Technology is transforming today’s organizations and information has become the lifeblood of modern enterprises. Information systems are vastly increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of organizations and allowing industry and commerce to provide innovative new services and products. As the need for information and its supply expands, the demand for knowledgeable analysts, integrators, designers, developers and administrators of such systems will continue to grow.

The Graduate Certificate in Information Systems requires completion of the following six courses:

• BUA 664  Databases and Data Mining in Industry

• BUA 666 Management Science or BUA 465 Information Systems Development  (Note: Take BUA 664 first)

• BUA 661  Knowledge Management and Decision Support Systems

• SIE 550  Engineering Databases and Information Systems

• SIE 525  Information Systems Law

• SIE 556  Information Systems Architecture

Three courses are offered typically in the fall (BUA 664, SIE 550 & SIE 525) and the other three are offered typically in the Spring.  The courses should be taken on campus typically but some may be offered by distance methods.  Assuming that specific course prerequisites have been met, students may take up to two courses prior to formal admission into the graduate school. However, formal admission is highly recommended prior to taking a course to ensure that it counts towards a graduate program.

Applicants to the Graduate Certificate in Information Systems program must qualify for and be admitted to the University of Maine Graduate School in either the Graduate Certificate in Information Systems program or the Master of Science in Information Systems.   The graduate school standards for admission to either program are identical.  In addition to an application and official transcripts showing completion of an undergraduate degree, applicants must submit scores from the Graduate Record Exam and three letters of reference.  For an application for admission, contact the Graduate School. 

Distance Education Issue

Some of the courses in this program are videotaped and offered on-line using video streaming from the Continuing Education server. For these courses, other than textbooks, instructors are placing all or most of their course materials on-line in order to avoid mailings to students.  Some distance courses may require some travel to campus to complete laboratory exercises.  Distance courses may be taken in any order provided prerequisites for each individual course have first been completed.  If a course in Information Systems is offered by distance methods and the student chooses to take it by this method, access, software and hardware requirements must be met.  To enroll in distance education courses, consult the Continuing and Distance Education Division.

 

Course Prerequisites

 

The minimum general prerequisites for admission to the certificate program include the following:

• MAT 126         Calculus I

• MAT 232         Principles of Statistical Inference or MAT 215

• COS 220         Introduction to Computer Science I (C++ programming)

Comparable courses completed at other universities may fulfill these prerequisite requirements.

 

Course Descriptions

 

Courses in the two affiliated programs may be found in the Online Graduate Catalog. Courses at the four hundred level may be found in the Online Undergraduate Catalog. 

 

Student Eligibility and Admission Criteria

 

Application for admission to the Graduate Certificate in Information Systems is through submittal of an application for admission to this specific certificate program through the graduate school. Only those formally admitted to the graduate school will be allowed to pursue this graduate certificate program. Students must take the GRE Exam and complete the following pre-requisite courses or equivalents prior to being admitted to the graduate program. Those with less than a GRE score of 500/500/4 (or less than 1500 under the former system) and/or lower than an undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 are discouraged from submitting an application to the program. The time limit for completion of the Graduate Certificate is the same as that set by the Graduate School for completion of a master’s degree.

 

Students pursuing the Graduate Certificate in Information Systems may stop after obtaining the Certificate or may apply the courses to completion of the MS in Information Systems.  Students applying for and admitted to the MS in Information Systems graduate program are automatically approved for the Graduate Certificate in Information Systems if later they should choose to pursue only the Graduate Certificate.