Information Systems

Graduate Programs

Individuals in all areas of private and public enterprise rely on information systems for communication, planning, control and decision support. The advanced knowledge provided by graduate-level information systems programs is needed across a wide range of commercial, non-profit and government settings. While the market-place demand for students with graduate course work in information systems is already high, the demand for such skills is predicted to steeply increase in the years ahead.

graduate coordinator

Silvia Nittel

Office: 334 Boardman HallLab: 321 Boardman Hall Silvia Nittel Associate Professor of Spatial Computing Dr. Nittel is the Director of the UMaine Data Science and Engineering program and the Graduate Program Coordinator of 7 Graduate programs in the Spatial Computing group. Dr. Nittel is the director of the Geosensor Networks Lab at the University of Maine. She is a recipient of a NSF […]

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  • No GRE/GMAT Requirements

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Program Offerings

Curriculum & Degree Requirements:

The Master of Science in Information Systems (MSIS) consists of 30 credits, all earned in course work. The program consists of five three-credit required core courses and a minimum of fifteen additional credits from a list of elective courses approved for the program drawn from a range of disciplines. If some required courses are duplicative of courses that may have been taken in the student’s undergraduate degree program, those courses need not be repeated, and the student will select in consultation with the MSIS Graduate Coordinator and the Steering Committee additional approved courses to arrive at the total of 30 credit hours.

Although copied below, the official degree requirements may be found in the Graduate Catalog (select current year catalog and then Graduate Programs, Certificates and Specializations > Information Systems).

The MSIS is offered wholly on-campus as well as entirely online.

Required Courses:

For new students starting by Fall 2024, the following five courses must be taken and all count toward the graduate degree unless they were counted in a student’s undergraduate program.

• SIE 507 – Information Systems Programming (3 credits)*
• SIE 515 – Human Computer Interaction (3 credits)*
• SIE 525 – Information Systems Law (3 credits)*
• SIE 550 – Design of Information Systems (3 credits)*
• SIE 557 – Database System Applications (3 credits)*

For students who have started the MSIS or the Certificate in Information systems before Fall 2024, the following. courses are required courses (a student can also choose to comply to the new required courses curriculum):

• SIE 507 – Information Systems Programming (3 credits)*
• SIE 515 – Human Computer Interaction (3 credits)*
• SIE 525 – Information Systems Law (3 credits)*
• SIE 550 – Design of Information Systems (3 credits)*
• SIE 505 – Formal Foundations for Information Science or SIE 580 – Ontology Engineering Theory and Practice(3 credits)*

All these courses are offered simultaneously on campus and online.

For the course descriptions, see the Graduate Catalog (select current year catalog and then Graduate Courses > Prefix (for example SIE  or BUA) > Filter). Alternatively, consult the SIE course descriptions. The semester in which SIE courses are offered are published on pages 11-14 in the Graduate Student Guide.

For many of the courses listed below you may also find the semesters in which they are typically offered, whether offered online, and their summary prerequisites at Data Science and Engineering Graduate Course Groupings.

Elective Courses:

Students must take at least fifteen additional credits that are approved in advance by the MSIS Steering Committee from the following approved elective course listings in order to arrive at the total required of 30 credits. Students should NOT assume that any combination of the following courses will be approved by the Steering Committee. Students should obtain approval of their full program of study prior to taking elective courses to ensure that they count towards their degree requirements. Students may propose additional graduate courses than those listed below be included on their program of study on a case-by-case basis or added to the list. The MSIS Steering Committee assesses the reasonableness of such requests and makes the final decision on whether specific additional courses serving the objectives of the MSIS program and the needs of the student may be included.

Some of the elective graduate courses listed may require prerequisites in addition to the minimum required for general admission to the MSIS graduate program. Some schools and departments grant enrollment preference to graduate students in their own programs so check with the relevant department or college as appropriate.

* = regularly taught by distance methods

Business

University of Maine
BUA 601 – Strategic Data Analysis, Credits: 3*
BUA 680 – Foundations of Business Intelligence and Analytics, Credits: 3*
BUA 681 – Data Management and Analytics, Credits: 3*
BUA 682 – Data Pre-Processing for Business Analytics, Credits: 3*
BUA 683 – Information Visualization, Credits: 3*
BUA 684 – Business Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery, Credits: 3*
BUA 685 – Problem Solving and Decision Analysis, Credits: 3*
BUA 686 – Predictive and Business Forecasting, Credits: 3*
University of Southern Maine (Considered UMaine courses rather than transfers)
MBA 674 – Strategic Management of Technology and Innovation, Credits: 3
MBA 678 – Predictive Analytics, Credits: 3
UMaine at Augusta
BUA 450 – Data Mining, Credits: 3*
UMaine at Presque Isle
BUA 440 – Business Analytics, Credits: 3
BUA 443 – Telecommunications and Networks, Credits: 3
BUA 469 – Strategic Professional Communication, Credits: 3
BUA 489 – Business Policy and Strategy, Credits: 3

