9.8. Master of Science—Information Systems
(effective Sept. 1, 2001)
Athabasca University's Centre for Computing and Information Systems is offering Canada's first online Master of Science—Information Systems program scheduled to open September 2001. The Centre developed this flexible and accessible program to accommodate the increased demand for information systems specialists. Delivered primarily online using Web-based communication technologies, the program will allow information systems professionals to continue working while they obtain further expertise in the increasingly sophisticated IT field.
Learners will have frequent and regular access to academic staff, other researchers worldwide, and to other students (to complete team-based assignments where appropriate) as group work is an essential aspect of the IT profession. The primary learning methodologies used are
- grouped-study course work through distance learning using the Internet
- team work using online technologies
- individual work supervised by an academic chosen for his or her compatibility with a student's research interests.
Admission Requirements
Applicants to the MSc—IS program must hold a baccalaureate degree in computer science, information systems, or a related area, or hold a baccalaureate degree and have significant experience with information systems.
Refer online for details.
Application Procedure
Applicants are required to
- complete and submit the MSc—IS Application Form along with the non-refundable application fee.
- submit three letters of reference written by people who are familiar with the applicant's academic or technical work and ability. All letters of reference must be sent directly from the referees to the address below. The University will not accept letters of reference submitted from applicants to the program or letters from family, friends, or colleagues.
- Applicants, other than Athabasca University graduates, must arrange for official transcripts* of their academic records to be sent directly to the Centre from each institution attended.
- Applicants submitting any official documents (e.g., transcripts) in a language other than English must provide an official translation of such documents. If the credential being submitted has been earned outside Canada or the US, documentation that attests to its equivalence to a Canadian baccalaureate degree, is required. Such documentation may be obtained from
International Qualifications Assurance Services
4th Floor, Sterling Place
9940-106 Street
Edmonton, AB T5K 2V1
E-mail: iquas@gov.ab.ca
When requesting IQAS assessment, please request the "Description of Course Work" and allow two to three months from the time of request to assessment completion and results received by the MSc—IS Program Administrator.
The program begins in September of each year with a second intake for start dates in January.
September
For admission to the program starting in September, the Centre for Computing and Information Systems must receive all application materials by April 30.
January
For admission to the program starting in January, the Centre for Computing and Information Systems must receive all application materials by October 31.
Residency
To meet the residency requirements, students must complete the core curriculum (six credits), a minimum of one elective (three credits), and the Project or Breadth Essay through Athabasca University.
The changing nature of the subject matter requires that the degree of MSc—IS must be completed within five academic years. In exceptional circumstances this time limit may be waived with approval from the Program Director. Students authorized to extend their programs will be required to replace credit for courses that are deemed to have lost their currency. In no circumstances will students be allowed to extend the program by more than two years.
Minimum Course Load
To maintain program status, students who are completing the course requirement of the MSc—IS program must complete a minimum of six credits of course and/or project work during each academic year (September 1 to August 31). Students who fail to maintain a minimum course load will be considered to have withdrawn from the program.
Core Courses
Refer online for details of courses offered and in development.
Refer online for details regarding the academic schedule.
Core
The core curriculum is a combination of two foundation courses that cover the field of computing and information systems. These survey courses (three credits each) review current knowledge, theory, and practice in computing and information systems. The core provides students with the minimum skills and knowledge that will facilitate their understanding and ability to analyse, synthesize, evaluate, create, and implement information systems.
Elective Courses
Elective courses are designed to complement the core curriculum and expand basic knowledge, theory, and practice into areas and issues of individual interest or concern. They allow students to specialize in a particular topic or learn a new set of skills necessary for research and/or practice in information systems. Some elective courses may not be available every year and a growing list of electives will emerge as student and faculty interests change and develop. Elective courses may be selected from the following areas:
IS Technology/Management
Distributed Systems
Applications and Multimedia
Theory/Mathematics
Independent Study
Students with specific interests not covered by current course offerings may also work with individual faculty members as a way to fulfil elective requirements. To facilitate this involvement with faculty, students may enrol in independent study courses. No more than three credits may be earned through independent study
External Electives
Additional courses may be taken from other Athabasca University graduate programs, space permitting, without program approval.
