Online Master's Information Systems

This course introduces students to the audit services in accordance with IT audit standards. This course develops the skills needed to evaluate risk-based IT audit strategies; develop specific audits plan, report the finding, and develop status reports in order to assist the enterprise with protecting and controlling information systems.

Students will master analytical and integrative tools to perform in-depth analyses of industries, firms, and competitors. Course material includes methods to predict competitive behavior and develop and implement strategic plans to achieve and sustain a competitive profile in the emerging global marketplace.

This course is an introduction to the foundational discipline of effective project management in any industry. It examines the methods, approaches, processes, skills, tools and techniques, and value delivery system that project managers use to complete their projects on schedule, within budget, within scope, within quality, and customer acceptance. Students will explore and apply elements of the theoretical and operational framework of project management.

This course is focused on effective project planning, execution, and control. It examines the skills, tools & techniques, processes, and principles used in various project management environments to deliver projects successfully. Students have the opportunity to acquire skills for overseeing projects and managing project teams throughout the project life cycle.

This course provides students with an opportunity to apply different approaches to project scheduling and control. Students explore how to balance scope, time, and cost by utilizing tools and techniques. Specific project management tools covered include Gantt chart, Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT), Milestone Charts, Critical Path Method (CPM), Critical Path (CP), Earned Value Management (EVM), Burn down charts, Net Present Value (NPV), and Internal Rate of Return (IRR).

This course provides an overview of procurement and contract management in project management. It examines the full life cycle of project procurement as it relates to both the buyer and the seller.

Topics covered include bidding (RFQs, IFBs, and RFPs), contracts (fixed price, cost plus, time and materials), and the impact on project risk and contract negotiation. The course also reviews changes in contracts and methods to resolve disputes.

This course requires students to synthesize and apply the project management knowledge, methods, approaches, tools, and techniques to address a relevant issue.
Students will have the opportunity to develop a project or program management plan from a given or chosen project or program scenario and present the application of their work.

This course introduces the overall foundations required for the understanding of, and further study in, information systems security. It reviews the history of security and computer systems security in particular to develop a set of models to guide the approach to realizing computer systems security. An overview of current security technologies is presented. A research project and formal paper are required.

Students are provided with a brief overview of the basic elements of networking concepts, topologies, protocols and threats necessary to understand network security issues and make security relevant decisions. An in-depth analysis of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model and layered network security mechanisms needed to provide Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability, Authorization, Authentication and Non-repudiation within a network environment is included. This course includes a thorough treatment of cryptography and cryptographic services. An implementation plan and formal paper are required.

This course covers a variety of issues relating to the management of information systems security. The topics covered include development of policies, standards and procedures, risk analysis methodologies, contingency planning and disaster recovery. Additional topics covered include legal and ethical issues, incident reporting, security auditing, computer crime, and security awareness and training. Implementation issues, potential conflicts and tradeoffs are also discussed. A project is required.

Attacks on enterprise level systems can be focused on many targets. Some of the targets, such as WEB servers are at the perimeter of the network. Others occur at the applications running on various operating systems. This course examines vulnerabilities caused by both scripting errors or poor scripting techniques on WEB based applications. Further, vulnerabilities created in custom developed applications written in high level programming languages are examined. SQL problems and architecture design flaws in relational database systems that contribute to vulnerabilities are also analyzed. A whole new set of intrusion risks present themselves with the newer emerging media and application environments such as cloud computing, social media venues, and mobile computing. Students will also conduct research into these areas. The need for security driven life cycle development models and security standards for programming and scripting languages are presented.

A system that performs mission-sensitive operations requires access to sensitive resources. The owners of these resources require a measure of the risk assumed in allowing access in the intended manner as well as an assessment of how well the system implements its requirements. The DOD was first in evolving strategies and methods to formally address these tasks, most recently by the DITSCAP and its civilian counterpart, NIACAP. This course addresses each of these topics and standards and how they may lead to a higher level of assurance systems development.