The Department of Information Systems and Decision Sciences is proud to offer the first on-line Masters program in the College of Business and Economics at Cal State Fullerton. The department has been a leader in distance learning and recently received the highest ranking among departments teaching information technology at California’s public universities from INFORMS publication OR/MS Today.

The MS in Information Technology consists of ten courses (30 units of coursework) which will be completed over a 20 month period. Students will be taught using the campus Blackboard courseware and will be conducted in a primarily asynchronous mode, broken into discrete one-week blocks of time.

Examples of some of the materials and interactions that students might experience each week include the following: required readings from an electronic text, electronic library reserve material, instructor’s “lecture” and related lecture notes, a lecture written by an expert in the field, interactive exercises to further enhance understanding of the subject matter, assignments and response papers sent via e-mail, electronic discussions with the professor, other students and the entire class. Depending on the topic, lecture material may be presented to students in the form of a PowerPoint presentation complete with video clips, screen shots, various interactive exercises, charts, graphs, figures that will “pop up” when clicked, or short actual segments of the instructor lecturing using audio/video streaming technologies.

Each week’s assignments will generally require students to synthesize and integrate the week’s material both on their own and in cooperative learning situations. Throughout the course, students are expected to keep pace with assignments and deliver assignments on schedule to the instructor for review and evaluation. Students also will be told that it will be necessary for them to check their course e-mail and bulletin boards at least every other day for messages and updates from professors and fellow classmates.

In sum, students in this program will have ample opportunity to work regularly with the instructor one-on-one, as well as with fellow classmates individually and in groups. On average, students in the program can expect to be in contact with the instructor and/or classmates an average of 3 times per week through a variety of means (e.g., Blackboard courseware announcements, bulletin boards, chat rooms, email, and telephone).

Student Learning Objectives:
The student learning goals are incorporated into nine overarching program goals: the accounting and managerial aspects of managing an information technology organization, the telecommunications requirements necessary to support an organization’s information technology needs, the systems development process, the data needs of an organization, programming concepts, electronic commerce and its role in business, collaboration, critical thinking, research, and written communications skills. The learning goals are as follows:

Accounting and managerial aspects of an information technology organization

Telecommunications requirements necessary to support an organization’s information technology needs

• Systems development process
• Data needs of an organization
• Programming concepts
• Electronic commerce
• Collaboration
• Research
• Communications

Each course contains a multi-modal assessment methodology to document learning via projects, demonstrations, applications, research papers, and examinations.

The culminating experience includes research and a practicum grounded in the theoretical foundations covered in the study plan coursework. An electronic portfolio of culminating experiences and preparatory coursework will be created by each student enrolled in the program. This portfolio will be reviewed at the End of First Year Seminar and evaluated by the Program Coordinator at the end of the program. The student portfolios will provide a comprehensive assessment of the program.

Admissions

Whatever your academic and professional background, we want to be sure that you are adequately prepared for your MSIT experience with the College of Business & Economics at Cal State Fullerton. The MSIT program is competitive and admission into the program is based on the holistic assessment of each candidate's academic and personal/professional background.

In evaluating applications, the Admissions Committee considers not only the College's graduate programs admissions criteria, but also adheres to basic standards and policies set by the University. If you have questions, we encourage you to contact us directly at (714) 278-3622 or mba@fullerton.edu.

To apply for the MSIT program in the College you must submit the following:

• Graduate Application and $55 application fee.
• Graduate Admissions Check List Cover Sheet.
• Self Assessment Essay
• Official transcripts from all higher education institutions that you attended, including documentation of your undergraduate degree. All applicants must have been in good standing at their last college attended.
• Copy of your unofficial GMAT score or GRE score.
• Official GMAT scores or GRE scores (Graduate Management Assessment Test) sent directly to the University from ETS.

Students with a superior academic record are eligible to apply for our Michael A. Reagan scholarship. For more information please click here

International students must also submit:
Official TOEFL score report if you do not possess a bachelor's degree from a post-secondary institution where English is the principle language of instruction.

Important Dates & Deadlines:
New students are admitted for the fall semester only. It is highly recommended to file during the official filing periods. Programs often reach capacity prior to the end of the application filing period. For full consideration, all forms and supporting documents must be submitted to the CBE by their respective filing deadlines.

Core Curriculum

The MSIT program consists of 30 units which must be completed with a minimum GPA of 3.00. Students will be grouped in cohorts that follow the same year-round class schedule consisting of two courses a semester during a 20-month period.

In addition to the course requirements, students will be required to complete an orientation session (Boot-up Camp) prior to the beginning of the program. Students will also participate in a seminar at the end of the first year to review their progress in the program and for continued authentication of their work. There may also be optional on-campus review sessions. Exams will need to be taken on-campus; however, in cases of hardship, arrangements will be made to enable the student to take the exam at a supervised off-campus location.

Required Courses (21 Units)
ISDS 405	Programming Concepts for Information Technology (3)
ACCT 509	Financial and Managerial Accounting Topics (3)
ISDS 550	Business Data Communications (3)
ISDS 551	Information Resources Management (3)
ISDS 552	Systems Analysis, Design and Development (3)
ISDS 553	Electronic Commerce: Analysis and Evaluation (3)
ISDS 555	Business Databases: Design & Processing (3)

Two Elective Courses in Information Systems or Accounting (10 Units) Students will (as part of the cohort) select two from the following:
ISDS 435	Integrated Enterprise Information Systems (3)
ISDS 518	Quantitative Tools for Information Technology Management (3)
ISDS 554	E-Commerce: Technological Perspective (3)
ISDS 556	Data Warehousing and Data Management (3)
ISDS 558	Advanced Software Development with Web Applications (3)
Acct 507	Seminar in Accounting Information Systems (3)

Capstone Experience (3 Units)
ISDS 577	Seminar in Information Systems Implementation (3)

For additional information regarding the MSIT program, please contact by email at MSIT@fullerton.edu