Curriculum | Course Descriptions | Waive and Transfer Courses

To gain the most out of the ISM degree students are encouraged to specialize in one of our two tracks.  The Systems Integration track is more technically focused providing for a mastery of information flow integration.  The Program Management track is more managerially focused on the complexities of managing people, projects, programs, and systems. 

Systems Integration Track – This track focuses on ensuring the free flow of information in a business, enabling the implementation and management of the business strategy and operations.  Accomplishing this calls for the integration of the IT infrastructure, IS applications, and business data supporting the business world using today’s and tomorrow’s technology.  The systems integration track provides the student with a focus on the strategic, technological, financial, and organizational issues and matching these issues with the right technology, applications, and data across the enterprise.  This track builds on the core courses in Information Systems Management and requires three of the following four courses:

• ISM 6345 Distributed Applications
• ISM 6255 Knowledge Management & Business Intelligence
• ISM 6910 Seminar in Info Systems Management
• ISM 6930 ISM Consulting Practicum

Program Management Track – This track provides the student with a focus on ensuring the successful development and implementation of an organization's information systems.  The student will focus gain further expertise in the areas of project management, organizational structures and behavior, as well as strategy and system development standards.  In addition to the core ISM courses, the student will choose 3 of the following four courses:

• BUS 6367 Project Management
• ISM 6335  IT Engineering Management
• BUS 6365 The High Technology Enterprise
• BUS 6263 Designing Organizations 

ISM courses meet one evening each week for three hours. Seattle Pacific University offers its courses on the quarter system (10 week sessions). All ISM courses are three quarter credits.

The curriculum consists of required background and core courses as well as a variety of electives. Background Courses may be waived based upon prior coursework. Students must demonstrate exposure to programming.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

ISM 6211
Information Systems Management and Strategy(3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Introduces the key concepts, components, strategies and programs needed to manage information as a strategic resource. Explores the impact of managing information in an environment of constant technological and organizational change. Course equivalent: BUS 6170. Class open to graduate students.

ISM 6212
Database Management & Warehousing (3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Explores the various processes involved in the creation of logical representations of information. Discusses in detail semantic data models, entity-relationship models, relational data models, the object-oriented paradigm, normalization and understanding how to move from an operational system to a decision support-based data warehouse. Class open to graduate students.

ISM 6213
Enterprise Analysis and Integration (3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Prerequisite: ISM 6211, 6212, 6232 and BUS 6130, 6164. Treats the enterprise as an integrated system. Investigates problems with traditional approaches, identifies issues and potential solutions. Explores techniques for developing information architectures and integrating information strategic and tactical plans with business plans. Addresses managing information systems and organizational changes brought about by information systems. Class open to graduate students.

ISM 6225
Information & Technology Ethics (3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Prerequisite: ISM 6211 and BUS 6201. Explores the moral and legal implications of information management issues. Includes topics such as security, privacy, transborder data flow, information ownership and responsibility, information as power, vendor relations, virtual organizations, employee relations, discrimination, behavior in and out of the work place, and other related issues. Class open to graduate students.

ISM 6231
Information Systems Project Management I (3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Prerequisite: ISM 6211, 6212 and BUS 6260, 6266. Introduces the software development life cycle, techniques and tools used, and project management methods. Includes feasibility, analysis and requirements definition. Explores the provision of values-based leadership to IS project teams. Class open to graduate students.

ISM 6232
Information Systems Project Management II (3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Prerequisite: ISM 6231 Continues the system development and management practices begun in ISM 6231. Covers the techniques, tools, project management methods and leadership issues related to managing the activities of the design, development, test, implementation and maintenance stages of the software development life cycle. Compares other SDLC approaches including object-oriented and rapid application development. Class open to graduate students.

ISM 6245
Information Technology Infrastructure(3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Prerequisite: ISM 6211. Explores the technologies needed to design, implement and manage effective computer networks. Includes local area network, Internet, intranet, and extranet architectures and issues in e-business systems implementation. Class open to graduate students.

ISM 6255
Knowledge Management & Business Intelligence (3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Prerequisite: ISM 6211, 6212. Examines advanced database and knowledge management topics.  Develops a method for migrating from relational operational systems to multidimensional decision support systems that supports business intelligence activities.  Class open to graduate students.

ISM 6313
IT as a Strategic Advantage (3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Prerequisite: ISM 6211 or BUS 6170. Examines the competitive landscape of e-business, components and appraisal of e-business models, strategies and value configurations. Class open to graduate students.

ISM 6331
Information Systems Security (3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Prerequisite: ISM 6211. Develops an understanding of information systems security issues. Addresses security policy creation, risk evaluation and implementation of security measures in organizations. Examines privacy and ethical issues and legal requirements. Class open to graduate students.

ISM 6335
IT Engineering Management(3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Prerequisite: ISM 6211. Explores issues in software engineering such as programming methodologies, reusability, software quality assurance, CASE tools, software metrics and tools to evaluate, control and estimate the software life cycle. Class open to graduate students.

ISM 6345
Distributed Applications (3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Prerequisite: ISM 6245. Examines technical options in computer architectures, servers, operating systems, telecommunication and networks, as well as management and performance issues related to distributed client server, Web-based and mobile/wireless computing. Class open to graduate students.

ISM 6910
Seminar in Information Systems Management (1-6)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Prerequisite: ISM 6211. Explores variable topics related to effective management of information systems. May be repeated for credit up to 6 credits. Class open to graduate students.

ISM 6930
Information Systems Management Consulting Practicum (3-6)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Prerequisite: ISM 6231. Provides an opportunity for students to gain practical experience in the information systems management field under instructor supervision. May be repeated for credit up to 6 credits. Class open to information systems management majors. Class open to graduate students.

BUS 6263

Designing Organizations (3)

BUS 6365
The High Technology Enterprise (3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Addresses the administrative and strategic issues specific to high-tech companies. Class open to graduate students.

BUS 6367
Project Management (3)
Registration approval: Coordinator. Prerequisite: BUS 6164. Management (evaluating, planning and scheduling) of complex projects. Topics include leadership of project teams, work breakdowns, planning models (PERT/CPM) and project management software, resource management, time-cost trade-offs, and managing project crises. Students will work in teams to develop a complete project plan. Class open to graduate students.

Need to know when a course is being offered? Click here for the 2008-2009 Time Schedule and Graduate Catalog.

WAIVE AND TRANSFER COURSES

Background courses generally precede and are sometimes prerequisite to other core or elective courses. Background courses (6 credit hours) cover basic business processes that must be understood to achieve the program's objectives. Many students have covered some or all of this subject matter in an undergraduate program. If so, it is possible to waive background courses on the following basis:

1. If the student has a bachelor's degree that was earned within seven years of admission to the ISM program, any courses completed that cover the same body of knowledge as background courses in the ISM program may be waived. To qualify, a minimum grade of B or better must have been received in the undergraduate course. Courses taken pass/no credit will not waive the ISM background course requirement.
   
   
2. If the bachelor's degree was completed more than seven years prior to admission, or if the grade in the undergraduate course is below B but not below C+, the student may take a competency examination in the subject. Competency tests must be completed within the year following the student's date of admission to the program. If the competency examination is successfully completed, the applicable ISM course will be waived. If not, the student must take the ISM course as a regular student or successfully complete a credit by examination test for which tuition and an examination fee are charged.