9.8. Master of Science—Information Systems
Introduction
Athabasca University's Centre for Computing and Information Systems (CCIS) offers the Master of Science—Information Systems (MScIS) program. The program is based on the MSIS 2000 Model Curriculum, with the additional rigour of a technology specialization. MSIS 2000: Model Curriculum and Guidelines for MS Degree Programs in Information Systems is sponsored by the Association for Computing Machinery and the Association for Information Systems. It is endorsed by the leading information systems organizations.
The MScIS program accommodates a diversity of educational credentials and professional work experience with information technologies:
- Foundation courses are designed to remediate shortcomings in students' credentials and experience.
- Core courses are designed to advance students' knowledge and skills in the basics of information systems.
- The electives career track component allows students to choose either a technology specialization or an integrative, course-based route to program completion.
Students with the appropriate combination of academic credentials and professional-level work experience can expect to complete the program in less than three years of part-time study. Students requiring the full complement of foundation and core courses may need up to four years of part-time study to complete the program. More information about the program.
Program Outcomes
The many and varied outcomes of this program will be largely dependent on the students, the nature of their commitment, and the focus of their elective course work. Graduates will be expected to demonstrate expertise and leadership in their chosen streams. The program fully expects to enable graduates to fill key positions in Alberta's and Canada's growing information technology and services sector. This will include taking positions in systems management, project management, systems design, research and production.
The program also expects that, given the high quality of training, and the focus of training on applied skills, graduates will demonstrate significant entrepreneurial activity in their chosen areas. As well, the program is expected to produce qualified instructors for public and private organizations providing IT training and education.
Graduates of the MScIS program can look forward to challenging careers in academe, industry, and government. Refer to Program Outcomes to review job titles of those occupations requiring an MSc degree.
Admission
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), or
- Hold the CIPS ISP designation or equivalent.
Applications for program admissions will be considered only if the applicant has full and unrestricted access to the World Wide Web.
These requirements may be interpreted loosely to admit students with lower averages, with degrees in related subjects, with applied degrees, or those with interesting combinations of education and extensive experience with information systems. Currency of academic credentials may be an issue if the candidate has not worked in the IT field for more than five years. More program details.
English Language Requirements
English is the language of instruction and communication and is an essential requirement for admission to the MScIS program. Although working and studying online requires a different level of English language skills than does the classroom situation, students must nevertheless be able to communicate effectively with faculty, administration, and with other students.
Applicants may be required to demonstrate English language proficiency before admission. This demonstration may take one of several forms:
- Possession of a baccalaureate degree or its academic equivalent from a recognized academic institution in which the language of instruction was in English. It is the applicant's responsibility to present satisfactory evidence that the baccalaureate instruction was provided in English.
- Satisfactory completion of the Admissions Application Questionnaire.
At present CCIS does not require evidence of English language proficiency in the form of a satisfactory score on an approved English language exam. It is assumed that even for prospective students whose first language is not English the academic background and/or work experience in information systems required for admission to the program includes substantial exposure to, and use of, the English language. Notwithstanding the above, Athabasca University reserves the right to require a demonstration of English language proficiency.
Program-related Procedures
Application Procedure
Applications to the MScIS program are completed online.
- Applicants must complete and submit the online Application Form with their non-refundable $50 application processing fee. Confirmation will be forwarded to the applicant via e-mail and include his or her AU Student ID.
- Once confirmation is received, the applicant must submit at least two letters of recommendation* including one from someone who is familiar with the applicant's academic skills. Letters are accepted from professors or others acquainted with the student's education, training and/or experience, and will express an opinion on the student's ability to undertake graduate study.
*It is the applicant's responsibility to notify his or her referees that, in accordance with the Province of Alberta's Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, the information contained in the letter of reference is not considered to be confidential. The applicant, upon request, may view the information.
Please submit
- an up-to-date CV/résumé. Contact the Centre for Computing and Information Systems (CCIS)
- the completed online MScIS questionnaire (contact CCIS).
- official transcript(s) of university studies.
- 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 Assessment Services
4th Floor, Sterling Place
9940-106 Street
Edmonton, AB T5K 2V1
E-mail: iquas@gov.ab.caWhen 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 MScIS Program Administrator.
- Consult the Application Status Sheet to ensure all documentation has been sent. When all documentation has been sent, submit the application status sheet. Athabasca University or CCIS may require the applicant to furnish an official description of the content of any or all courses listed on the transcripts. Additional documentation of related work experience may also be required.
Non-program Students
Individuals who are not enrolled in the MScIS program will be permitted to register in MScIs courses for which they have the appropriate prerequisites on a first-come, first-served basis, space permitting and upon meeting minimum program entrance standards. Courses taken as a non-program degree requirements, if and when a student becomes a program student. However, the University is under no obligation to admit non-program students into the MScIS program.
