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Master of Science in Information Systems

Lead today's technological advancements

Today, technology advances at a rate nearly immeasurable. Moore’s Law prescribes that approximately every 18 months, computer processor speeds double.* While that fact may be true now, it is expected to be outdated in the near future as computational advances get faster.

Even as computing speeds are important, they are far from the only technological advances that will impact the information systems industry. The biotech revolution, expanding mobile technologies, anthropomorphic robotics, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing will affect the information systems of the future. Norwich’s online Master of Science in Information Systems (MSIS) can prepare you for leadership roles in information systems and technology.

How Fast Is Technology Growing – Can Moore’s Law Explain the Progress Still?

 

Degree
  • Master of Science
Concentrations
  • Business Intelligence
  • Data Analytics

Quick Info

100%
Online

Courses completed entirely online

15
Students

Maximum number of students per class

18
Months

Average time to program completion

Why Norwich

  • Learn from expert faculty members dedicated to your success who provide one-on-one feedback, guidance, and a personal learning experience.
  • Specialize by choosing a concentration in either business intelligence or data analytics.
  • Apply for one of four start dates.

Accreditation and Recognition

logo, new england commission of higher education

Norwich University is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (formerly the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc.).

 

Scholarship Opportunities

Norwich University offers a range of opportunities to help you lower your overall tuition costs. Contact our admissions team today to learn more about the below options. Please note that scholarships are not additive. In addition to the below scholarships, students may also be eligible for discounts if their organization partners with Norwich University.

Achievement Scholarship

Recognizing your past academic and professional achievements, the Achievement Scholarship is for newly enrolled students. You could receive a $4,200 scholarship, which will be distributed equally over the courses of the program. To be considered for this scholarship opportunity, submit your application package (application form, resume, letter of intent, and essay (if applicable)) for your program of interest at least one week prior to the upcoming application deadline. The Scholarship Selection Committee will review all application materials and select the recipient. 

Norwich Alumni Scholarship

Norwich University alumni and their spouses, parents, and children are eligible to receive our Alumni Scholarship. The scholarship is award for each term of enrollment at $425 per term.

Active Duty Military Scholarship

Active duty, National Guard, and Reserve personnel are eligible to receive a $250 award for each term of enrollment in an online master’s degree program.

 

Curriculum

Core Curriculum

The MS in Information Systems requires the successful completion of 33 credits of study, which includes 11 courses at 3 credits each. Students will enroll in 2, three-credit-hour seminars for the first 5 terms, with the final term requiring only 1 course.

For applicants who do not hold a bachelor’s degree in science, computer science, mathematics, or information systems, or do not have a strong quantitative background, Norwich offers preparatory courses that are designed to prepare students for the Master of Science in Information Systems coursework. Preparatory course available include courses in statistics, data science and information systems. Students must satisfactorily pass the preparatory course(s) in order to be admitted into the information systems degree program. Preparatory courses do not satisfy degree requirements. Speak with your admissions advisor to learn more.

Our graduates can:

  • Manage the full development lifecycle for information systems projects.
  • Assist people who lack the technical knowledge to identify and solve problems within a selected application domain.
  • Identify and manage the resources that sustain an organization’s technical infrastructure.
  • Manage the strategic alignment of the information services organization using corporate strategy and objectives.
  • Use quantitative evaluation techniques with large datasets to analyze organizational questions.
  •  Solve problems within a selected application domain (e.g. health care, education, manufacturing).
  • Collaboration, Teamwork, and Ethics
    IS500 3 credit hours

    This course examines the frameworks of ethics, from an individual to an organizational perspective. All coursework is designed to create opportunities for ethical outcomes in all personal, professional, and organizational endeavors. Building effective teams involve selecting team members with individual skills along both technical and interpersonal dimensions, and a mix of skills across all members as appropriate for the task. Once created, team leaders and members need to shape and monitor team processes, starting with the team launch. Students will develop and apply skills and knowledge related to performing as effective team leaders and collaborators, and understanding the role of culture in teams.

  • Statistical Concepts
    IS501 3 credit hours

    This course examines the basic statistical techniques needed for business decision making in areas such as operations management, quality improvement, marketing research, finance, and general management. The course examines collection and presentation of data, frequency distributions, basic probability, statistical inference, and regression. Students use statistical software for data presentation and analysis.

