred from other campuses. Students should consult with the graduate coordinator to investigate the possibilities for transfer.

Detailed Requirements:

• Programs of Study are approved for each student by the Steering Committee for the MSIS graduate program. (See also Curriculum Note 5 below). This committee consists of the MSIS Graduate Program Coordinator and two additional graduate faculty members in the department or affiliated with the program.
• Each student’s Program of Study must include the five required core courses with the remainder of courses to be selected from an approved course list maintained by the department or proposed by the student and assessed for possible approval. The list is regularly updated and includes appropriate courses drawn from across campus. Each student’s Program of Study must be approved in advance by the MSIS Steering Committee.
• At least 15 credits of the 30 required on a student’s program of study must be at the 500 level or above.
• Up to two courses may be taken at other universities by distance methods or otherwise if contained on the student’s graduate program of study and approved in advance by the MSIS Steering Committee.
• Up to two graduate courses may be transferred into the student’s graduate program of study if taken prior to admission to the Graduate School, the courses did not count towards the student’s undergraduate degree requirements, and the courses are approved by the MSIS Steering Committee.
• The MSIS Graduate Coordinator typically serves as the advisor for each student admitted to the program and the MSIS Steering Committee serves as the graduate committee for each student in the program.
• All students must complete the entire M.S. graduate program of study within a six-year period (as established by the Graduate School).

Graduate Certificate in Information Systems

The Graduate Certificate in Information Systems is available to those students who complete the fifteen credits of required courses listed above under the MS Information Systems graduate degree program.

The School of Computing and Information Science supports and manages student applications for graduate certificates in the following areas:

• Graduate Certificate in Geographic Information Systems
• Graduate Certificate in Information Systems
• Graduate Certificate in Computing for Educators
• Graduate Certificate in Data Science

Any of these Graduate Certificates may be pursued independently or earned as part of and complementary to the MS Spatial Informatics, MS Information Systems, and MSSIE [Project Option] degrees. All certificates are offered both on campus and online. For detailed requirements and how to apply, consult the site at Graduate Certificates. Formal admission through the graduate school application process is required even if you are enrolled simultaneously in a graduate degree program.

Alternatively simply complete the Graduate Certificate Application available through the appropriate link at Apply Now

Advising Notes

(1) Math Readiness – What is the one last thing that you might still accomplish that might better prepare you for entering computing courses at the University of Maine?
True Story: After reading a book about Kahn Academy assigned in the COS 490 class, one of our top senior students in computer science came to the realization that his math education indeed had many holes in it due to missing concepts somewhere along the line or just forgetting concepts he had previously learned. Even though he had already completed all the required math courses in the curriculum with A’s (including the calculus course sequence), he went back to the third grade level in Kahn Academy and marched though all of the online student lessons up to and through the Algebra materials. Spending an hour or so each evening, it took him several weeks. He aced his graduate record exams for entry into grad school and is convinced that this computer-aided self-learning and review in math made all the difference. Thus, if you want to better prepare yourself for some of your computing courses, you might want to consider following his suggested process before and even after you start your program in the School of Computing and Information Science. If pressed for time, however, perhaps a review of the Algebra I and II materials may be sufficient. See https://www.khanacademy.org/math

(2) Elective Courses Not Contained in the Official UMaine Catalog – All of the elective courses listed above continue to be accepted. Many of these courses at other campuses and in other programs are NOT listed in the official online catalog for pragmatic reasons. However, these elective courses are typically still accepted by the faculty for inclusion on your Program of Study. Other relevant courses may also be petitioned for that are not on the above current list.

(3) Transfer Courses – Any course taken at another university that is included for credit on your Program of Study is viewed as a transfer course. This requires approval in the process of admission or through the approval process for the Program of Study.

(4) Waived Courses – Waived courses are required courses that need not be taken because the student has already covered the subject matter of the course in previous courses. See the SCIS Course Waiver Form. If a course is waived, another course is taken in its place with approval of the Graduate Coordinator in consultation with the faculty. In some instances, the replacement course is prespecified. For instance if SIE 507 is waived, the replacement course is SIE 508 unless that subject matter as well has already been covered in previous coursework by the student.

(5) Taking Courses from Other Campuses –  If a course listed above is taken from another campus, it must first be approved on your Program of Study (See Master’s POS or Grad Certificate POS). After approval, you must complete the Domestic Study Away Form (DSAF) for each course taken on another campus. Each DSAF should be submitted near the time in which you enroll in any course from away. Sign it, submit it first to the Graduate Coordinator (harlan.onsrud@maine.edu) and then send the form with those two signatures to the UMaine Graduate School (debbi.clements@maine.edu). The graduate school will forward the form to other campus offices that may need it to validate your active student status, particularly if you are receiving any financial aid.

(6) Programs of Study (POS) – If needed for study away courses or for documenting the acceptance of transfer courses, please complete the POS form immediately upon admission.  Otherwise, completing the POS after one or two semesters in the program is fine. (See https://umaine.edu/graduate/ > Students (in the upper menu)> Forms and Documents> Master’s and CAS Program of Study and/or Certificate Program of Study as appropriate.) In completing the form, you may determine the semester that SIE courses are typically offered by consulting (a) the tables found in the Data Science Curriculum that contains as well most of the MSIS courses (search by the course number) or (b) the Graduate Student Guide on pages 11 through 14. For the MSIS Program of Study, include ten and only ten courses on the POS. For the IS Graduate Certificate include only the 5 required courses. All information and your signature must be supplied. If you don’t yet know the exact semester for each course or the exact course(s) you will ultimately pursue, take a best guess for now. You may always alter the form later by submitting  a Change in Program of Study form available from the same link.

(7) On-Leave Status – If you decide to enroll in no courses for one or more regular academic year semesters, your are required to submit a Request for On-Leave Status. If you fail to submit such a request, you are assumed to have left the program by the Graduate School.

(8) Application for Graduation – As graduation approaches, you should file a Completion of Degree Requirements form with the Graduate School. This often first requires submission of a Change in Program of Study form to ensure that any changes in your POS have been approved by the faculty. (See https://umaine.edu/graduate/students/forms-and-documents/ > Change in Program of Study and/or Completion of Degree Requirements as appropriate.)

Lab Facilities

Students have access to state-of-the-art computer labs and software. MSIS students are also provided with shared work space and a student lounge in Room 137 Boardman Hall. The department maintains a range of database, GIS, statistical and programming software for teaching and research support. Compilers and software development environments are available for common programming languages including C++, and Java, fast prototyping environments such as Visual Basic, and Prolog. The department has educational site licenses for Oracle, ESRI software, Intergraph GIS and CAD software, Smallworld GIS, Idrisi and Mapinfo.

More extensive descriptions of lab, equipment and software made available to all students in the School of Computing and Information Science is available at Labs and Equipment and through the SCIS Common Use Labs in Boardman Hall Lab Manual.