Computer Science

University of Maine
Any formally approved 400 level COS courses and above
including
COS 535/435 – Engineering Privacy in Software Systems (temporarily COS 598)
COS 541/441 – Cloud Computing (temporarily COS 598)
COS 565 – Data Visualization
COS 570 – Topics in Artificial Intelligence
COS 573/473 – Computer Vision ((temporarily COS 598)
COS 575/475 – Machine Learning (temporarily COS 598)
University of Southern Maine
COS 420 – Object Oriented Design, Credits: 3
COS 450 – Operating Systems, Credits: 3
COS 452 – Computer Graphics, Credits: 3
COS 457 – Database Systems, Credits: 3
COS 460 – Computer Networks, Credits: 3
COS 475 – Machine Learning, Credits: 3
COS 485 – Design and Analysis of Computing Algorithms, Credits: 3
UMaine at Augusta
CIS 410 – Software Engineering, Credits: 3*
CIS 440 – Network Security, Credits: 3*
CIS 449 – R Programming and Package Development, Credits: 3*
CIS 450 – Data Mining, Credits: 3*
CIS 460 – Computers and Culture, Credits: 3*
CIS 461 – Spatial-Temporal Information Science, Credits: 3*
CIS 470 – Project Management, Credits: 3*
UMaine at Farmington
COS 455 – Database Systems, Credits: 3

Cyber Security

UMaine at Augusta
ISS 410 – Cyber Security I, Credits: 3*
ISS 412 – Cyber Security II, Credits: 3*
ISS 432 – System Forensics II, Credits: 3*
ISS 434 – Mobile Forensics, Credits: 3*
ISS 436 – Digital Evidence Analysis, Credits: 3*
ISS 438 – Cyber Investigations, Credits: 3*
ISS 470 – Information Systems Security Management, Credits: 3*
CYB 501 – Cybersecurity Fundamentals, Credits: 3*
CYB 520 – Cybersecurity Policy and Risk Management, Credits: 3*
CYB 524 – Cybersecurity Enterprise Architecture, Credits: 3*
CYB 551/581 – Cybersecurity Investigations, Credits: 3*
CYB 561 – Cybersecurity Operations, Credits: 3*
CYB 563 – Incident Response, Credits: 3*
CYB 570 – Cybersecurity Program Management, Credits: 3*

Data Science and Engineering

University of Maine
DSE 501 – Statistical Foundations of Data Science and Engineering (temporarily COS 598)
DSE 503 – Systems Foundations for Data Science and Engineering (temporarily ECE 598)
DSE 510 – Data Science Practicum (temporarily SIE 598)

Digital Curation

University of Maine
DIG 500 – Introduction to Digital Curation, Credits: 3 (distance only)*
DIG 510 – Metadata, Credits: 3 (distance only)*
DIG 540 – Digital Collections and Exhibitions, Credits: 3 (distance only)*
DIG 550 – Digital Preservation, Credits: 3 (distance only)*

Education

University of Maine
SIE 504 – The Beauty and Joy of Computing, Credits: 3*
EDT 520 – Digital Age Teaching and Learning Methods, Credits: 3*
EDT 545 – Information Security in the Educational Environment: Credits 3*
University of Southern Maine
SED 687 Technology for Learning and Communicating, Credits: 3*
UMaine at Farmington
EDT 571 Methods of Teaching Inclusive Computer Science, Credits: 3*
EDT 572 Teaching programming in Multiple Paradigms, Credits: 3
SED 519 Assistive Technology, Credits: 3*

Electrical and Computer Engineering

University of Maine
Any 400 level ECE courses and above

Interdisciplinary

University of Maine
INT 601 – Responsible Conduct of Research (1 credit)*

Spatial Information Science and Engineering
All of the following are offered simultaneously online and on campus unless otherwise noted.

University of Maine

SIE 505 – Formal Foundations for Information Science, Credits: 3*
SIE 508 – Object Oriented Programming, Credits: 3*
SIE 509 – Principles of Geographic Information Systems, Credits: 3*
SIE 510 – Geographic Information Systems Applications, Credits: 3*
SIE 512 – Spatial Analysis, Credits: 3*
SIE 516 – Interactive Technologies for Solving Real-World Problems, 3*
SIE 517 – Spatial Interaction Design: 3*
SIE 554 – Spatial Reasoning, Credits: 3*
SIE 555 – Spatial Database Systems, Credits: 3*
SIE 557 – Database System Applications, Credits: 3*
SIE 558 – Real-Time Sensor Data Streams, Credits: 3*
SIE 559 – Geosensor Networks, Credits: 3*
SIE 580 – Ontology Engineering Principles, Credits: 3*
SIE 590 – Information Systems Internship, Credits: 3*

* = regularly taught by distance methods

For descriptions of the above elective courses and potential additional electives, see the Graduate Catalog (select current year catalog and then Graduate Courses > Prefix(for example SIE  or BUA) > Filter).

In addition to the above, courses at the 400 level or above taken through other university campuses or by distance methods may be approved on a graduate student’s formal Program of Study through transfer of credit as long as the course did not count towards another academic degree. No more than three courses may be transferred from other campuses. Students should consult with the graduate coordinator to investigate the possibilities for transfer.