  • Data Analytics Methods
    IS502 3 credit hours

    This course prepares students to gather, describe, and analyze data, and use advanced statistical tools to make decisions on operations, risk management, finance, marketing, etc. Analysis is done targeting economic and financial decisions in complex systems that involve multiple partners. Topics include probability, statistics, hypothesis testing, regression, clustering, decision trees, and forecasting. This course uses statistical software called R. 

  • Information System Analysis and Design
    IS503 3 credit hours

    This course examines the specifications of the information systems development process. The course covers fundamental topics on two main stages of information systems development life cycle: analysis, and design. Students will become familiar with techniques to investigate, collect, organize, and structure requirements for an information system, as well as understanding how to design different components of the information system to satisfy the requirements.

  • Executive Leadership for Information Systems
    IS504 3 credit hours

    This course examines leadership principles and strategies to lead the digital transformation of organizations, manage information technology projects, implement process improvements, and execute enterprise system and integration across an organization.

  • Governance, Risks, and Controls
    IS505 3 credit hours

    This course examines the principles of information systems audit, IT audit tools, audit procedures to help in the detection and prevention of security breaches, and fraud. Examined also are solutions that can be used to prevent information loss or costly business interruptions, the role of information technology governance in business organizations,  reporting requirements, and industry standards for IT Governance.

Business Intelligence Concentration

  • Introduction to Business Intelligence
    IS510 3 credit hours

    This course focuses on business intelligence—an information technology approach to data collection and data analysis—to support a wide variety of management tasks, from performance evaluation to trend spotting and policymaking. Students learn analytical components and technologies used to create dashboards and scorecards, data/text/Web mining methods for trend and sentiment analysis, and artificial intelligence techniques used to develop intelligent systems for decision support.

  • Enterprise Data Management
    IS511 3 credit hours

    This course examines the “big picture” of enterprise data systems and sources, taking a holistic approach to knowledge management within organizations. This course will introduce enterprise and management-level information systems that support business processes including enterprise resource planning (ERP), decision support systems (DSS), supply chain management (SCM), knowledge management systems (KMS), customer relationship management (CRM), and human resources information systems (HRIS).

  • Data Visualization
    IS512 3 credit hours

    This course examines techniques and algorithms for creating effective visualizations based on principles from graphic design, visual art, perceptual psychology, and cognitive science. Students will learn to better understand their data, present clear evidence of their findings, and tell engaging data stories through data graphics.

  • Business Decision Models
    IS522 3 credit hours

    This course examines business decision models and applies analytical tools that are used to make optimal business decisions. The topics covered in this course include decision analysis, linear programming, waiting line models, and project scheduling. There is a strong emphasis on understanding business problems and how model building will assist the decision maker in making better decisions. Students will practice building, using, and modifying business analysis models.

  • Information Systems Capstone
    IS570 3 credit hours

    This capstone course engages students in a collaborative team approach to address the problem of a corporate client. Teams of students (2 to 4 students) work together for one semester to address a problem presented by a corporate client. The teams interview clients and potential systems users, conduct market research, and translate client needs into a requirements document.

Data Analytics Concentration

  • Predictive Analytical Models
    IS520 3 credit hours

    This course examines predictive analytics, which is of importance for business because it helps decision makers evaluate possible (e.g., revenues, profits, market share, the probability of making a sale, the probability of losing a client, etc.) based on other historical data predictors (e.g., marketing expenditures, quality assurance investments, sales force size, etc.). Students will be introduced to predictive modeling methods, approaches and tools. Students develop skills in predictive analytics that will allow them to: (1) develop and use advanced predictive analytics methods; (2) develop expertise in the use of popular tools and software for predictive analytics; (3) learn how to develop predictive analytics questions, identify and select the most appropriate predictive analytics methods and tools, and apply these methods to answer the respective questions and presenting data-driven solutions.

  • Big Data Processing and Cloud Services
    IS521 3 credit hours

    This course examines two important, and sometimes interrelated, emerging data management technologies: cloud computing and big data. Students will analyze the reasons why cloud computing provides an attractive alternative to an on-site data center and the technical and economic impacts of migrating to the cloud. They will also gain an appreciation of the challenges of managing vast quantities of structured and unstructured big data, and how organizations are trying to leverage big data stores via analytics for strategic decision-making. Students will conduct research into current and proposed solutions for both of these information technologies.

