Master of Arts in Information Technology Leadership

Philosophy
The skills needed by today's informational technology leaders span multiple disciplines not typically available through traditional business or computer science programs. The Master of Arts in Information Technology Leadership (IT Leadership) program seeks to prepare working professionals with real world expertise to lead technology initiatives within their organizations, professions, and business sectors. The program focuses on the understanding and application of technology and how information technology can be used to address issues facing the organization. As a result of this focus, the program is approachable to both current IT professionals as well as professionals outside of the IT field.

It has become more important than ever to have a working knowledge of technology and interpersonal leadership skills to recognize and capitalize on trends that can impact businesses. When using information technology to respond to challenges in the workplace, it is key to have an understanding of the capabilities and limitations of the technologies as well as the interpersonal communication skills to facilitate change. The IT Leadership program prepares students to meet these challenges.

Program Description
The Information Technology Leadership program prepares students to effectively integrate technology solutions that address the challenges facing organizations today. Students gain a solid foundation of mixing both technology theory and real world application of the technology with the communication skills needed to realize the benefits of the technologies. Graduates will be proficient at leading multi-disciplinary teams, evaluating information technologies, and guiding the organization through the ethical implementation of effective technology solutions.

Format
The 37 semester credit program is offered in an online format, which allows professionals to maintain their current employment status while enhancing their knowledge and skills. Students take the core courses as a cohort while the elective courses generally contain students from multiple cohorts. The Information Technology Leadership program can be completed in as little as 18 months by taking 3 courses per semester. All courses are taken online and the program ends with a student research symposium on the Duluth campus.

Program Director: Brandon Olson, M.A.

Program Outcomes
Upon completion of the Information Technology Leadership program at The College of St. Scholastica, the graduate will be able to:

• Successfully lead global, virtual, and multi-disciplined teams.
• Effectively communicate complex ideas to multiple audiences through oral presentations and written documents.
• Align information technology projects with the strategies of an organization.
• Critically evaluate information technologies and their ability to address business needs.
• Take an active role in establishing an organizational culture that embraces the ethical use of information technologies.
• Act as an agent for change to successfully deploy information technology solutions throughout an organization.

Certificates
The department offers four graduate-level certificate programs designed to provide instruction in a specialty area of information technology. These certificates are obtained without completing the entire degree program and may be later applied toward the full Master of Arts degree.

IT Project Management:
CIS 6108 Transforming the Organization, CIS 6208 IT Project Management, CIS 6308 Managing Technical Teams, CIS 6385 Quality Management.

Enterprise Systems: CIS 6107 Data Warehouse and Mining, CIS 6108 Transforming the Organization, CIS 6308 Managing Technical Teams, CIS 6318 Enterprise Systems.

IT Security: CIS 6205 IT Ethics and Strategy, CIS 6305 Enterprise Information Security, CIS 6330 Infrastructure Management, CIS 6332 Networks Management, CIS 6342 Mobile Systems.

IT Operations: CIS 6308 Managing Technical Teams, CIS 6330 Infrastructure Management, CIS 6332 Networks Management, CIS 6342 Mobile Systems.

Admission Requirements
The Master of Arts in Information Technology Leadership program considers applicants who:

1. Submit a completed application form and non-refundable fee.
2. Have earned a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university.
3. Submit all official transcripts of baccalaureate and graduate coursework.
4. Earned a cumulative GPA of 2.8.
5. Possess two or more years experience working with information systems or information systems projects.
6. Submit a completed Information Technology Competency form verifying skill level in office software, database systems, programming and Web development.
7. Submit a complete Master of Arts in Information Technology Leadership Essay.
8. Submit two Graduate Recommendation forms from individuals who observed or evaluated your leadership competencies or abilities in the IT field.
9. Submit a TOEFL examination or the Michigan Test score is required of all international applicants and applicants whose primary language is not English. The minimum TOEFL score of 550 on the paper-based test or 213 on the computer-based test is required. The minimum Michigan Test score of 80 is required.