Program Structure
Completion Requirements
Program completion requirements for the MScIS are dependent on the student's academic credentials and professional-level work experience: a recent graduate of a CS or IS undergraduate program, or an IT professional with the right combination of academic credentials and work experience, may require as few as 24 credits (eight, three-credit courses or five three-credit courses plus an integrative technology project). Others, with less appropriate academic credentials and/or marginal professional-level work experience, may require the maximum of 39 credits (13, three-credit courses or ten, three-credit courses plus an integrative technology project).
Foundations Electives Electives/Integration Master of Science - Information Systems The MScIS program consists of three components:
Information Systems Foundations
The IS foundations reflect a minimum level of prerequisite IS knowledge, and are required to prepare students for the IS core. For descriptions of these courses refer to the CCIS website.
COMP 501 New Systems Development Technology
COMP 503 Hardware and Software
COMP 504 Programming, Data and Object Structures
COMP 601 Survey of Computing and Information Systems (required for all students)IS Foundations Academic Regulations
Depending on the incoming student's credentials, the IS foundations of the MScIS program may be completed in as few as three credits (one course) or may require a maximum of twelve credits (four courses).
Information Systems CoreThe IS core is a consistent set of information systems core courses offered by all institutions granting similar credentials. The following IS core courses are required for all students:
COMP 602 Enterprise Information Management
COMP 603 Analysis, Modeling and Design
COMP 604 Enterprise-wide Network Architecture
COMP 605 Project and Change ManagementThe following IS core courses may be selected as electives in both the Core and Career Track components:
COMP 606 IT Policy and Strategy
COMP 607 Ethical/Legal/Social Issues
COMP 610 Software Engineering
COMP 695 Advanced Technology SeminarIS Core Academic Regulations
Depending on the incoming student's credentials, the IS core of the MScIS program may be completed in as few as nine credits (three courses) or may require a maximum of fifteen credits (five courses). Regardless of any exemptions granted for applicable credentials, student must complete a minimum of nine credits from IS core in the AU MScIS program.
Career Tracks and Integration
After students complete the core, they need to synthesize what they have learned. In the past neither synthesis nor integration was included in the curriculum. Furthermore, system integration is a pervasive aspect of IS practice. For this reason, the program includes an integrating capstone component. Current and emerging concepts and technologies are studied through "career tracks." These tracks allow students (within the competency and resources of the faculty) to "major" in a specific subject area for which there is demand, or to achieve breadth within a topic area or across a wider scope.
Integration can be viewed from three perspectives. Enterprise integration and integration of the IS function are management perspectives, and will not be pursued in the MScIS at this time. The integration of IS technologies will be the main approach for MScIS students, integration courses, or projects. This view concerns the development of an integrated IS enterprise architecture including the evaluation and selection from architectural and platform choices, priorities, and policies, the assessment of the impact of emerging technologies, evaluation of the role of standards, and evaluation of the effect of vendor strategies.
The Career Track component of the MScIS requires 12 credits to complete. The requirements may be met in one of two ways:
Integration Project
This requires completion of the IS foundations and core, an elective "career track" course, and a project that is considered equivalent in effort to three, three-credit courses. A project supervisor is required, plus one additional reader. This additional reader may be a faculty member or an industry resource person approved by the faculty. The project should deal with the development of technologies for intra- and inter-organizational systems in the form of an integrated technical architecture (hardware, software, networks, and data) to serve organizational needs in a rapidly changing competitive and technological environment. The project must also satisfy an acceptable combination of the following criteria:
- It deals with a novel exploratory implementation, the results of which will be of some interest to a portion of the IS community.
- It involves novel implementation techniques.
- It involves the implementation of a practical piece of nontrivial software whose availability could have some impact on the IS user community.
Integration Course
The Master's essay is a single three-credit requirement completed in addition to the foundations, core, and three career track courses. The essay provides a generalist rather than a specialist view, and will be a comprehensive critical survey of aspects of integration (applications, IS organization, and technology). Topics should show how disparate computer platforms and networks can be integrated to provide a flexible and efficient infrastructure for the organization. This course address both the "What" and "How" of integration. The essay may identify significant open problems, but it is not expected to contribute significantly to their solution.
An essay supervisor is required, plus one additional reader. In addition to the essay, the student will be required to pass an oral exam on the contents of the Master's essay, to be administered by the essay supervisor and reader.
Refer online for courses currently available.
Full- and Part-time Study
Students may study in the program on a full- or part-time basis. All students must complete a minimum of six credits (two course equivalents) per calendar year (September 1 - August 31). To comply with Alberta Students Finance requirements, full-time students must complete six credits per semester (two courses).