  • Data Visualization
    IS512 3 credit hours

    This course examines techniques and algorithms for creating effective visualizations based on principles from graphic design, visual art, perceptual psychology, and cognitive science. Students will learn to better understand their data, present clear evidence of their findings, and tell engaging data stories through data graphics.

  • Business Decision Models
    IS522 3 credit hours

    This course examines business decision models and applies analytical tools that are used to make optimal business decisions. The topics covered in this course include decision analysis, linear programming, waiting line models, and project scheduling. There is a strong emphasis on understanding business problems and how model building will assist the decision maker in making better decisions. Students will practice building, using, and modifying business analysis models.

  • Information Systems Capstone
    IS570 3 credit hours

    This capstone course engages students in a collaborative team approach to address the problem of a corporate client. Teams of students (2 to 4 students) work together for one semester to address a problem presented by a corporate client. The teams interview clients and potential systems users, conduct market research, and translate client needs into a requirements document.

Admissions

Norwich seeks goal-oriented individuals with high standards of personal ethics and demonstrated excellence in their professional lives and academic studies. Applicants should have a desire to make a positive contribution to their field. Selective admissions standards ensure that those admitted have the greatest prospect of successfully completing the program and contributing to the field. Choosing a school to pursue your MSIS is a major decision. We invite you to contact our Admissions Advisors who will guide you in your decision-making.

At a Glance

  • No GMAT or GRE required
  • Undergraduate GPA of 2.7 or better preferred

Admissions Requirements »

Eligibility Requirements

  • A bachelor's degree from a regionally or nationally accredited U.S. institution, or an equivalent degree from a foreign institution, as evaluated by WES, IERF, SpanTran, or CED.
  • Strong qualitative or information systems background/experience is recommended (preparatory courses are available)
  • If English is not your first language, proof of English language proficiency is required. This can be demonstrated in one of three ways:
    • TOEFL - a minimum score of 550 (paper-based test) or 80 (Internet-based test) is required.*
    • IELTS – a minimum composite score of 6.5 is required.*
    • The applicant holds a baccalaureate or master’s degree from a college/university/institution in which the primary language of instruction was English.

Please Note:  All eligibility requirements are expected to be met unless noted in specific articulation agreements or memoranda of understanding (MOUs). If applicants do not have the proper background/experience, preparatory courses in statistics, data science and/or information systems may be required prior to enrolling in the Master of Science in Information Systems program.

Application Process

We encourage you to contact an admissions advisor (see below) if you need help at any stage of the application process. You will be required to submit the following items:

  • Application form
  • Resume that includes 3 professional references with contact information
  • Official transcript of your undergraduate degree from a regionally or nationally accredited university
  • Letter of intent
  • Proof of English language proficiency if applicable (TOEFL)

To contact an admissions advisor:

Phone: 802-962-4330

Next Start Date

Monday, March 6, 2023

Application Deadline

Monday, February 6, 2023

Contact Admissions

Monday - Friday: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. EDT
Extended hours available by appointment

Call: 1-802-962-4330
Email: onlineadmissions@norwich.edu

  • student writing in notebook
    Transfer Credits
    A maximum of nine graduate credits is transferable to this program. Transfer credits only are awarded for seminars that cover the same subject areas as a Norwich Information Systems seminar and are less than ten years old.
    Transfer Credit Information »
  • student at commencement
    International Admissions
    Norwich University welcomes students from all countries who want to study through our online programs. You must complete all the steps in the admission process.
    International Admissions »
  • Norwich alum, Ben Bragdon
    Norwich Alumni Benefits
    Reconnect with Norwich to complete your master's degree. As apart of our alumni community, you are eligible for a $2,500 scholarship and other benefits.
    Connect with our advisors »

Non-Discrimination Statement

Norwich University, in compliance with Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendment of 1972, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, or physical handicap in any of its policies, practices, or procedures.

Tuition & Fees

About

Norwich’s online MSIS provides a top-notch educational experience. We work hard to make it affordable. Financial aid and several strategies can help finance your education. Norwich is committed to making this often-difficult process easier for you.

