Modern information systems manage data, information and knowledge to support enterprise functions and decision-making as well as human social activity over the Internet. Increasingly, these systems involve big data and artificial intelligence, are distributed and collaborative, and housed in the cloud with built-in security.

The mission of the Information Systems MS program is to enable students of diverse baccalaureate and professional backgrounds to obtain a high-quality MS degree that:

  • Provides the theoretical knowledge and hands-on project experience needed to analyze, design, build, deploy, maintain, manage and promote effective organizational use of modern information systems.
  • Allows students to specialize in high demand concentration areas including human-centered computing, and cloud-based information systems.
  • Prepares students for careers in information systems in large and small organizations in both industry and government.

Career paths open to graduates include database application developer, web- and cloud-based information systems designer and developer, systems analyst, database administrator, information architect, systems architect, decision support analyst, data warehouse administrator, information engineer, knowledge engineer, human-computer interaction engineer, machine learning engineer, chief information officer, chief knowledge officer, chief privacy officer, and project manager.

Admissions

Application Requirements

Applicants must have earned a GPA of 3.00 or better in the last 60 credits of undergraduate study. Applicants also must submit the following:

  • A one-page statement of educational and career goals
  • A current resume
  • Internationally-educated students must submit their English proficiency scores

Policies

Foundation Requirements

To succeed in graduate courses, students entering the MS program must have coursework or equivalent knowledge in the following five foundation areas: (1) introductory programming in any programming language; (2) knowledge of an object-oriented programming language such as Java, C++, or C#; (3) data structures and algorithms; (4) machine organization such as those given in computer system architecture or assembly language courses; (5) and topics in discrete mathematics, including sets, propositional and predicate logic,  relations, functions, trees, graphs, and inductive proofs.

The level of knowledge required in these areas is equivalent to that taught in undergraduate courses and may be demonstrated in one of several ways:

  1. Applicable undergraduate coursework: Such courses must appear on transcripts from the student’s undergraduate university, or another accredited university. Applicable courses from George Mason University and Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) are given here:
    1. Foundation: Introductory programming
      • GMU CS: CS 112 Introduction to Computer Programming (Mason Core)
      • GMU IT: IT 106 Introduction to IT Problem Solving Using Computer Programming
      • NVCC: CSC 201
    2. Foundation: OO programming
      • GMU CS: CS 211 Object-Oriented Programming 
      • GMU IT: IT 206 Object Oriented Techniques for IT Problem Solving
      • NVCC: CSC 202
    3. Foundation: Data structures
      • GMU CS: CS 310 Data Structures 
      • GMU IT: IT 306 Data Structures and Algorithms in Java
      • NVCC: None
    4. Foundation: Machine organization
      • GMU CS: CS 367 Computer Systems and Programming or CS 465 Computer Systems Architecture
      • GMU IT: IT 342 Operating Systems Fundamentals
      • NVCC: None
    5. Foundation: Discrete math
  2. The School of Computing offers the following bridge foundation courses: (1-2) SWE 510 Object-Oriented Programming in Java or COMP 501 Computer Programming Foundations I or AIT 502 Programming Essentials, (3) INFS 519 Program Design and Data Structures or COMP 511 Computer Programming Foundations II or AIT 512 Algorithms and Data Structures Essentials, (4) INFS 515 Computer Organization Course and Operating Systems or COMP 503 Computer Systems Foundations I or AIT 542 Fundamentals of Computing Platforms, and (5) INFS 501 Discrete and Logical Structures for Information Systems or COMP 502 Mathematical Foundations of Computing I. These courses may be taken by students in provisional status, non-degree status, or while in another graduate program at Mason.
  3. Passing appropriate testout exams: Students can self-prepare and attempt testout exams for each of the four foundation requirements (OO programming, data structures, machine organization, and discrete math). The exams are given before classes begin in January and August, and can only be taken once. Registration is not required; students need only be present at the date, time, and location specified and bring some form of photographic identification. Detailed information is available on the department web site. Students who do not pass an exam must take an equivalent course before enrolling in the core curriculum courses.

Eligible domestic students who lack one or more foundation may be admitted provisionally and required to take the appropriate preparatory course or pass the testout exam. Other students may be advised to learn the foundation material and re-apply.

Advising

The MS-INFS program holds orientation meetings at the beginning of each semester to advise newly admitted and continuing students. Members of the faculty are present to answer questions and offer advice concerning programs of study. Detailed information is available on the program's web site.

The MS-INFS program also provides advising services to students. Initial and procedural inquiries can be submitted to csgrad@gmu.edu. A plan of study form for the MS degree should be completed and submitted by the student soon after beginning the program. This plan serves as a guide for the student.