Continuation Fees
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, thesis, or project work or when students have completed all required course work but not yet completed their thesis or project oral exam.
Residency
To meet the residency requirements, students must complete at least the following through the Athabasca University MScIS program:
- Foundations: COMP 601 (three credits).
- Core: Two courses (six credits).
- Career Track: three courses (nine credits), including the Project or Essay.
Advanced Standing and Transfer CreditStudents may be eligible for advanced standing through evaluation of coursework applicable to the MScIS program completed at other post-secondary institutions. Advanced Standing is implemented primarily through exemptions from IS Foundations and IS Core courses.
Letter of Permission
Students enrolled in the MScIS program may take courses from other post-secondary institutions in fulfilment of the program requirements, provided such courses are applicable to Athabasca University's MScIS program. Students wishing to take courses from other institutions must submit
- a Letter of Permission Request Form,
- a written request,
- detailed course outlines and the appropriate Letter of Permission Fee
to the Graduate Program Coordinator for review. If approved, the Office of the Registrar will issue a Letter of Permission. To allow mailing time, requests for a Letter of Permission should be made at least one month before the registration deadline at the institution where the student will be taking the course. Upon completion of the course, the student must submit an official transcript to the MScIS Graduate Program Coordinator in order to obtain credit for the course.
Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition
Students may also be able to build on prior learning experiences and receive credit for exceptional or unusual skills or knowledge relevant to IS, or for a significant professional achievement or product. PLAR requires completion of a substantial formal report. No more than three credits (one course) may be awarded through the PLAR process. Regular course registration fees apply. For more information, students should contact the MScIS Graduate Program Coordinator.
Credit for Career Track Requirements
Students may also be awarded credit for application to Career Track requirements on the basis of appropriate graduate level coursework completed at other post-secondary institutions.
The structure of the Career Track component of the program imposes practical limits on the number of credits that may be awarded through this process. In no case will the number of credits awarded exceed six credits (two courses).
Requests should be made to the Graduate Program Coordinator after the applicant is admitted to the program. The Transfer Credit Evaluation Fee applies for each three-credit course for which credit is awarded.
Exemptions from IS Foundations and IS Core courses
Flexible entrance requirements recognize the range of academic credentials held by IT professionals applying to the program. Exemptions from IS foundations and IS core courses are based on appropriate undergraduate or graduate academic credentials supported by relevant professional-level work experience. Advanced standing is limited by program residency requirements. An applicant may gain exemptions for a maximum of 15 credits through this process. Equivalencies beyond this limit will be dealt with through "not-to-takes."
As part of the admissions process, the program admissions committee reviews each applicant's credentials to determine whether the student should be exempted from any or all of the following IS Foundations and IS Core courses: COMP 501, COMP 503, COMP 504, COMP 602, COMP 603, COMP 604, and COMP 605.
Time Limit
The changing nature of the subject matter requires that the degree of MScIS 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.
Maintaining Program Status
To maintain program status, students must complete six credits of course or thesis/ project work during each academic year (September 1 to August 31). In core courses, the lowest acceptable grade is B-. Students who receive a grade lower than B- or who receive more than one grade of B- or lower may be required to withdraw from the program.
In elective courses, the lowest acceptable grade is C+. Students who receive a grade lower than C+ or who receive more than one grade of C+ or lower may be required to withdraw from the program.
Academic Schedule
2002 July 1 Canada Day. University closed. July 15 Last day for receipt of application materials (full documentation) for admission to the program for fall session 2002 (starts Sept. 9). July 26 Admission decisions. Students notified. Aug. 1 Admission fees deadline. Online registration for fall session courses opens. Aug. 5 Civic Holiday. University closed. Aug. 12 Course registrations for fall session close at 4:30 PM. Registration fees due. Sept. 2 Labour Day. University closed. Sept. 9 First day of fall session courses. Oct. 9 Last day for early withdrawal from fall session courses. No record of the course will appear on the transcript. Oct. 14 Thanksgiving Day. University closed. No record of the course will appear on the transcript. Nov. 6 Last day for late withdrawal from fall session courses. Transcripts will reflect a withdrawal in good standing. Nov. 11 Remembrance Day. University closed. Nov. 12 Admission decisions. Students notified. Nov. 19 Admission fees deadline. Online registration for winter session (2003) courses opens. Nov. 29 Course registrations for winter session close at 4:30 PM. Registration fees due.