Tuition at a Glance

  • Credit Hours: 33
  • Cost Per Credit Hour: $850

Financial Aid Resources

Ways to Pay
Do You Qualify for a Tuition Discount?
We Accept Military Benefits

2021-22 Tuition and Fee Schedule - Master's Programs

Rate Per Credit
Term
Tuition		 Additional Expenses Total
$850
$5,610
  • Technology - $300/term
  • Library - $75/term
  • Graduation - $150/one time
$30,075

Careers & Outcomes

Computer and information technology occupations are projected to grow 12% from 2018 to 2028, adding about 546,200 new jobs.* A master’s degree in information systems from Norwich University prepares you for a variety of roles working in corporate, private, governmental, and other settings.

We prepare students for roles such as systems analyst, information architect, or database administrator. Managerial job titles might include chief information officer, project manager, or webmaster.

*Bureau of Labor Statistics

Faculty & Staff

Academic Director

portrait
Henry Collier, MS

Henry Collier is the program director for Norwich University's online Master of Science in Cybersecurity program, and he is the program manager for Norwich University's online Bachelor of Science Cybersecurity and Bachelor of Science in Computer Science & Information Systems programs. He has developed and taught courses in computer networking, systems administration, computer programming, relational database design and management, information assurance, network security, healthcare information technology and digital forensics. Prior to coming to Norwich, he was the Program Director for Computer Technology and Cybersecurity & Healthcare IT at River Valley Community College where he rejuvenated the Cisco Networking Academy and managed a National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education grant to develop the Cybersecurity & Healthcare IT program. Before entering the academic arena, he worked for several years in the private industry as a telecommunications/information technology specialist. Henry served six years on active duty in the Army, stationed in Korea and Kentucky, and he currently has 23 years in the Army Reserves, where he has risen to the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 3 as an Cyber Operations Technician. He has a Ph.D. in Engineering with a concentration in Security, a master’s degree in Managing Innovations and Information Technology from Champlain College and a bachelor's degree in Information Technology with a concentration in systems analysis and design from Granite State College. He lives in Vermont with his wife and their daughter and son. In his free time he enjoys writing short stories, riding his bike, playing the guitar, cooking, gardening and woodworking.

Meet Henry »

Program Staff

Benjamin Hulbert
Associate Program Director
toni grout profile image
Toni Grout, MPA; M.S.
Student Support Advisor

Frequently Asked Questions

For what types of jobs would the Master of Science in Information Systems prepare students?

Norwich's MSIS can help prepare students for either technical or managerial jobs. Positions might include systems analyst, information architect, database administrator, chief information officer, IT project manager, software engineers, web developers, or systems analyst/developer. 

Do you have to choose a concentration before starting the MSIS program?

Students select a concentration before beginning the program. However, the program director may make exceptions on a case-by-case basis. 

What are the program prerequisites?

Based on the type of bachelor’s degree and the age and quality of the previous coursework, prospective students may need to complete certain statistical or information systems prerequisite courses. Students may meet program prerequisites by qualifying for a waiver based on previous experience or coursework. Waivers are determined by the Program Director.

Will the MSIS help with gaining the Certified Business Intelligence Professional (CBIP) credential?

Students completing the MSIS degree may be eligible to apply for the Certified Business Intelligence Professional (CBIP) credential.  For more information visit, https://tdwi.org/cbip?m=1
 
CBIP Eligibility requirements:

  • Experience: Two or more years of full-time experience in computer information systems, data modeling, data planning, data definitions, metadata systems development, enterprise resource planning, systems analysis, application development and programming, or information technology management.
  • Education*: Bachelor degree or Master degree in information systems, computer science, accounting, business administration, engineering, mathematics, sciences, or statistics.

 *Additional work experience may be substituted

Are scholarships available?

Norwich University offers several scholarships. They are awarded based on merit, talent, or financial need. Learn more about available scholarship opportunities.

Are there tuition discounts?

If your company is a Norwich partner, you may be eligible for 10% discounted tuition. Ask your human resources department or check the current list of Norwich partners to find out. 

Does Norwich accept transfer credits?

When you apply for admission to the MSIS, you can submit transcripts and course outlines from previously-attended institutions of higher education for consideration as transfer credits. Transfer credits are evaluated on a case-by-case basis and accepted for up to 9 credits. Norwich complies with VA regulations and guidelines as they pertain to transfer credits. Learn more about Norwich University’s transfer credit policy. Learn more about Norwich University’s transfer credit policy.

Learn More About our Online Master of Science in Information Systems

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