Banner Code: EC-MS-ISYS

Degree Requirements

Total credits: 30

Students must complete 30 approved graduate credits (10 courses), divided into core (required) courses and constrained electives. Optionally, students may choose a concentration, which further constrains their electives. Students may complete the program without choosing a concentration.

Core Courses

To provide a common background in the fundamentals of information systems, the following core courses, which constitute the technical body of knowledge for the program, are required of all students. Students with strong academic background in mathematical foundations of computing may have COMP 502 Mathematical Foundations of Computing I substituted for another elective course at the discretion of the program director.
 

COMP 502Mathematical Foundations of Computing I3
CS 550Database Systems3
INFS 622Information Systems Analysis and Design3
INFS 580Analytics: Big Data to Information 3
INFS 611Rapid Information Systems Prototyping3
Total Credits15

Concentration in Human-Centered Computing (HCCM)

In addition to the general program requirements, students must complete 4 courses to complete this concentration:

Students must complete four courses in total12
Select at least two courses from the following:
Interaction Design and Accessibility
Interaction Design and Accessibility
Interactive Visualization and Data Analytics
Advanced Human Computer Interaction
Select the remaining one or two courses from the following:
Data Analytics in Social Media
Ethical and Legal Challenges in Computing
Accessibility and Assistive Technologies
Human-Computer Intelligent Interaction
User Interface Design and Development
Total Credits12

Concentration in Cloud-based Information Systems (CBIS)

In addition to the general program requirements, students must complete 4 courses to complete this concentration:

AIT 660Cyber Security Fundamentals3
AIT 670Cloud Computing Security3
SWE 642Software Engineering for the World Wide Web3
Select one from the following:3
Distributed Software Engineering
Software Project Management
User Interface Design and Development
Component-Based Software Development
Total Credits12

Research Option

With the consent of a faculty advisor and program director, students may complete a 6-credit MS thesis (INFS 799 MS Thesis) as part of the electives. The thesis must be guided and approved by a committee of three appropriate faculty members and presented at an appropriate forum. This is primarily intended for students who intend to pursue a PhD.

Electives

Students may select the remaining courses from the following list. Students may select courses not on this list with prior approval from the faculty advisor.

Information Systems (INFS)

INFS 612Principles and Practices of Communication Networks3
INFS 623Web Search Engines and Recommender Systems3
INFS 640Introduction to Electronic Commerce3
INFS 697Topics in Information Systems1-6
INFS 740Database Programming for the World Wide Web3
INFS 760Advanced Database Management3
INFS 770Knowledge Management for E-Business3
INFS 772Intelligent Agents and the Semantic Web3
INFS 774Enterprise Architecture3
INFS 796Directed Readings in Information Systems3
INFS 797Advanced Topics in Information Systems1-6
INFS 799MS Thesis1-6

Applied Information Technology (AIT)

AIT 526Introduction to Natural Language Processing3
AIT 636Interpretable Machine Learning3
AIT 660Cyber Security Fundamentals3
AIT 664Information: Representation, Processing and Visualization3
AIT 670Cloud Computing Security3
AIT 684Interactive Visualization and Data Analytics3
AIT 716Advanced Human Computer Interaction3
AIT 724Data Analytics in Social Media3
AIT 734Advanced Web Analytics Using Semantics3
AIT 736Applied Machine Learning3
AIT 746Applied Deep Learning3
AIT 726Natural Language Processing with Deep Learning3

Information Security and Assurance (ISA)

ISA 562Information Security Theory and Practice3
ISA 564Security Laboratory3
ISA 650Security Policy3
ISA 652Security Audit and Compliance Testing3
ISA 656Network Security3
ISA 673Operating Systems Security3
ISA 674Intrusion Detection3
ISA 681Secure Software Design and Programming3
or SWE 681 Secure Software Design and Programming
ISA 697Topics in Information Security1-6
ISA 763Security Protocol Analysis3
ISA 764Security Experimentation3
ISA 785Research in Digital Forensics3
ISA 797Advanced Topics in Information Security3

Software Engineering (SWE)

SWE 620Software Requirements Analysis and Specification3
SWE 625Software Project Management3
SWE 626Software Project Laboratory3
SWE 631Software Design Patterns3
SWE 632User Interface Design and Development3
SWE 642Software Engineering for the World Wide Web3
SWE 645Component-Based Software Development3
SWE 699Special Topics in Software Engineering3
SWE 721Reusable Software Architectures3
SWE 681Secure Software Design and Programming3
or ISA 681 Secure Software Design and Programming
SWE 763Software Engineering Experimentation3
SWE 795Advanced Topics in Software Engineering3
SWE 796Directed Readings in Software Engineering3
SWE 798Research Project3

