Management and Information Systems
Department Head: Dr. James J. Chrisman
Area Advisors:
M.S.I.S.: Dr. Robert Otondo
Ph.D. concentration in Management: Dr. Laura Marler and Dr. James Vardaman
Ph.D. concentration in Information Systems: Dr. Merrill Warkentin
320 McCool Hall
Box 9581
Mississippi State, MS 39762
Telephone: 662-325-3928
E-mail: gsb@business.msstate.edu
The Department of Management and Information Systems offers the following graduate programs:
- Master of Science in Information Systems (M.S.I.S.)
- Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration with a concentration in Information Systems (Ph.D.)
- Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration with a concentration in Management (Ph.D.)
The department also participates in the interdisciplinary Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) program. See the Business Administration section of this publication for M.B.A. and Ph.D. information.
Master of Science in Information Systems
The mission of the Master of Science in Information Systems program at MSU is to prepare students to become information systems professionals who can successfully develop, acquire, and integrate information technology across levels and functions of a firm. The M.S.I.S. program prepares students by equipping them with critical technical skills; strengthening communication skills; enhancing the students’ understanding of business functions/operations; developing professional attitudes; and enhancing the students’ understanding of the link between an organization and information technology.
Admission Criteria
The applicant for the Master of Science in Information Systems (M.S.I.S.) program should hold a bachelor’s degree from a fully recognized four-year institution of higher learning that enjoys unconditional accreditation by appropriate regional accrediting agencies. The applicant must meet all general requirements stated in this publication.
The applicant for the M.S.I.S. program must have a grade point average of 3.00/4.00 or higher over the last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework. Admission to the M.S.I.S. program also requires a competitive score on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) or the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). While either GMAT or GRE scores are accepted, the GMAT is strongly preferred.
When a student is deficient in one of the criteria cited, the student's application may still be considered based on the strength of other materials contained in the student's application. However, reasonable minimum levels must be achieved in both the applicant's GPA and GMAT/GRE scores.
Our full-time, on-campus, and distance M.S.I.S programs accept applications for the fall, spring, and summer semesters. The deadlines for submitting all application materials, including GMAT or GRE scores, are the same general deadlines used by MSU's Office of the Graduate School. These deadlines can be found in the Admissions Requirements section of the Graduate Catalog.
International Applicants
An international applicant not holding a prior degree from a U.S. institution must submit an indicator of English proficiency including one of the following: (1) TOEFL score of 575 PBT (84 iBT) or (2) IELTS score of 7.0.
Transfer of Credit
Up to 6 hours of graduate transfer credits may be accepted toward fulfilling the requirements for the M.S.I.S. degree, provided the credits have been earned in a recognized (regionally accredited) institution and are considered applicable to the student's graduate program. These credits are considered part of the student's program and must adhere to the eight-year time limit restriction. Grades of C or below are not acceptable, nor are extension credits from other institutions.
Provisional Admission
An applicant who has not fully met the GPA requirement stipulated by the University may be admitted on a provisional basis. The provisionally-admitted student is eligible for a change to regular status after receiving a 3.00 GPA on the first 9 hours of graduate courses at Mississippi State University (with no grade lower than a C). The first 9 hours of graduate courses must be within the student's program of study. Courses with an S grade, transfer credits, or credits earned while in Unclassified status cannot be used to satisfy this requirement. If a 3.00 is not attained, the provisional student shall be dismissed from the graduate program. Academic departments may set higher standards for students to fulfill provisional requirements; a student admitted with provisional status should contact the graduate coordinator for the program’s specific requirements. While in the provisional status, a student is not eligible to hold a graduate assistantship.
