The MSIS curriculum engages future technology and business leaders who are at the forefront of innovation. MSIS students develop in-depth knowledge and skills in cutting edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, cyber security, and cloud computing. Students approach technologies as a disruptive force they can use to transform organizations.
Our program provides students technical training in Python and R programming, statistics, SQL and database management, and enterprise systems to perform robust data analytics.
Evening and weekend classes let you work full-time
- Program duration: 12 months
- Program type: Full-time
- Class schedule: Mondays and Wednesdays (6-9:30 p.m.) and most Saturdays (9-5 p.m.) per quarter
You will be notified before each quarter of the exact class dates, including Saturday classes. Visit the UW Academic Calendar for specific date information.
Learn to work with unstructured data sets, practice statistical and artificial intelligence techniques, and explore predictive forecasts for managerial decision making.
Learn to inspect and protect information assets, detect internal and external threats, and design an information security architecture.
Learn cloud architecture and deployment using AWS. Study the risks, benefits, service models, virtualization, and organizational impact of cloud computing.
Learn leadership principles and strategies to lead digital transformation of organizations, manage information technology projects, implement process improvements, and execute enterprise system and integration
MSIS courses
See the tabs below for a list of all Master of Science in Information Systems classes and a course by quarter breakdown.
Summer quarter
MSIS 501 (3): Information Technology and Organizational Strategy
Discusses the role of information technology (IT) in the development and execution of business strategy that takes into account competitors, customers, and firm competencies (including IT capabilities). Examines the impact of IT on two sets of strategic issues for a company—where to compete and how to compete. Helps students develop tools to use IT in aiding strategy implementation.
MSIS 502 (2): Business Data Analysis
Covers statistical techniques for managerial decision making. Includes hypotheses testing, regression, and analysis of variance.
MSIS 503 (3): Operations and Business Process Management
Presents a framework to understand organizational processes, offers tools to improve these processes. Covers process improvement methodologies such as reengineering, simulation, and collaboration. Focuses on discussing applications and implementations of improvement programs in a wide variety of settings, including operational processes related to inventory and scheduling, service, and quality assurance.
MSIS 504 (2): Business Decision Models
Formulating and modeling business decision problems. Risk analysis, simulation, linear programming and extensions.
MSIS 550 (1): MSIS Leadership Series
Capstone learning experience consisting of 8 seminars and a final quarter student report. Seminars will be given by information technology (IT) leaders; each seminar will be followed by a session of questions and informal gathering. Seminar topics and speakers chosen based on the progression of other courses in the program. Each quarter, students have the opportunity to complement their in-class learning experience with related practical experience from two IT leaders. In the last quarter of studies, students must submit a written report summarizing these seminars, relating them to their coursework, and highlighting their practical relevance. This course is offered every quarter.
Autumn quarter
MSIS 510 (3): Introduction to Data Mining and Analytics
Covers managerial decision-making and business intelligence. Topics include decision trees, rule covering, and other classification techniques, as well as issues related to data cleaning, design, testing, and validation. Special attention given to embedded intelligence in modern business processes and applications.
MSIS 512 (3): Information Security in a Networked World
Explores technical and managerial aspects of information security and assurance within a networked environment. Includes inspection and protection of information assets, detection of and reaction to internal and external threats, determining the levels of protection needed, and design of a consistent and reasonable information security architecture along with an implementable process
MSIS 543 (3): Advanced Database Systems and Data Warehouse(s)
Extends and enhances understanding of enterprise databases to design, implement, and support business intelligence (BI) solutions. Topics include DBMS extensions for data warehousing, data warehouse and data mart design, loading and extracting data, performance tuning, and cloud-based Bi application design. Emphasizes agile techniques to efficiently produce optimal solutions that meet business requirements and increase competitive advantage.
MSIS 550 (2): MSIS Leadership Series
Capstone learning experience consisting of 8 seminars and a final quarter student report. Seminars will be given by information technology (IT) leaders; each seminar will be followed by a session of questions and informal gathering. Seminar topics and speakers chosen based on the progression of other courses in the program. Each quarter, students have the opportunity to complement their in-class learning experience with related practical experience from two IT leaders. In the last quarter of studies, students must submit a written report summarizing these seminars, relating them to their coursework, and highlighting their practical relevance. This course is offered every quarter.
Winter quarter
MSIS 521 (3): Information Technology and Marketing in the New Economy
Explores issues related to marketing models based on social networking/computing, such as concepts and applications of search engine optimization (SEO), viral marketing, web analytics, user generated content, the wisdom of crowds, and prediction markets. Students work in teams on real-world projects to develop marketing strategies for maximizing online traffic to business sites.