International Applicants will need to complete additional admission requirements.

Note: Meeting minimal entrance requirements does not necessarily guarantee admission.

Application Deadline
Application deadlines for priority consideration:

• Deadline is August 1 for the Fall start
• Deadline is April 1 for the Summer start

Review of completed application files will continue until all open seats for the program are filled.

Degree Requirements
A total of 37 semester credits are required for graduation, including credits for the Final Applied Project. Credit toward the degree will be given for courses with a grade of 2.0 or better; students are expected to maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0. A maximum of 6 graduate semester credits may be transferred from another college or university if approved by the student's advisor and/or the program director. The Master of Arts in Information Technology Leadership graduate program must be completed within seven years and students must make sufficient academic progress toward the degree during their enrollment. Credits that are more than seven years old as of the date of graduation will not count toward the degree.

Curriculum
Students must complete the core curriculum of 18 credits, the Final Applied Project of 7 credits and a minimum of 12 elective credits to meet the program's 37 credit hour graduation requirement.

Summary of Curriculum

Core Courses

CIS 6101: Leadership Communications
CIS 6105: IT Strategy and Governance
CIS 6107: Data Warehouse and Mining
CIS 6108: Transforming the Organization
CIS 6205: IT Ethics and Security
CIS 6208: IT Project Management

Final Applied Project

CIS 6795: Research and Writing
CIS 6800: Final Project
CIS 6900: Final Project Seminar

Elective Courses
Students select a minimum of 12 CIS credits to supplement the core courses. These elective courses provide an opportunity to create areas of specialty for the student. Students may select courses to satisfy a defined concentration or may combine any set of elective courses to create a customized field of study.

Project Management:
CIS 6308 Managing Technical Teams, CIS 6317 Knowledge Management, CIS 6318 Enterprise Systems, CIS 6385 Quality Management.

IT Security:
CIS 6305 Enterprise Information Security, CIS 6330 Infrastructure Management, CIS 6332 Networks Management, CIS 6342 Mobile Systems.

IT Operations:
CIS 6308 Managing Technical Teams, CIS 6330 Infrastructure Management, CIS 6332 Networks Management, CIS 6342 Mobile Systems.

Software Engineering:
CIS 6308 Managing Technical Teams, CIS 6317 Knowledge Management, CIS 6342 Mobile Systems, CIS 6385 Quality Management.

Health Information Management:
Students wishing to specialize in the healthcare field may select the Health Information Management concentration by completing three of the four Health Information Management electives and select the remaining three credits from CIS elective courses. Select three courses: HIM 6501, HIM 6502, HIM 6508, HIM 6509, HIM6511.

Course Descriptions
CIS 6101: Leadership Communications
3 credits
A reflection of the importance of communication in the leadership role. Oral and written communication methods will be studied to determine how effective communication is integral to the success of IT initiatives. Topics include communicating complex ideas, negotiations, collaboration in a team environment, and using communication to lead and motivate a team. (8weeks)

CIS 6105: IT Strategy and Governance
3 credits
Discussion of best practices in information technology (IT) with focus on how IT is used strategically in different organizations. The current trends in IT are studied and how IT infrastructure is changing in light of these trends. Case studies of specific organizations will be analyzed. (8 weeks)

CIS 6107: Data Warehouse and Mining
3 credits
An in-depth examination of advanced database technologies. Database technologies are studied to determine how organizations are able to use these technologies to gain insight into current and future trends. Topics include: data warehouses, data mining, advanced transaction processing, database security, object-relational databases, and distributed databases. (8 weeks)

CIS 6108: Transforming the Organization
3 credits
An exploration of the process of analysis, design, and implementation of information systems and how these systems can positively impact the organization. These processes focus on aligning IT projects to business goals and managing the changes to the organization to ensure the project objectives are realized. (8 weeks)