In addition, students must complete the foundation courses listed below (or have equivalent undergraduate credit) with a grade of C or better. The College of Business offers survey courses in place of some undergraduate prerequisites. These are especially designed for non-business undergraduates and may be taken before or during the M.S.I.S. program. For each row in the table below, students without equivalent undergraduate credit must choose either the course from Column A or–if available–alternative course(s) from Column B.
| A | B |
|---|---|
| ACC 2203 Survey of Accounting | ACC 2013 Principles of Financial Accounting & ACC 2023 Principles of Managerial Accounting |
| BQA 8443 Statistical Analysis for Business Decision Making* | BQA 2113 Business Statistical Methods I & BQA 3123 Business Statistical Methods II |
| MGT 8063 Survey of Management* | MGT 3114 Principles of Management & Production Management |
| EC 4043 Survey of Economics* | EC 2113 Principles of Macroeconomics & EC 2123 Principles of Microeconomics |
| FIN 3123 Financial Management | |
| MKT 3013 Principles of Marketing | |
| 3 hours of programming courses** |
*Offered only through the distance program.
**Examples of prerequisite classes that would fit the programming requirement include the following. Note that these are just examples. Any 3 hours of programming will be allowed.
Examples of Prerequisite Courses Fulfilling Programming Requirement
| BIS 1523 | Web Development I | 3 |
| BIS 2523 | Web Development II | 3 |
| BIS 3523 | Advanced Languages I | 3 |
| CSE 1233 | Computer Programming with C | 3 |
| CSE 1273 | Computer Programming with Java | 3 |
| CSE 1284 | Introduction to Computer Programming | 4 |
Academic Performance
A grade of C or better is required on all undergraduate prerequisite courses. A student in any graduate degree program in the College of Business may not continue in the program with grades below B in more than 6 hours of core graduate coursework, regardless of the overall average. Thus, any program is terminated automatically when a seventh credit hour below B is recorded on core graduate coursework. In addition, the normal MSU requirements for satisfactory progress in a graduate program will be applied.
Minor in Information Systems
A graduate minor in information systems is offered to both business and non-business graduate students. Students interested in business and technology may wish to pursue this minor. Typical career paths range from programmer to systems analyst, database administrator, network administration, IT manager, and chief information officer.
Accelerated Program
Highly qualified undergraduate BIS majors are encouraged to apply to the BIS Accelerated Program. This program permits students to earn up to 9 hours of graduate-level courses and earn both undergraduate and graduate credit simultaneously. Students must consult with a graduate advisor to ensure graduate credit could be applied to a program of study for the graduate degree. Application to this program may be made as early as the end of the junior year (i.e., after completion of 90 or more hours of graded undergraduate courses). Students interested in applying to the BIS Accelerated Program should contact the department's M.S.I.S. Area Advisor, Dr. Robert Otondo, at rotondo@business.msstate.edu for more details.
Departmental requirements for entrance to the Accelerated Program are:
- A GPA of 3.50 or higher for all undergraduate work
- A minimum of 60 hours toward a bachelor's degree.
For students enrolled in an Accelerated Program, the MSU Graduate Council has established the following guidelines in cooperation with the Registrar's Office.
Once the student is accepted into the Accelerated Program, the student and the advisor may select up to 9 hours that will satisfy both undergraduate and graduate requirements. These courses may be split level (i.e., 4000/6000) or 8000-level classes. The student should take the course for graduate credit (i.e., 6000-level or higher). The combination of undergraduate and graduate credit hours may not exceed 13 hours within a semester.
The student should use the Undergraduate Enrollment in Accelerated Degree Program form to (i) receive from the Office of the Graduate School a level override that enables the student to enroll in the graduate course(s) and (ii) activate a process with the Registrar's Office to obtain both undergraduate and graduate credit for the course. After successfully completing the graduate-level class(es), the Registrar will grant credit for the undergraduate course and give the same grade as received for the graduate course. For the case of a split-level class, the transcript will show credit for both 4000- and 6000-level on the transcript. In the case of an 8000-level class, a special topics undergraduate course of the same title will be entered on the transcript to allow dual credit.
Students are permitted to opt out of the accelerated program at any time, at which point they could complete only the undergraduate portion of the program. No additional dual counting of courses would occur after the students opted out of the Accelerated Program.