Continuing Registration
Students who have finished the course work requirement but who have not completed the project in the required registration period (two terms) will be required to pay continuation fees to maintain their position in the program and their status as graduate students. Students who fail to maintain their program status will be considered to have withdrawn from the program.
Minimum Academic Performance
Students who do not maintain minimum academic standards will be withdrawn from the program. Minimally acceptable academic performance is defined as
- no more than one B- (70 to 73 percent) in a foundations course
- no more than one C+ (67 to 69 percent) in an elective course.
- a 75 percent overall average.
A failing mark in any course (less than 60 percent) will result in automatic withdrawal from the program. Students wishing to resume work on the program must apply for re-admission and have their program reassessed in terms of the regulations in force at the time of re-application. There is no guarantee of readmission. If a student is recommended for re-admission, a re-admission fee will be charged in addition to the fees assessed in the usual manner.
Grading System
With the exception of the thesis or project, which will be graded on a pass/fail basis, all courses will be graded using the following scale.
| A+ | 90 - 100% |
| A | 85 - 89% |
| A- | 80 - 84% |
| B+ | 77 - 79% |
| B | 74 - 76% |
| B- | 70 - 73% |
| C+ | 67 - 69% |
| C | 64 - 66% |
| C- | 60 - 63% |
| F | 0 - 59% |
| INC | Incomplete status |
| W | Withdrawn in good standing |
Projects, Breadth Essays, courses taken on Letters of Permission, courses for which credit was awarded through Prior Learning Assessment, and courses for which advanced standing was awarded, will be graded on a pass/fail basis.
Program Registration Procedures
Students must complete the core curriculum in their first two semesters in the program. Elective courses may be taken on completion of the core courses or concurrently with the core courses offered in any term.
Incomplete
In exceptional circumstances, and where the course instructor concurs, students may be assigned a grade of Incomplete (INC). This allows students to take an additional two months to complete and submit the course work. Two months after the original course date, a grade will be assigned to the course. Students who have not submitted the required course work, will be assigned a failing grade (F).
Reregistration
Students may reregister in a course only if they have received more than one final grade of "B-" or lower in a core course or more than one final grade of "C+" or lower in a course, or have withdrawn from the course in good standing. In reregistering, students must complete all course requirements and pay the full course fee. Students are allowed only one reregistration in each course. Both the initial registration and the reregistration will appear on the student's academic record.
Course
Students may withdraw from a course up until one month before the end of the semester by submitting a Withdrawal Request Form. The date of withdrawal will be the postmark on the request. If students withdraw from a course within the first month, the record of registration will be deleted from their official transcript.
If students withdraw from a course after the first month of the course and before the last month of the course, the official record and transcript will show that they withdrew without credit and without prejudice or academic penalty.
Withdrawal from the Program
Students may withdraw from the program by submitting their request in writing or by e-mail to the program director. Students who withdraw may be re-enrolled in the program by following the application procedures above. Students requesting re-admission to the program will be competing against all other applicants and will not receive special consideration.
Students will receive a refund of the full course fees minus the course withdrawal-processing fee if they withdraw from the course within the first month of fall or winter start dates. Students should not return their course materials. Students wishing to withdraw from courses before the first day of class will receive a partial refund (full tuition minus the withdrawal processing fee).
Continuation fees are the same as course fees. Continuation fees are normally assessed when program students do not register in the required six credits per academic year of course or thesis or project work and/or when students have completed all required course work but not yet completed their Projects or Breadth Essays.
Students will be admitted to one of the following categories based on their credentials, experience, and study plans.
Program
Full Program Status
Applicants must have a four-year baccalaureate degree, e.g., Athabasca University's BSc CIS, or equivalent Information System and/or Computing Science degree (IS/CS), with good academic standing. Applicants with related credentials may be admitted to full program status if warranted by the application of the admissions criteria.