Detailed Requirements:

  • Programs of Study are approved for each student by the Steering Committee for the MSIS graduate program. (See also Curriculum Note 5 below). This committee consists of the MSIS Graduate Program Coordinator and two additional graduate faculty members in the department or affiliated with the program.
  • Each student’s Program of Study must include the five required core courses with the remainder of courses to be selected from an approved course list maintained by the department or proposed by the student and assessed for possible approval. The list is regularly updated and includes appropriate courses drawn from across campus. Each student’s Program of Study must be approved in advance by the MSIS Steering Committee.
  • At least 15 credits of the 30 required on a student’s program of study must be at the 500 level or above.
  • Up to two courses may be taken at other universities by distance methods or otherwise if contained on the student’s graduate program of study and approved in advance by the MSIS Steering Committee.
  • Up to two graduate courses may be transferred into the student’s graduate program of study if taken prior to admission to the Graduate School, the courses did not count towards the student’s undergraduate degree requirements, and the courses are approved by the MSIS Steering Committee.
  • The MSIS Graduate Coordinator typically serves as the advisor for each student admitted to the program and the MSIS Steering Committee serves as the graduate committee for each student in the program.
  • All students must complete the entire M.S. graduate program of study within a six-year period (as established by the Graduate School).

The Graduate Certificate in Information Systems is available to those students who complete the fifteen credits of required courses listed above under the MS Information Systems graduate degree program.

The School of Computing and Information Science supports and manages student applications for graduate certificates in the following areas:

• Graduate Certificate in Geographic Information Systems
• Graduate Certificate in Information Systems
• Graduate Certificate in Computing for Educators
• Graduate Certificate in Data Science

Any of these Graduate Certificates may be pursued independently or earned as part of and complementary to the MS Spatial Informatics, MS Information Systems, and MSSIE [Project Option] degrees. All certificates are offered both on campus and online. For detailed requirements and how to apply, consult the site at Graduate Certificates. Formal admission through the graduate school application process is required even if you are enrolled simultaneously in a graduate degree program.

Alternatively simply complete the Graduate Certificate Application available through the appropriate link at Apply Now

MSIS Four Plus One Program

Conditional Acceptance while an Undergraduate Student

By planning ahead during your undergraduate program, you can finish  in a single year the Master of Science in Information Systems (on campus or distance learning), the Master of Science in Spatial Information Science and Engineering (on campus project option), or the Master of Science in Spatial Informatics (distance learning only).

Undergraduate students from any degree program at the University of Maine or any other University of Maine campus may apply as early as the summer before their junior year for admission to any of the listed masters degree programs. Applications for “early admission” should be received by the middle of the first semester of the junior year and are not accepted after the senior year has commenced.

Application for Admission to the SIE or MSIS Four Plus One Program (Word Document)

By taking a course overload of three credits in the second semester of the Junior year and a course overload of three credits in each of the semesters of the Senior year (or alternatively three graduate courses in the senior year), a motivated student typically may acquire 9 credits (but typically no more than 12) for graduate school (at undergraduate tuition rates) prior to acquiring their undergraduate degree assuming that they receive a B or better in all of the courses. At least five core courses in the program are available by distance offerings each year.

SIE 505 – Formal Foundations of Information Systems (3 credits)
SIE 507 – Information Systems Software Engineering (3 credits)
SIE 515 – Human Computer Interaction (3 credits)
SIE 525 – Information Systems Law (3 credits)
SIE 550 – Engineering Databases and Information Systems (3 credits)

All of these distance courses are taught by professors with geospatial specialties and thus examples are often drawn from this field. By taking a 3-credit Internship graduate course with a corporation, agency or non-profit organization during the summer, a student may readily complete the coursework master’s degree in a single year after their undergraduate degree.

To save course credit tuition dollars for the student, the Application for Admission to the Four Plus One Program is submitted to the SIE/MSIS Graduate Coordinator rather than to the graduate school. If a student is accepted and the performance criteria below are met, acceptance into the Four Plus One Program indicates a commitment by the SIE/MSIS faculty (1) to accept the student’s graduate courses completed while an undergraduate student within their graduate program of study and (2) to support the student’s application for formal admission to the graduate school after completion of the undergraduate degree.

To apply for admission to the Four Plus One Program before or during the junior year, an applicant should expect to have an overall minimum undergraduate grade point average of 3.25, must have completed the University of Maine General Education Requirement in Math and must have three letters of recommendation from current or previous university instructors.

Double Counting of Courses: Provisionally admitted Four Plus One students with an undergraduate grade point average of 3.25 or better may take up to 9 credits of graduate-level courses toward the masters degree that may also count towards the bachelors degree (joint credits) but they must also be part of the Master’s Program of Study. For purposes of this policy, graduate-level courses means courses at the 500-599 level.

All Four Plus One Program students must take the GRE exam prior to completing their senior year but support by the faculty in continuation through and formal admission to the graduate program will be based primarily on performance in the graduate courses and overall grade point average upon graduation from the undergraduate program. The formal application for admission to the graduate program through the graduate school can occur anytime during or after the senior year of the undergraduate program. Below a 3.0 accumulated undergraduate grade point average should be assumed cause for withholding support for the student by the MSIS faculty for formal acceptance into the graduate program.

Exceptions to Graduate School Rules: The Graduate School Rules pertaining to Four Plus One Programs may be found in Section 3.3. Exceptions to these rules may be applied for by completing the form for Request for an Exception to Regulation (https://umaine.edu/graduate/ > Faculty & Staff > Request for an Exception to Regulation (right column menu)). Exceptions granted in the past have included: (a) allowing a student to count more graduate courses taken at the undergraduate tuition rate than the twelve normally allowed for a 4+1 student prior to formal entry into graduate school, (b) allowing a student with a 3.25 GPA to double count 9 graduate credits in the undergrad program since their GPA in the major was well above 3.5, and (c) allowing a student who entered as a Four Plus One Student to convert to a thesis program (i.e. Four Plus Two Program) in order to accept a funded graduate assistantship.