Students are expected to apply to the graduate degree program during the last semester in which they are enrolled in the bachelor's program. Application to the graduate degree program would be made through the standard application process via the Office of the Graduate School. Students will receive the bachelor's degree once the requirements for the bachelor's degree are met. Students will be required to complete all of the requirements for both the bachelor's and graduate degrees in order to receive both degrees and those requirements will be identical to the requirements for students enrolled in traditional bachelor's and graduate degree programs. Students will be classified as undergraduates until they fulfill all the requirements for the undergraduate degree. At that time, upon admission to graduate school, they will be classified as graduate students and will be subject to all the guidelines pertaining to the graduate degree.
Master of Science in Information Systems
| BIS Required Courses | ||
| BIS 8113 | Management Information Technology and Systems | 3 |
| BIS 8213 | Advanced Systems Analysis and Design | 3 |
| BIS 8313 | Advanced Database Design Administration | 3 |
| BIS 8513 | Business Telecommunications | 3 |
| BIS 8613 | MIS Administration | 3 |
| BIS 8753 | Information Systems Collaborative Project 1 | 3 |
| BIS Elective Courses 2 | ||
| Select two of the following: 3 | 6 | |
| Business Information Systems Security Management | ||
| Microcomputers and Networks | ||
| Business Programming with COBOL | ||
| Decision Support Systems | ||
| Free electives | 3 | |
| Programming courses 4 | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 30 | |
| 1 | Capstone course for the M.S.I.S. program and constitutes the comprehensive exam. A grade of B or better in this course is required for graduation. |
| 2 | The student must take at least two BIS electives. The remaining hours may be selected from courses either inside or outside the College of Business with the approval of the student’s major professor. In addition, elective hours must be approved by the student’s major professor. |
| 3 | NOTE: "Students who have already taken a course for credit at the 4000 level are not allowed to enroll in the same course for credit at the 6000 level without explicit permission of the instructor and graduate coordinator of the department offering the course, and the Dean of the Graduate School." (MSU Academic Operating Policy and Procedure 11.04 (Revised March 2014), Item #5; available at http://www.policies.msstate.edu/policypdfs/1104.pdf) |
| 4 | Must be completed either before or in conjunction with the rest of the coursework. |
No more than 6 hours may be below the 8000 level.
Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration with Information Systems Concentration
See the Business Administration - Ph.D. Programs of Study.
Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration with Management Concentration
See the Business Administration - Ph.D. Programs of Study.
Graduate Minor in Information Systems
| Select one of the following: 1 | 3 | |
| Business Information Systems Security Management | ||
| Microcomputers and Networks | ||
| Business Programming with COBOL | ||
| Decision Support Systems | ||
| Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| Advanced Systems Analysis and Design | ||
| Advanced Database Design Administration | ||
| Data Analytics | ||
| Business Telecommunications | ||
| MIS Administration | ||
| Total Hours | 9 | |
| 1 | NOTE: "Students who have already taken a course for credit at the 4000 level are not allowed to enroll in the same course for credit at the 6000 level without explicit permission of the instructor and graduate coordinator of the department offering the course, and the dean of the Graduate School.") MSU Academic Operating Policy and Procedure 11.04 (Revised March 2014), Item #5; available at http://www.policies.msstate.edu/policypdfs/1104.pdf) |
Minimum GPA of 3.00 is required.
The master's student selecting the minor must name a minor committee professor from the Department of Management and Information Systems to his/her graduate committee. Any student interested in a minor in information systems should contact the Department of Management and Information Systems at (662) 325-3928.
Management
MGT 6990 Special Topics in Management and Information Systems: 1-9 hours.
Credit and title to be arranged. This course is to be used on a limited basis to offer developing subject matter areas not covered in existing courses. (Courses limited to two offerings under one title within two academic years)
MGT 7000 Directed Individual Study in Management and Information Systems: 1-6 hours.
Hours and credits to be arranged
MGT 8000 Thesis Research/ Thesis in Management and Information Systems: 1-13 hours.
Hours and credits to be arranged
MGT 8063 Survey of Management: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: Graduate standing). Three hours lecture. Survey of management principles and techniques including: objective, policies, functions, leadership, organization, and production control procedures and systems as applied to all fields of business
MGT 8111 Human Resources Issues: 1 hour.