Dec. 6 Last day of fall session courses.Dec. 6 Last day of fall session courses. Dec. 24/02-
Jan. 2/2003The University will close at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2002 and will reopen 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 2, 2003. 2003 Jan. 6 First day of winter session courses. Feb. 6 Last day for early withdrawals from winter session courses. No record of the course will appear on the transcript. Feb. 17 Family Day. University closed. March 7 Last day for withdrawal from winter session courses. Transcripts will reflect a withdrawal in good standing. March 14 Last day for receipt of all application materials (documentation) for admission to the program for spring session 2003 (starts April 28). March 21 Admissions decisions. Students notified. March 28 Admission fees deadline. Online registration for spring session courses opens. April 4 Last day of winter session courses. April 7 Course registrations for spring/summer session close at 4:30 PM. Registration fees due. April 18-21
(inclusive)Easter break. University closed. April 28 First day of spring/summer session courses. May 19 Victoria Day. University closed. May 28 Last day for early withdrawal from spring/summer courses. No record of the course will appear on the transcript. June 26 Last day for late withdrawal from spring/summer session courses. Transcripts will reflect a withdrawal in good standing. July 1 Canada Day. University closed. July 14 Last day for receipt of application materials (full documentation) for admission to the program for fall session 2003 (starts Sept. 8). July 28 Admissions decisions. Students notified.
Course-related Procedures
Core Courses
The core curriculum is a combination of two, three-credit foundation courses that cover the field of computing and information systems. These survey courses 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. Generally students should complete all IS foundations course before proceeding to the IS Core courses. See individual course descriptions for specific prerequisites.
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, and 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 register in independent study courses. No more than three credits may be earned through independent study.
External ElectivesAdditional courses may be taken from other Athabasca University graduate programs, space permitting, without program approval.
Delivery ModesMScIS courses are delivered in one of two modes (some courses may occasionally be offered in both modes). Both modes (individualized-study online and e-Class® use distance education instructional design principles and enabling Web-based technologies.
Students are expected to use computer-mediated communications for the following purposes:
- Instructor and student-to-student interactions in computer conferences,
- Electronic mail, both within and outside of the course structure,
- File transfer or file attachment of assignments and feedback between instructor and students and between students on joint projects, and
- Accessing Web-based resources such as electronic databases (the AU library maintains subscriptions to ACM and IEEE digital libraries).
Minimum Course Load
To maintain program status, students who are completing the course requirement of the MScIS 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.
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.
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.
Procedures
Program Registration Procedures
Students must complete the two foundations courses 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.
Withdrawals
Early Withdrawal - Within 30 DaysStudents may withdraw within 30 days of their start date for a refund of the full course fee less the withdrawal processing fee. The registration will not appear on the transcript and will be deleted from the official record. Please refer to the Refund Policy below for further details. Course materials should not be returned.
Students may withdraw from a course at any time up to 30 days before the end of original course end date without academic penalty. A "W" will appear on the transcript which means a student has withdrawn without credit and without prejudice. There is no refund, and course materials should not be returned to the University.
Late Withdrawal
If a student formally withdraws later than 30 days prior to the original course end date, the official record will reflect a WF (Withdrawal Failure), and will be without academic penalty.
If a student does not formally withdraw by the original course end date, and does not complete the course, the official record will reflect an F (Failure). A grade of zero will be assigned and calculated into the cumulative average. There is no refund, and course materials should not be returned.
Original course end date: Scheduled end of an e-Class® session or the original contract date (i.e. not including extensions) in an individualized-study course
Program WithdrawalStudents may withdraw from the program by submitting their requests in writing to the program director. Students wishing to re-enrol in the program must apply for readmission and have their program reassessed in terms of the regulations in force at the time of reapplication. Students requesting readmission to the program will be competing against all other applicants and will not receive special consideration. If a student is recommended for readmission, a readmission fee will be charged in addition to the fees assessed in the usual manner.
Refunds
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
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.
Program Status
Visiting
Individuals who are not enrolled in the MScIS program will be permitted to register in MScIS 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 MScIS program.Computer Requirements
To participate in the program, each student must own or have access to a minimum computer hardware and software configurations. It is also highly desirable for students to own, or have access to, a printer and word-processing software that can read and write Microsoft Word documents. Students are responsible for all computer communication charges in the form of long distance telephone charges, subscription to an Internet node, or any other communications service requirement.
Fees (effective Sept. 1, 2002)
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: $1,275
Students living outside of Canada: $1,475
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 $3,825
Students living outside Canada $4,425
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 $16,575 ($1,275 x 13 three-credit courses or equivalent).
Additional Services
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.
Contact Information
Master of Science — Information Systems
Athabasca University
1 University Drive
Athabasca, AB T9S 3A3
800.788.9041 Canada/US
780.675.6777 Other
Fax: 780.675-6148
E-mail: claire@athabascau.ca — program administrator
charlesv@athabascau.ca — program coordinator
** This page is an official publication of Athabasca University **
Public Affairs