Computer Science (CS)

CS 531Computer Systems and Fundamentals of Systems Programming3
CS 540Compilers3
CS 580Introduction to Artificial Intelligence3
CS 583Analysis of Algorithms3
CS 584Theory and Applications of Data Mining3
CS 635Foundations of Parallel Computation3
CS 640Advanced Compilers3
CS 650Advanced Database Management3
CS 657Mining Massive Datasets with MapReduce3
CS 662Computer Graphics Game Technologies3
CS 663Computational Design3
CS 672Computer System Performance Evaluation3
CS 673Multimedia Computing and Systems3
CS 678Advanced Natural Language Processing3
CS 681Instructable Cognitive Agents3
CS 682Computer Vision3
CS 683Parallel Algorithms3
CS 684Graph Algorithms3
CS 685Autonomous Robotics3
CS 686Image Processing and Applications3
CS 687Advanced Artificial Intelligence3
CS 688Machine Learning3
CS 706Concurrent Software Systems3
CS 752Interactive Graphics Software3
CS 755Advanced Computer Networks3
CS 756Performance Analysis of Computer Networks3
CS 773Real-Time Systems Design and Development3
CS 777Human-Computer Intelligent Interaction3
CS 779Topics in Resilient and Secure Computer Systems3
CS 782Advanced Machine Learning3
CS 787Decision Guidance Systems3
CS 795Advanced Topics in CS3

Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE)

ECE 611Advanced Computer Architecture3
ECE 612Real-Time Embedded Systems3
ECE 642Design and Analysis of Computer Networks3
ECE 643Network Switching and Routing3
ECE 646Applied Cryptography3
ECE 732Mobile Communication Systems3
ECE 746Advanced Applied Cryptography3

Operations Research (OR)

OR 541Operations Research: Deterministic Optimization3
OR 542Operations Research: Stochastic Models3
OR 635Discrete System Simulation3
OR 640Global Optimization and Computational Intelligence3
OR 641Linear Programming3
OR 642Integer Programming3
OR 643Network Modeling3
OR 644Nonlinear Programming3
OR 645Stochastic Processes3
OR 647Queuing Theory3
OR 681Decision and Risk Analysis3
OR 690Optimization of Supply Chains3

Psychology (PSYC)

PSYC 734Seminar in Human Factors and Applied Cognition3

Statistics (STAT)

STAT 544Applied Probability3
STAT 554Applied Statistics I3
STAT 652Statistical Inference3
STAT 656Regression Analysis3
STAT 662Multivariate Analysis and Statistical Learning3
STAT 663Statistical Graphics and Data Visualization 3
STAT 674Survey Sampling II3

Systems Engineering (SYST)

SYST 520System Engineering Design3
SYST 530Systems Engineering Management I3
SYST 542Decision Support Systems Engineering3
SYST 560Introduction to Air Traffic Control3
SYST 573Decision and Risk Analysis3
SYST 611System Methodology and Modeling3
SYST 659Topics in Systems Engineering3
SYST 680Principles of Command, Control, Communications, Computing, and Intelligence (C4I)3
SYST 683Modeling, Simulation, and Gaming3

Applied Computer Science, BS/Information Systems, Accelerated MS

Overview

Highly-qualified students in the Applied Computer Science, BS program can complete both a BS-ACS and an Information Systems, MS in five years through the BS-MS accelerated (BAM) program.

General BAM policies are in the catalog under AP.6.7 Bachelor's/Accelerated Master's Degrees. Policies governing all graduate degrees are in the catalog under AP.6 Graduate Policies.

Admission Requirements

Students in the Applied Computer Science, BS program are encouraged to apply to the BAM program after earning 60 undergraduate credits with an overall GPA of at least 3.30. Students must also have successfully completed CS 310 Data Structures and CS 330 Formal Methods and Models.

Accelerated Option Requirements

Students accepted to the BAM program may earn up to 12 credits of graduate coursework that count towards both the BS and MS degrees. They may begin taking graduate courses after completing 75 undergraduate credits and successfully completing CS 367 Computer Systems and Programming.

The following graduate courses can replace the corresponding undergraduate courses.