(Prerequisite: MGT 8063 or equivalent). One hour lecture. Survey of nature and influences of human resource management in organizations. Case studies are used to apply and reinforce theory
MGT 8113 Leadership Skills for Managerial Behavior: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: MGT 8063 or MGT 3114 or equivalent). Three hours lecture. Survey of major behavioral skills used by managers to help them build human capital and influence behavior in an organizational setting
MGT 8123 Strategic Business Consulting: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: BQA 8233, MKT 8153, EC 8103, ACC 8213, FIN 8113, MGT 8113). Three hours lecture. A study of strategic management covering environmental analysis, competition between firms, competitive advantage, and strategy implementation culminating in a consulting project with participating organization
MGT 8613 Managing in the Global Business Environment: 3 hours.
Three hours lecture. Analysis of the global environmental elements which impact and are impacted by organizations: global politics and economics, culture, international competition, natural resources, technology
MGT 8813 Organizational Behavior: 3 hours.
Three hours lecture. A study of the major behavioral theories and technologies as they relate to an organizational setting. Theory and research in the major organizational behavior areas will be emphasized
MGT 8823 Organization Development: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: MGT 3114). Study of the ways organizations can better adapt to the challenges of a modern society. The focus is on innovation, change, and action-oriented research
MGT 8990 Special Topics in Management and Information Systems: 1-9 hours.
Credit and title to be arranged. This course is to be used on a limited basis to offer developing subject matter areas not covered in existing courses. (Courses limited to two offerings under one title within two academic years)
MGT 9000 Dissertation Research /Dissertation in Management: 1-13 hours.
Hours and credits to be arranged
MGT 9143 Development of Management Theory: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: approval of Instructor). Three hours lecture. Doctoral Seminar. A survey analysis and synthesis of the classical idea which have influenced the development of management and current management theory
MGT 9533 Seminar in Human Resource Management Literature: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: Approval of Instructor). Discussions and presentations pertaining to HRM literature. Emphasis on understanding the empirical and theoretical research in this area and developing individual theoretical manuscripts for presentation
MGT 9613 Organizational Theory and Practice: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: Approval of Instructor). Three hours lecture. Doctoral Seminar. Analysis and design of organization structure and dynamics of organization. Behavioral aspects of the executive factors affecting the administrative process within organizations
MGT 9813 Seminar in Organizational Behavior: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: Approval of Instructor). Discussions and presentations pertaining to OB literature. Emphasis on understanding the empirical and theoretical research in this area, and developing individual theoretical manuscripts for presentation
MGT 9913 Seminar in Strategy Formulation: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: Approval of Instructor). Doctoral seminar covering the strategic management literature pertaining to strategy formulation in new, small, family, and public firms
MGT 9933 Seminar in Strategy Implementation: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: Approval of instructor). Doctoral seminar covering the strategic management literature pertaining to strategy implementation in new, small, family, and public firms
Business Information Systems
BIS 6113 Business Information Systems Security Management: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: BIS 3233 or any 3 hours of computer-related coursework). Three hours lecture. Concepts, skills, tools, and analytical techniques involved in management of computer security as it applies to today's business environment
BIS 6513 Microcomputers and Networks: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: BIS 3523 or equivalent, or any 3 hours of computer-related coursework). Three hours lecture. Concepts and technology of microcomputers and of computer networks. Experience in building and maintaining microcomputer and networking hardware and software
BIS 6523 Business Programming with COBOL: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: BIS 1523 and BIS 2523 or 6 hours of computer programming; or graduate standing and three hours of computer programming). Three hours lecture. In-depth concepts and experience in business-oriented computer programming. File input/output, sequential, indexed sequential, and relative files
BIS 6533 Decision Support Systems: 3 hours.
(Prerequisites: BIS 3233 or equivalent). Three hours lecture. Theory and application of decision support, business intelligence, integrated collaboration systems, and data mining using advanced computing techniques. Hands-on experience in developing decision support systems
BIS 6990 Special Topics in Business Information Systems: 1-9 hours.