Note: If the Four Plus One student takes the GRE exam and submits the scores in the initial application process before or during the junior year, the faculty may admit the student to the graduate school as of a specific future semester. This will often allow the student to take courses requiring a formal prerequisite of “graduate standing.”

Application for Admission to the SIE or MSIS Four Plus One Program (Word Document)

Students with two or fewer semesters remaining to complete their undergraduate degree program do not qualify for the “four-plus-one program.” Rather, the student should submit an application through the regular SIE or MSIS graduate admissions process. In this case, the student may still take and transfer up to two graduate courses prior to formal admission and perhaps more in specific circumstances if approved by the faculty and Graduate School.

MSIS and MBA Dual Degree Requirements

The dual degree program consisting of the Master of Science in Information System (MSIS) and the Maine Business School (MBS) Master of Business Administration (MBA) is intended for students interested in combining business skills with technological skills in order to meet the demands of the workplace. The course of study normally takes two years. It leads to two master’s degrees: one in Information Systems and one in Business.

Students are required to complete the requirements for a master’s degree in both programs.  Six hours of MSIS courses can be counted as MBA electives and nine MBA credits can be counted as MSIS electives (i.e., a total of 15 credits can be double counted). As a result a total of only 45 hours is required to complete both degrees (rather than the 60 usually required for two completely independent masters degrees). Each unit tracks the progress of the student in meeting their course requirements within the 45 credit program.

The dual degree may be pursued either live or via distance technology. Neither program requires a thesis.

Application Process for Dual Program

Students apply on the UMaine Graduate School website completing applications for both the MSIS and MBA programs. Completing two applications facilitates review by two separate faculties. The MSIS application currently requires less documentation.  The graduate coordinators of the two programs in consultation with their faculties independently review the application to their program. They make a recommendation to the graduate school concerning admission of an applicant to their leg of the joint program.

MSIS applications processed through the Graduate School are accomplished on a rolling basis and no strict deadlines apply. However, to be considered for Fall admission, completed applications should be received typically 8 weeks prior to the beginning of the term.

To apply for admission to the MSIS degree program, students submit:

  • Completed online application indicating the MSIS degree program
  • Transcripts of all previous college or university work
  • Your current resume which should include contact information for three references
  • A brief essay
  • $65 application fee

For detailed requirements, please read all the comments that follow including the Advising notes.

International students also submit:

  • TOEFL or IELTS scores (TOEFL minimum of 80 or IELTS 6.5.)
  • Waived for native English speakers and students graduating from an English-speaking or ESL programs.
  • WES or ECE certified transcript translation.
  • Certificate of Finances
  • Copy of passport or visa

International applicants should also review the Office of International Programs page for more information on Visas, financial statements, and other requirements, or to contact an international advisor. All applicants are considered on a case-by-case basis.

Professional Recommendations

Recommenders listed in your resume should be able to comment on your academic strengths, work ethic, responsibilities, accomplishments, career advancement, managerial experience, or ability to be successful in a dual degree program. These references may or may not be contacted depending on circumstances. Please provide mailing address, phone, and email contact information as appropriate.

Application Essay Prompt

Submit an essay describing your motivation for pursuing a dual degree. The essay is evaluated not only for content, but also for intrinsic writing quality and strengths. Your essay should be no more than two pages. Please state in the essay that you are applying for the MSIS/MBA Dual Degree program.

Application Fees

Application fees are waived for:

  • Graduates of University of Maine System Schools
  • Veterans of the US Armed Forces
  • Fulbright Scholars
  • Participants in select programs (eg. IRT/McNair)

Minimum Admission Criteria

  • Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year U.S. accredited college or university with a 3.0 cumulative or higher GPA, or three-year international equivalent university with comparable academic performance.

Admission to the University of Maine MSIS/MBA Dual Degree program is competitive. Dual Degree applicants are jointly reviewed by both academic departments. It is possible that a student will gain admission to one program but not both. All applications are reviewed holistically – exceptional career or leadership experience may offset weak scores in some applicants. Exceptions are considered on a case-by-case basis. Among other considerations, reviewers assess the potential of applicants to complete the program successfully. Conditional or provisional admission is available.

Advising

Because the student will receive two degrees, a program of study for each degree must be developed and approved by each respective graduate coordinator or unit committee.  Thus students in the dual-degree program will have two advisors, one from Information Systems and one from Business. They will also complete two separate but integrated Programs of Study. They will also eventually submit an application for graduation for each separate degree.

(1) Programs of Study: Complete and file a program of study (POS) for each degree that meets the requirements of that specific degree. That is, one POS for the MSIS and another for the MBA. Indicate on each POS with an * those courses that are to be double counted toward both degrees. While each POS must list ten courses, eight courses from the MBA program are required and seven from the MSIS are required for a total of 15 courses (45 credits). Rather than 20 courses for both degrees (60 credits), five of the courses count in both programs. Even with double counting of some courses, the dual degree program still provides the student, and his or her advisor or advisory committee, some flexibility to devise a program that supports the specific needs of the student. For further guidance in preparing the MSIS POS, see notes 6, 3, and 4 under MSIS Advising Notes.