CS 540Compilers (to replace CS 440)3
CS 550Database Systems (to replace CS 450)3
CS 551Computer Graphics (to replace CS 451)3
CS 555Computer Communications and Networking (to replace CS 455)3
CS 571Operating Systems (to replace CS 471)3
CS 580Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (to replace CS 480)3
CS 583Analysis of Algorithms (to replace CS 483)3
CS 584Theory and Applications of Data Mining (to replace CS 484)3
CS 587Introduction to Cryptography (to replace CS 487)3
SWE 619Object-Oriented Software Specification and Construction (to replace SWE 419)3
SWE 637Software Testing (to replace SWE 437)3
SWE 642Software Engineering for the World Wide Web (to replace SWE 432)3

Notes:

  • Students may not use both the graduate course and the undergraduate alternative for their BS degree.
  • Students must satisfy all recommended and required prerequisites for the graduate courses they take.
  • Students also have the option to take up to 6 additional credits of graduate coursework on reserve, which can be used for the MS degree only.

Degree Conferral

Students must apply for degree conferral the semester before they expect to complete their BS requirements. At the beginning of their final undergraduate semester, students must submit a completed Bachelor's-Accelerated Master's Transition form to the CS department office. The master’s degree will be conferred after the student completes the MS requirements.

Computer Science, BS/Information Systems, Accelerated MS

Overview

Highly-qualified students in the Computer Science, BS can complete both a BS-CS and an Information Systems, MS in five years through the BS-MS accelerated (BAM) program.

General BAM policies are in the catalog under AP.6.7 Bachelor's/Accelerated Master's Degrees. Policies governing all graduate degrees are in the catalog under AP.6 Graduate Policies.

Admission Requirements

Students in the Computer Science, BS program are encouraged to apply to the BAM program after earning 60 undergraduate credits with an overall GPA of at least 3.30. Students must have successfully completed CS 310 Data Structures and CS 330 Formal Methods and Models.

Accelerated Option Requirements

Students accepted to the BAM program may earn up to 12 credits of graduate coursework that count towards both the BS and MS degrees. They may begin taking graduate courses after completing 75 undergraduate credits and successfully completing CS 367 Computer Systems and Programming.

The following graduate courses can replace the corresponding undergraduate courses.

CS 540Compilers (to replace CS 440)3
CS 550Database Systems (to replace CS 450)3
CS 551Computer Graphics (to replace CS 451)3
CS 555Computer Communications and Networking (to replace CS 455)3
CS 571Operating Systems (to replace CS 471)3
CS 580Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (to replace CS 480)3
CS 583Analysis of Algorithms (to replace CS 483)3
CS 584Theory and Applications of Data Mining (to replace CS 484)3
CS 587Introduction to Cryptography (to replace CS 487)3
SWE 619Object-Oriented Software Specification and Construction (to replace SWE 419)3
SWE 637Software Testing (to replace SWE 437)3
SWE 642Software Engineering for the World Wide Web (to replace SWE 432)3

Note:

  • Students may not use both the graduate course and the undergraduate alternative for their BS degree.
  • Students must satisfy all recommended and required prerequisites for the graduate courses they take.
  • Students also have the option to take up to 6 additional credits of graduate coursework on reserve, which can be used for the MS degree only.

Degree Conferral

Students must apply for degree conferral the semester before they expect to complete their BS requirements. At the beginning of their final undergraduate semester, students must submit a completed Bachelor's-Accelerated Master's Transition form to the CS department office. The master’s degree will be conferred after the student completes the MS requirements.

Information Technology, BS/Information Systems, Accelerated MS

Overview

Highly-qualified students in the Information Technology, BS have the option of obtaining an accelerated Information Systems, MS.

For more detailed information, see AP.6.7 Bachelor's/Accelerated Master's Degrees. For policies governing all graduate degrees, see AP.6 Graduate Policies.

Admission Requirements

Students in the Information Technology, BS program may apply to this option if they have earned 60 undergraduate credits and take graduate level courses after completion of 75 credits with an overall GPA of at least 3.30. Criteria for admission are identical to the criteria for admission to the Information Systems, MS program.

Accelerated Option Requirements

Students must complete all credits that satisfy requirements for the BS and MS programs, with a minimum of 3 credits (maximum 6 credits) overlapping from the following courses:

CS 550Database Systems (satisfies IT 414 requirement in the BS INFT program)3
SWE 619Object-Oriented Software Specification and Construction (satisfies as one DTP concentration course in the BS INFT program)3

Note:

Students must complete MATH 125 Discrete Mathematics I (Mason Core) as their discrete math requirement and IT 306 Data Structures and Algorithms in Java or IT 309 Data Structures and Algorithms in Python as part of their concentration requirements in the BS program.

Students must also satisfy all the CS foundation requirements prior to admission: https://cs.gmu.edu/current-students/ms-students/foundation-courses/.

Degree Conferral

Students must apply the semester before they expect to complete the BS requirements to have the BS degree conferred. In addition, at the beginning of the student’s final undergraduate semester, students must complete a Bachelor’s/Accelerated Master’s Transition form. At the completion of MS requirements, a master’s degree is conferred.