Credit and title to be arranged. This course is to be used on a limited basis to offer developing subject matter areas not covered in existing courses. (Courses limited to two offerings under one title within two academic years)
BIS 7000 Directed Individual Study in Business Information Systems: 1-6 hours.
Hours and credits to be arranged
BIS 8000 Thesis Research/ Thesis in Business Information Systems: 1-13 hours.
Hours and credits to be arranged
BIS 8113 Management Information Technology and Systems: 3 hours.
Three hours lecture. Course includes the description, development and use of systems from an analytical perspective. Technology-enabled concepts are used for student assignments
BIS 8122 Multimedia Presentation and Communication: 2 hours.
(Prerequisite: Graduate Standing). Two hours lecture. Emphasis on planning and delivering business presentations enhanced by multimedia. Concepts, design, and experience in developing multimedia presentations. Exposure to interactive multimedia
BIS 8213 Advanced Systems Analysis and Design: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite or co-requisite: BIS 8113 or any 3 hours of computer-related coursework). Three hours lecture. Analysis/design of computer-based information systems using structured methodologies and tools. Emphasis on project management, requirements analysis, business data analysis, logical system design, vendor relations, and quality assurance
BIS 8313 Advanced Database Design Administration: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: Three hours of computer programming with a grade of B or better). Three hours lecture. Design and management of local and distributed data resources, database design, definition, creation, maintenance, acquisition and analytical use. Role of Database Administrator
BIS 8413 Data Analytics: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: BQA 8443 or equivalent). Three hours lecture. Enterprise approach to improving business processes and managerial decision-making through quantitatively sophisticated analysis of organizational data. Hands-on experience in analytical techniques, modeling, and software
BIS 8513 Business Telecommunications: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite or co-requisite: BIS 8113 or equivalent). Three hours lecture. The evaluation, analysis and design of information systems utilizing telecommunications and networking concepts and techniques. Emphasis is on business applications and related considerations
BIS 8613 MIS Administration: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite or co-requisite: BIS 8113 or equivalent). Three hours lecture. Administration of the MIS function in the business enterprise. Emphasis on activity of managing and analyzing the IS function at all levels of the firm
BIS 8753 Information Systems Collaborative Project: 3 hours.
(Prerequisites: 9 hours of graduate BIS coursework beyond 8113). Three hours lecture. Capstone experience incorporating knowledge gained in prerequisite courses. Requires team participation using appropriate tools and methodologies in assisting organizations with real-world information systems related requirements through business and data analysis
BIS 8990 Special Topics in Business Information Systems: 1-9 hours.
Credit and title to be arranged. This course is to be used on a limited basis to offer developing subject matter areas not covered in existing courses. (Courses limited to two offerings under one title within two academic years)
BIS 9000 Dissertation Research/ Dissertation in Business Information Systems: 1-13 hours.
Hours and credits to be arranged
BIS 9013 General Topics in MIS Research: 3 hours.
(Prerequisites: Graduate standing). Three hours lecture. Review of the most widely recognized literature in the MIS field, including studies on systems acceptance, usage, user satisfaction, and group support
BIS 9113 Management Information Systems (MIS) Seminar: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: BIS 8213, BIS 8313). Three hours lecture. Penetrating review of issues, methodologies and new developments in design and operation of management information, decision support, and computer-based decision-making systems
BIS 9213 Advanced Topics in MIS Research: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: BIS 8213, BIS 8313, or consent of instructor) In-depth study of MIS research topics. Review of emerging theories and methodologies, scientific empiricism, modeling, validity, measurement, research design, journal review, and research project management
BIS 9313 Qualitative Research in MIS: 3 hours.
Three hours lecture. Emphasis is on evaluation the operation and contribution of qualitative research in MIS. The approach, conduct, and evaluation of qualitative research
BIS 9613 Info Security Research Design: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: Graduate Standing). Three hours lecture. Review of InfoSec research theory and methods, plus emerging methodological issues. Design of rigorous publishable research projects to address emerging InfoSec research questions