(2) Waived Courses: Waived courses are required courses that need not be taken because the student has already covered the subject matter of the course in previous courses. See the SCIS Course Waiver Form. If a course is waived, another course is taken in its place with approval of the Graduate Coordinator in consultation with the faculty. In some instances, the replacement course is prespecified. For instance if SIE 507 is waived, the replacement course is SIE 508 unless that subject matter as well has already been covered in previous coursework by the student.

(3) Failure to complete one degree program: Should a student withdraw from one of the two graduate programs, he or she may complete the other by accomplishing the full requirements of that degree program.

(4) Course enrollment – There is no need to enroll in courses in both graduate programs each semester. Enrollment in one is sufficient to maintain your active status in both programs.

(5) On-Leave Status – If you decide to enroll in no courses in either program for one or more regular academic year semesters, your are required to submit a Request for On-Leave Status. If you fail to submit such a request, you are assumed to have left the program by the Graduate School.

(6) Consecutive Dual Degrees – Although not typical, under current graduate school rules, a dual graduate degree may also be pursued consecutively rather than concurrently. Thus, a student might pursue and finish the MSIS degree prior to pursuing the MBA degree and still be able to double count some course in both graduate degrees. The opposite also holds. However, maximization in double counting is not assured through pursuit of consecutive degrees since requirements are not coordinated from the outset and requirements may change over time.

(7) Applications for Graduation – You must file a separate Application for Graduation for each of the graduate programs based on the Programs of Study filed for each. As such, you may graduate from one of the dual degree programs prior to the other.

Course Curriculum Requirements

For a student enrolled in the dual degree program in Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Science in Information Systems (MSIS), the required curriculum is as follows:

MSISCreditsMBACredits
I. Required CoursesI. Required Courses
SIE 507 – Information Systems Programming3BUA 601 Strategic Data Analysis3
SIE 550 – Design of Information Systems3MBA 609 Financial Statement Analysis3
SIE 515 – Human Computer Interaction3MBA 626 Management of Contemporary Organizations3
SIE 525 – Information Systems Law3MBA 637 Global Supply Chain Networks3
SIE 505 – Formal Foundations for Information Science3MBA 651 Financial Management3
II. Elective CoursesMBA 670 Managerial Marketing3
(a) Three BUA or MBA required courses from the right column count toward electives in the MSIS degree9MBA 649 Strategic Decision Making3
(b) Two MSIS elective course (not BUA or MBA courses)6BUA 680 Foundations of Business Intelligence3
II. Elective Courses
Two SIE required courses from the left column count toward electives in the MBA degree6
Total30Total30
Total beyond MBA Required*21Total beyond MSIS Required*24

* The total of course credits required equals 21 + 24 = 45 credits to complete the two graduate degrees rather than 60 credits.

Sequence of Courses
Students may begin both the MBA and MSIS programs in any semester.  Generally there is no prescribed sequence of courses, except that course prerequisites must be completed prior to taking a course.

MSIS Elective Courses

Admitted students must NOT assume that any combination of the MSIS elective courses will be approved by the MSIS Steering Committee. Students should obtain approval of their full program of study prior to taking elective courses to ensure that they count towards their degree requirements. For instance, additional BUA courses are not typically approved as MSIS electives since a large number are already included in the dual program. Students may propose additional graduate courses to those listed in the MSIS curriculum to be included on their program of study on a case-by-case basis. The MSIS Steering Committee assesses the reasonableness of such requests and makes the final decision on whether specific additional courses serving the objectives of the MSIS program and the needs of the student may be included. Some of the elective graduate courses listed may require prerequisites in addition to the minimum required for general admission to the MSIS graduate program.

Course Descriptions

For courses offered within the School of Computing and Information Science, see the MSIS course descriptions along with prerequisites and sample syllabi. For any additional individual graduate course descriptions along with their prerequisites applicable to the MSIS program, see  Graduate Catalog (select current catalog year and then Graduate Courses > Prefix (for example SIE  or BUA) > Filter.)

Cooperating MSIS and MBA Program

The combination of business skills and information system skills is very attractive in the market and predicted to increase. The graduate program in Information Systems and the Maine Business School’s MBA program have formulated a strategy to allow students to combine these skills in a variety of ways suiting the student’s career choice.s

MS in Information Systems (MSIS) and Graduate Certificate in Business Administration or Business Analytics

(45 or fewer credits total)

This combination is for the student most interested in information systems but who believes some business or business analytics knowledge will be beneficial.

The Master’s Degree in Information Systems is a 30 credit graduate degree consisting of 15 required credits and 15 credits of electives.  The MSIS can be taken live or via distance technology.
The Graduate Business Certificate and the Graduate Business Analytics Certificate are each 15 credit certificates. These may be taken live or via distance technology. The certificates are constructed as introductions to business and pathways to the MBA. Some graduate business courses may be accepted on a case-by-case basis as part of the MSIS requirement and thereby reduce the total number of credits required for the combined program.

Requirements:
For the master’s degree in Information Systems, see MSIS Program Requirements or Graduate Catalog > Graduate Programs, Certificates and Specializations > Information Systems.