MSIS 522 (2): Advanced Business Data Mining
Covers managerial decision-making and business intelligence. Topics include association rule mining and regression. Special attention given to embedded intelligence in modern business processes and applications.
MSIS 523 (3): Cyber Security Policy, Management, and Compliance
Provides an overview of the compliance, governmental and business environment regarding cyber security. Discusses cyber security law and policy that can be used to manage an organization’s cyber security ecosystem. Identifies security and privacy operational issues and formulates cyber security policies and procedures for public and private organizations.
MSIS 547 (2): Managing in the Era of Cloud Computing
Cloud computing, risks and benefits of information technology (IT) infrastructure, service and deployment models, virtualization and organizational impact, cloud security.
MSIS 550 (1): MSIS Leadership Series
Capstone learning experience consisting of 8 seminars and a final quarter student report. Seminars will be given by information technology (IT) leaders; each seminar will be followed by a session of questions and informal gathering. Seminar topics and speakers chosen based on the progression of other courses in the program. Each quarter, students have the opportunity to complement their in-class learning experience with related practical experience from two IT leaders. In the last quarter of studies, students must submit a written report summarizing these seminars, relating them to their coursework, and highlighting their practical relevance. This course is offered every quarter.
Spring quarter
MSIS 511 (2): Digital Transformation of Organizations
Studies the impact of digital technologies within an organization, an industry, and an economy. Discusses system architecture that enables business processes and provides foundation for management and use of information systems within organizations. Covers issues related to workflow process changes, efficiency and effectiveness, innovation, convergence, competitive advantage, and sustainability. Uses case studies to illustrate concepts.
MSIS 524 (3): Managing Information Technology Projects
Explores issues related to analyzing and managing complex information technology (IT) projects in a globalized and networked world. Covers topics such as life-cycle models, use case point estimation, function point analysis, COCOMO, scheduling and budgeting, project risk analysis, monitoring and control, contract design, outsourcing, and capability maturity model (CMM). Students manage a real-word information technology project in a simulated environment.
MSIS 526 (3): Enterprise Systems and Integration
Provides students with an overall understanding of the complex role of information systems in transforming organizational processes and integrating them as a part of an enterprise system. Topics include the concept of process-enabling information technologies and enterprise resource planning systems that support organizational manufacturing, customer service, and human resource management. The course has a combination of hands-on activities and case discussions that provide students both technical and managerial skills in using information technologies to improve efficiency of organizations.
MSIS 550 (1): MSIS Leadership Series
Capstone learning experience consisting of 8 seminars and a final quarter student report. Seminars will be given by information technology (IT) leaders; each seminar will be followed by a session of questions and informal gathering. Seminar topics and speakers chosen based on the progression of other courses in the program. Each quarter, students have the opportunity to complement their in-class learning experience with related practical experience from two IT leaders. In the last quarter of studies, students must submit a written report summarizing these seminars, relating them to their coursework, and highlighting their practical relevance. This course is offered every quarter.
Electives
Students must also choose one course from the elective course list below. These classes are offered in the spring quarter (based on student choices)
MSIS 541 (2): Advanced and Unstructured Data Mining
Advanced topics in data mining, with a special focus on unstructured data; web mining; text mining. Students will learn and apply unstructured data mining tools on real-world unstructured data.
MSIS 542 (2): Advanced Development Frameworks
Introduces object-oriented principles and key web-based system development tools. Topics include object-oriented modeling, object-oriented programming languages, and advanced user interface design. Students will learn to use object analysis and design, modern programming languages, and advanced database technology to develop business applications.
MSIS 544 (2): Managing Information Technology Resources
Covers issues related to managing operations of the information (IT) department in an organization. Topics include IT budgeting, systems implementation/support/maintenance, user training, hardware replacement strategies, performance evaluation, technology cost estimation and trend forecasting, capacity planning, website utilization and traffic load balancing, and coordination with other functional departments.
MSIS 545 (2): Technology Entrepreneurship
Examines the issues involved in creating an organizational environment that recognizes, nurtures, and grows technology-related entrepreneurial activities, the practice of selecting and monitoring ventures, and the capital process within a firm.
MSIS 546 (2): Information Systems Economics
Examines basic concepts of economics as it pertains to information technology and systems. Includes the value of information, cost-benefit analysis, economies of scale, network effects, pricing of digital goods, information uncertainty in electronic markets, risk-return trade-offs, and other related topics.
MSIS 549 (2): Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence for Business Applications
Covers machine learning, deep learning, and artificial intelligence algorithms for business applications.
MSIS 551 (2): Security Analytics
Covers the process of and tools for data collection, aggregation, and analysis in security monitoring and threat detection.
MSIS 579 (2): Contemporary Topics in Information Systems
Contemporary topics in Information Systems. Topical coverage varies.