CIS 6205: IT Ethics and Security
3 credits
An examination of ways information technology challenges traditional ethical, legal and social concepts. Security threats and their corresponding policies are explored within this ethical context. Students will analyze different security risks and how securities policies benefit/harm various stakeholders. (8 weeks)

CIS 6208: IT Project Management
3 credits
A discussion of the project management process through the framework prescribed by a project management certifying body. Providing an IT perspective of planning, estimating, leading, and monitoring projects. Students will not only use project management software, but will also explore communication and personnel issues related to project management. (8 weeks)

CIS 6305: Enterprise Information Security
3 credits
Security risks and procedures organizations put in place to reduce these risks as well as organizational factors that prevent security procedures from working effectively. Topics include: security models, methods for encrypting data, methods for verifying the identities, disaster recovery, physical security, and risks posed by varied internet and wireless access points. The entire course is framed within the ethical and legal context. (8 weeks)

CIS 6308: Managing Technical Teams
3 credits
Analysis of the human resource options in the IT world. Comparison of the use of outsourcing, contract employees, and consultants. Examination of different vender contracts and vender management strategies. Students will explore group synergy issues in teams divided by distance and contract type. (8 weeks)

CIS 6317: Knowledge Management
3 credits
A study in the processes, techniques, and technologies used to gather, manage, and distribute knowledge throughout the organization. A focus is placed on the operational and strategic use of information and how the value of this information can be quantified. (8 weeks)

CIS 6318: Enterprise Systems
3 credits
Exploration of different large integrated systems used across various industries. These packaged solutions include Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and Health Information Technology (HIT) systems. Discussion of selection and implementation issues, integration challenges, training plans. (8 weeks)

CIS 6330: Infrastructure Management
3 credits
A discussion of the current trends in technology infrastructure and the management of data centers. Topics include capacity management, virtualization, configuration management, power management, lifecycle management, infrastructure scalability, enterprise storage, and managing a mixed server environment. The use of managed services and vendor relationships are also included in this discussion. (8 weeks)

CIS 6332: Networks Management
3 credits
Computer network planning, including physical design, implementation, and budgeting. This course covers current trends in network design and the projection of future networking needs as well as cost issues related to both hardware purchases and software licenses. (8 weeks)

CIS 6342: Mobile Systems
3 credits
A study of the current trends for mobile information and mobile systems. Topics include the corporate use of internet-enabled mobile devices, rich internet applications, cloud computing, wireless networking, and distributed data. Current trends are analyzed with the prospective of strategic advantages for the organization. (8 weeks)

CIS 6385: Quality Management
3 credits
Focuses on the processes, methods and techniques for developing and deploying quality software. This includes software testing from the unit level through the system level and methods of continuous process improvement. Additional issues will include source control, inspections, reliability assessment, performance testing, and automated testing. (8 weeks)

CIS 6777: Topics
3 credits
A special offering presented by the CIS graduate program to present emerging developments in the field. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. (8 or 16 weeks)

CIS 6795: Research and Writing
3 credits
Examination of the research process designed for students preparing for the final applied project. Topics include topic selection, APA formatting, quantitative research, quantitative and qualitative methods for collecting data, evaluation of research reports and writing of literature reviews. The course will result in the creation of a project proposal for the final applied project. (16 weeks)

CIS 6800: Final Project
2 credits
Working with an assigned project advisor, the student completes an applied project. The project will synthesize material from multiple courses and cumulate in a solution analysis/design. (16 weeks)

CIS 6900: Final Project Seminar
2 credits
Working with an assigned project advisor, the student prepares a written report of the final project to be submitted to the department for final approval. The student must also present the work done in the project to fellow students and faculty. (16 weeks)

CIS 6999: Independent Study
3 credits
Independent research and reading in an area of special interest. Students initiate study in form of a written proposal and complete it under faculty supervision. Prerequisites: consent of supervising faculty and department chair. (8 or 16 weeks)