For the graduate certificate in Business Administration, see Maine Business School Graduate Business Certificate or Graduate Catalog > Graduate Programs, Certificates and Specializations > Business Administration (Certificate)

For the graduate certificate in Business Analytics, see Maine Business School Graduate Certificate in Business Analytics or Graduate Catalog > Graduate Programs, Certificates and Specializations > Business Analytics (Certificate)

Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Graduate Certificate in Information Systems

(45 or fewer credits total)

This combination is for the student most interested in a graduate business degree but who wants some additional information systems skills and knowledge.

The MBA is a 30 credit graduate degree consisting of 24 required credits and 6 credits of electives.  The MBA may be taken live or via distance technology.
The Graduate Certificate in Information Systems consists of the fifteen required credits from the MS in Information Systems graduate degree program. The certificate may be taken live or via distance technology. Similar to the business certificate, the information systems certificate is a gateway to the full MSIS program.
Some graduate business courses may be accepted on a case-by-case basis as part of the MSIS requirement and thereby reduce the total number of credits required for the combined program.

Requirements:
For the master’s degree in business, see MBA Program or Graduate Catalog > Graduate Programs, Certificates and Specializations > Business Administration.

For the certificate in information systems see the Graduate Certificate in Information Systems or Graduate Catalog > Graduate Programs, Certificates and Specializations > Information Systems (Certificate)

Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Graduate Certificate in Data Science and Engineering

(45 or fewer credits total)

This combination is for the student most interested in a graduate business degree but who wants some additional data science skills and knowledge.

The MBA is a 30 credit graduate degree consisting of 24 required credits and 6 credits of electives.  The MBA may be taken live or via distance technology.
The Graduate Certificate in Data Science and Engineering consists of fifteen specified credits from the MS in Data Science and Engineering graduate degree program. The certificate may be taken live or via distance technology. The data science and engineering certificate is a potential gateway to the full MSDSE program.
Some graduate business courses may be accepted on a case-by-case basis as part of the DSE requirement and thereby reduce the total number of credits required for the combined program.

Requirements:
For the master’s degree in business, see MBA Program or Graduate Catalog > Graduate Programs, Certificates and Specializations > Business Administration.

For the certificate in information systems see the Graduate Certificate in Data Science and Engineering or Graduate Catalog > Graduate Programs, Certificates and Specializations > Data Science and Engineering (Certificate)

Dual MBA and MSIS  Graduate Degrees

(45 credits total)

This combination is for the student who wants to be highly skilled in both business and information systems.

Thus the combination of these two full graduate degrees is for the person who wants a flexible career path with breadth and depth in two highly complementary disciplines. The dual degree represents a reduction in total course credits down from 60 or more credits if obtaining the two degrees separately. The dual degree may be pursued either live or via distance technology.

Requirements: For the dual degree admission and program requirements, see MSIS and MBA Dual Degree. For the requirements of each degree separately, see the links list above.

Admissions

Admissions to the MS Information Systems and Graduate Certificate in Information Systems are competitive. In the admission process, the graduate faculty considers the potential of applicants to complete a program successfully and achieve a position of leadership in the private or public sectors. We generally seek an undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 or above. Exceptions are considered on a case-by-case basis. All applications are reviewed holistically – exceptional career or leadership experience may offset weak scores in some applicants. Students applying for these all-coursework graduate programs are NOT required to submit GRE scores or letters of recommendation. However, such submissions are still recommended.

At a minimum an applicant must have a four-year U.S. bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, or a four-year international equivalent. Within their curriculum, all applicants should have completed a university course in Algebra as a minimum math prerequisite for admission. Previous programming courses or experience are recommended but not required. The review committee considers both the curriculum completed and the institution attended in its assessment.

Application Process

All students apply through the Graduate School and the entire application packet including transcripts and essay must be received before a formal acceptance will be considered. Much more weight weight is given in these applications to student essays (motivations, life experiences, ability to succeed) and previous transcripts as compared to research focused applicants. Applications processed through the Graduate School are accomplished on a rolling basis and no strict deadlines apply. However, those applying for campus-wide research assistantships or scholarships should complete their application packets by January 1 for September admission. If programs are not full, applications will be accepted right up to the week before classes begin. Among other considerations, reviewers assess the potential of applicants to complete the program successfully. Conditional or provisional admission is available.

To apply for the MSIS degree, students submit:

  • Completed online application indicating the MSIS degree program
  • Transcripts of all previous college or university work
  • Your current resume which should include contact information for three references
  • A brief essay
  • $65 application fee

For detailed requirements, please read all the comments that follow.

To apply for the Information System Graduate Certificate, students consult:

International students also submit:

  • TOEFL or IELTS scores (TOEFL minimum of 80 or IELTS 6.5.)
  • Waived for native English speakers and students graduating from an English-speaking or ESL programs.
  • WES or ECE certified transcript translation.
  • Certificate of Finances
  • Copy of passport or visa

International applicants should also review the Office of International Programs page for more information on Visas, financial statements, and other requirements, or to contact an international advisor. All applicants are considered on a case-by-case basis.

Professional Recommendations supplied in Resumes

Recommenders listed in your resume should be able to comment on your academic strengths, work ethic, responsibilities, accomplishments, career advancement, managerial experience, or ability to be successful in the degree program. These references may or may not be contacted depending on circumstances. Please provide mailing address, phone, and email contact information as appropriate.