Probationary Program Status
Applicants whose transcripts show marginally acceptable academic performance, or who require additional undergraduate training in specific areas in order to proceed with the graduate courses and research, are generally qualified for admission to the MSc—IS program. Applicants in this category may take some of the graduate courses for which they have the prerequisite education or experience in parallel with the required undergraduate courses. These applicants may also be required to pay additional fees depending on the number of courses required in order to become fully-qualified candidates for the MSc—IS degree.
Non-program
Those students not meeting the full program admission requirements will be admitted to one of the following two categories of non-program studies.
Qualifying
Qualifying applicants have academic qualifications that are difficult to assess, or have overall qualifications that are marginal for admission to the MSc—IS program. Holders of three-year IS/CS related credentials would generally be admitted in this category. Consideration will be given to those who hold degrees with computing components such as the BA IS major or concentration from Athabasca University, or applied IS degrees from Alberta colleges.
This category will also be used for those with non-related baccalaureate degrees holding professional IT certifications (CIPS, etc.) with significant experience in computing and information systems.
Applicants admitted to this program category will generally be required to complete the fourth year of Athabasca University's BSc CIS and will be required to pay additional fees. The student's status will be reviewed after the specified amount of academic work is completed. If progress is satisfactory the student may be admitted to full program status.
Visiting
Individuals who are not enrolled in the MSc—IS program, and who have not applied for or received qualifying or probationary program status, will be permitted to register in MSc—IS courses on a first-come, first-served basis, space permitting. Courses taken as a non-program student may be applied toward the program degree requirements, if and when a student becomes a program student. However, Athabasca University is under no obligation to admit non-program students into the MSc—IS program.
Note: Courses completed on non-program status in order to meet entrance requirements to the MSc—IS program may not subsequently be accepted for credit towards the MSc—IS degree.
Computer Requirements
In order to participate in the program, students must access to minimum computer hardware and software configurations.
All fees are quoted in Canadian dollars and are subject to change.
Program application fee (non-refundable) required each time that a person applies: $50
Program admission fee (payable upon acceptance into the program): $250
Tuition fee for each course (includes all required materials)
Students living in Canada: $1,250
Students living outside of Canada: $1,450
Other Fees
Transfer credit evaluation fee: $250
Continuation fee: equal to course registration fee above.
Letter of Permission fee (to transfer credits into the MSc—IS program): $25
Non-program application fee (required only once and waived if previously an Athabasca University student): $50
Project fee: Students living in Canada $3,750
Students living outside Canada $4,350
Transcript fee: $20
Withdrawal processing fee: $400
The withdrawal processing fee includes the cost of course materials and an administrative fee for processing the request. There will be no refund for returned course materials.
The total tuition cost for a Canadian student living in Canada, for example, who takes all his or her courses from Athabasca University, would be $13,750 ($1,250 x 11 three-credit courses or equivalent).
Library
Athabasca University Library also serves the needs of graduate students.
Tuition and Education Tax Credit Receipts Information
Application and tuition fees can be used to reduce income tax. Only fees paid and expended during the calendar year can be reflected in the tax receipt. Canada Customs and Revenue Agency regulations permit the University to issue an education tax credit receipt only for amounts greater than $100. In February, T2202 tax forms for the educational tax deduction, along with the tuition tax receipts, are mailed to the address on record. Full-time students may be eligible for the education tax credit for each month of full-time registration.
Regulations and Appeals
Athabasca University policies and regulations governing academic conduct and appeals apply to all students. Refer to Section 12 Student Code of Conduct and Right to Appeal.
Athabasca University's policies, regulations, and procedures governing the release of transcripts and confidential information apply also to graduate students. Refer to Section 5 Undergraduate Admission, Transfer Credit, and Assessments.
Master of Science in Information Systems
Athabasca University
1 University Drive
Athabasca, AB T9S 3A3
1.800.788.9041 Canada/US
1.780.675.6777 Other
Fax: 1.780.675-6148
E-mail: claire@athabascau.ca — program administrator
charlesv@athabascau.ca — program coordinator
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