Application Essay Prompt

Submit an essay describing your motivation for pursuing the degree. The essay is evaluated not only for content, but also for intrinsic writing quality and strengths. Your essay should be no more than two pages. Please state in the essay that you are applying for the MSIS/MBA Dual Degree program if that happens to be the case.

Application Fee Waivers

Application fees are waived for:

  • Graduates of University of Maine System Schools
  • Veterans of the US Armed Forces
  • Fulbright Scholars
  • Participants in select programs (eg. IRT/McNair)

FURTHER ADMISSION AND APPLICATION NOTES

Note 1: Transfer Courses – For the MSIS, a maximum of six credit hours of graduate course work taken prior to enrollment in the master’s program, whether at this university or another, may be counted towards the master’s degree. If the course did not count towards a completed undergraduate degree and if the student’s graduate advisory committee formally approves acceptance of the courses on the student’s Program of Study, then the credit hours may be transferred to apply toward the master’s degree.

Note 2: Tuition – For more information about tuition and fees please visit the Bursar’s Office webpage. Alternatively, see Tuition and Fees at UMaine Online. The low in-state tuition rate remains the same whether taking courses online or on campus. Although the grad courses, programs, and instructors are essentially identical, please note that tuition and fees for out-of-state students are different for online versus on-campus programs.  All non-resident online graduate students from anywhere in the world receive the very favorable E-Tuition Rate. This remains one of the lowest nation-wide and international graduate tuition rates offered by a publicly funded U.S. land-grant, sea-grant  university. On campus students from Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Rhode Island qualify for the NEHBE Scholarship rate when the UMaine graduate degree is not offered in those states.

Note 4: STEM Status – International students applying to the MSIS on campus should note that the MSIS program is certified as a STEM program (see U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Student and Exchange Visitor Program and CIP Code 14.3801) potentially allowing a longer post-graduation training stay in the U.S.

Note 5: Grad Certificate in Addition to MSIS – Students currently enrolled in a master’s degree program through the Graduate School who wish to pursue an approved graduate certificate program simultaneously in a subarea or specialization (e.g. IS or GIS Grad Certificates) should ideally apply for admission to the certificate program before one-half of the required master’s credits are completed.

Note 6: Four Plus One Program – UMaine undergraduate student applicants MUST apply for admission to the Four Plus One program directly to the graduate coordinator in SCIS and NOT to the graduate school.

Financial Aid

For general information on the range of grants, loans and scholarships available from Federal and other sources for graduate students, contact the Office of Student Financial Aid. The department provides no assistantships for non-research based degrees. However, university wide assistantships and scholarships may be available. All full-time students are eligible to apply. Note: Those seeking a Graduate Certificate rather than a full graduate degree are ineligible for most grants, loans and scholarships.

As an online student, does your employer support a tuition reimbursement program?
Despite the high percentage of companies offering tuition-assistance programs, average employee participation is still only around 5 percent. Under IRS rules in 2020, up to $5,250 in educational reimbursement may be written off by the company as an employee fringe benefit. Over that amount is reported as employee income and thus the employee must pay taxes on any amount the employer pays over $5,250.

Note: At an in-state graduate tuition rate, Maine employees of participating employers may take almost 12 credits per year (4 courses) online at UMaine with no cost to themselves except potentially for fees if not covered by their employer. At the out-of-state e-rate for tuition, U.S. employees of participating employers in any state may take approximately 9 credits per year online at UMaine with no cost to themselves.

Graduate Student Project Videos

Note: This list contains short videos by both MSIS students and SIE graduate students.

Internship Videos

Michael Hennessey, MSIS Internship Experience at Synernet, Inc.

Joshua Lewis, Internship with Eastern Maine Health Services: Drug Interaction Database

Pathum Mudannayake, Internship with Eastern Maine Health Services

Suyog Navarkar, MSIS Internship at Advanced Structures and Composites Center

Balaji Venkatesan, Internship with iFactor, Outage Management System

Joel Whitney, Esri Internship in Apps Product Engineering

Brian Wood on Distance Learning

Research Project Videos

Navneet Jain, A Physical Internet

Pathum Mudannayake on Improving Geo-Targeting in Commercial Mobile Alert Service

Hari Prasath Palani on Accessible Graphics for Visually Impaired People Using Touch-Based Devices

Saranya Kesavan on Generating Indoor Scene Descriptions

Shreyans Jain on Audio Interface Design for Indoor Navigation

Brendan O’Shaughnessey on Indoor Scene Reconstruction with the Kinect Sensor

Monoj Kumar Raja on Indoor Navigation for the Blind

Liping Yang on Informatics of Indoor and Outdoor Spaces

Hengshan Li on Exploring the Minimal Information Set for Human Navigation

Chris Bennet on Multimodal Interaction

Kraig King on Tiny models

Dave Almeida on A GIS-Inspired Approach Towards Interacting with Wireless Sensor Networks

Jake Emerson on Detecting Complex Events with Networks of Simple Sensors

Qinghan Liang on Dynamic Field-Based Data Model and Query Language for Sensor Data Streams

Matt Dube on Retraction: The Mathematical Path to Cartographic Generalization

Monoj Kumar Raja on Indoor Positioning and Applications

Chris Dorr on Decentralized Wireless Sensor Networks

Kate Cuddy on Indoor Navigation Systems for Low Vision Users

James Campbell on Access, Privacy and Heritage Preservation

Zhong Zhao on Distorting Locative Information in Ubiquitous Computing

Rick Tanney on Familiarity Factors on the Perception of Relative Nearness in Map Space

Paul Smitherman on Geostatistics

Guillaume Charest-Hallee on GIS Certificate Academic Objectives

Francois Neville on Spatiotemporal Field Interpolation

Ben Weber on Mobile Map Browsers

Ben Maynard on Dynamic Event Sensing in Emergency Management

Avinash Rude on Event Detection and Classification in Time Series

Department Playlist on YouTube

Advising Notes

Math Readiness – What is the one last thing that you might still accomplish that might better prepare you for entering computing courses at the University of Maine?
True Story: After reading a book about Kahn Academy assigned in the COS 490 class, one of our top senior students in computer science came to the realization that his math education indeed had many holes in it due to missing concepts somewhere along the line or just forgetting concepts he had previously learned. Even though he had already completed all the required math courses in the curriculum with A’s (including the calculus course sequence), he went back to the third grade level in Kahn Academy and marched though all of the online student lessons up to and through the Algebra materials. Spending an hour or so each evening, it took him several weeks. He aced his graduate record exams for entry into grad school and is convinced that this computer-aided self-learning and review in math made all the difference. Thus, if you want to better prepare yourself for some of your computing courses, you might want to consider following his suggested process before and even after you start your program in the School of Computing and Information Science. If pressed for time, however, perhaps a review of the Algebra I and II materials may be sufficient. See https://www.khanacademy.org/math

Elective Courses Not Contained in the Official UMaine Catalog – All of the elective courses listed above continue to be accepted. Many of these courses at other campuses and in other programs are NOT listed in the official online catalog for pragmatic reasons. However, these elective courses are typically still accepted by the faculty for inclusion on your Program of Study. Other relevant courses may also be petitioned for that are not on the above current list.

Transfer Courses – Any course taken at another university that is included for credit on your Program of Study is viewed as a transfer course. This requires approval in the process of admission or through the approval process for the Program of Study.

Waived Courses – Waived courses are required courses that need not be taken because the student has already covered the subject matter of the course in previous courses. See the SCIS Course Waiver Form. If a course is waived, another course is taken in its place with approval of the Graduate Coordinator in consultation with the faculty. In some instances, the replacement course is prespecified. For instance if SIE 507 is waived, the replacement course is SIE 508 unless that subject matter as well has already been covered in previous coursework by the student.

Taking Courses from Other Campuses –  If a course listed above is taken from another campus, it must first be approved on your Program of Study (See Master’s POS or Grad Certificate POS). After approval, you must complete the Domestic Study Away Form (DSAF) for each course taken on another campus. Each DSAF should be submitted near the time in which you enroll in any course from away. Sign it, submit it first to the Graduate Coordinator (harlan.onsrud@maine.edu) and then send the form with those two signatures to the UMaine Graduate School (debbi.clements@maine.edu). The graduate school will forward the form to other campus offices that may need it to validate your active student status, particularly if you are receiving any financial aid.

Programs of Study (POS) – If needed for study away courses or for documenting the acceptance of transfer courses, please complete the POS form immediately upon admission.  Otherwise, completing the POS after one or two semesters in the program is fine. (See https://umaine.edu/graduate/ > Students (in the upper menu)> Forms and Documents> Master’s and CAS Program of Study and/or Certificate Program of Study as appropriate.) In completing the form, you may determine the semester that SIE courses are typically offered by consulting (a) the tables found in the Data Science Curriculum that contains as well most of the MSIS courses (search by the course number) or (b) the Graduate Student Guide on pages 11 through 14. For the MSIS Program of Study, include ten and only ten courses on the POS. For the IS Graduate Certificate include only the 5 required courses. All information and your signature must be supplied. If you don’t yet know the exact semester for each course or the exact course(s) you will ultimately pursue, take a best guess for now. You may always alter the form later by submitting  a Change in Program of Study form available from the same link.

On-Leave Status – If you decide to enroll in no courses for one or more regular academic year semesters, your are required to submit a Request for On-Leave Status. If you fail to submit such a request, you are assumed to have left the program by the Graduate School.

Application for Graduation – As graduation approaches, you should file a Completion of Degree Requirements form with the Graduate School. This often first requires submission of a Change in Program of Study form to ensure that any changes in your POS have been approved by the faculty. (See https://umaine.edu/graduate/students/forms-and-documents/ > Change in Program of Study and/or Completion of Degree Requirements as appropriate.)

Lab Facilities

Students have access to state-of-the-art computer labs and software. MSIS students are also provided with shared work space and a student lounge in Room 137 Boardman Hall. The department maintains a range of database, GIS, statistical and programming software for teaching and research support. Compilers and software development environments are available for common programming languages including C++, and Java, fast prototyping environments such as Visual Basic, and Prolog. The department has educational site licenses for Oracle, ESRI software, Intergraph GIS and CAD software, Smallworld GIS, Idrisi and Mapinfo.

More extensive descriptions of lab, equipment and software made available to all students in the School of Computing and Information Science is available at Labs and Equipment and through the SCIS Common Use Labs in Boardman Hall Lab Manual.

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