Master of Science Information Systems

The MS in Information Systems (IS) bridges the gap between business and IT. Business organizations are most interested in serving customers with the best products and services. IT is a fast-moving area with many kinds of technologies, tools, and systems. Our MS-IS program emphasizes understanding diverse technology trends, agile project management, digital transformation, analytics systems, and innovation with five major elective domains. Students can interact with local IT leaders at annual IS conferences and participate in prominent companies’ real-world projects. Our curriculum allows students to gain hands-on experience with the latest versions of SAP ERP systems used by Fortune 500 companies and beyond.

For international students: this is a STEM-designated program, which can qualify you to extend your post-graduation stay in the United States.

Degree Requirements

Major Elective Domains

Project Management and Business Analysis

This domain focuses on managing IT projects and determining requirements for IS. You learn how to plan and execute IT projects, understand end-user and organizational needs, and model appropriate systems functions for these needs. This domain is suitable to pursue the career of IT project manager or business/systems analyst.

Analytics-Driven Decision Making

This domain focuses on data management and system solutions for data-driven decision making. You learn advanced analytics concepts, tools, systems, and backend data management. This domain is suitable to pursue the career of enterprise data manager, business intelligence (BI) architect, or analytics solution specialist.

IT Governance and Legal Responsibilities

This domain focuses on governance and legal compliance for IS. You learn how to manage the processes of running IS operations effectively by assuring the stakeholders’ needs while complying any legal requirements and minimizing risks. This domain is suitable to pursue the career of IT director or IT auditor.

Data Management

This domain focuses on managing data with IS. You learn how to plan, develop and implement databases, data warehouse, data centers, and business intelligence (BI) systems. This domain is suitable to pursue the career of database manager or BI director.

Digital Innovation & Entrepreneurship

This domain focuses on innovation and entrepreneurship with IS. You learn how to define digitally-driven innovation and fostering entrepreneurship initiatives. This domain is suitable to pursue the career of digital manager or entrepreneur.

IT Leadership and Operations

This domain focuses on leadership for IS organizations. You learn the characteristics and essential quality of being an effective leader in the IS organization. This domain is suitable to pursue the career of IT director or CIO.

Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

Determine the main business impact from emerging trends in Information Systems (IS).
Describe key outcomes in each of the five phases of a systems development life cycle.
Explain key benefits and challenges of best practices in IS projects.
Use diagrams for IS requirements and conceptual design specifications (e.g., context diagram, data flow diagram, use case diagram, entity relationship diagram), given a short business case.

Alumni Insights

Daniel Smith (MS '18)

"I think we really do need to focus as a university on preparing students for the workforce, and DePaul does that by giving students the tools they need to succeed. We’ve met some really cool and diverse people at companies I could see myself working for. Allstate, Morningstar, DigitalMint—these are important industry leaders."

Gabriela Ariza (MS '17)

"At the graduate level, what I really liked about the classes was they were focusing on real-world examples. I feel like a lot of times people think that college doesn’t prepare you for the workforce, but in this case, we had projects that were really going to affect actual companies. I remember doing disaster recovery [in class]. Now, in this role, I’m responsible for disaster recovery, and I actually look back at the assignments I was doing at DePaul."

SOC Alumni

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Janine Spears
Janine is an associate professor in the School of Computing whose research focuses on information security risk management, cybersecurity workforce development, and online consumer privacy. She serves as DePaul-Atlantis Director, a dual-degree study abroad program with partner universities in France and Sweden.
Steve Rubinow
Steve is an adjunct in CDM who brings a diverse and extensive background of professional experience as a CIO and CTO in a variety of companies and industries on five continents, from Silicon Valley startups to Fortune 500 firms. His interests lie in the architecture and development of complex systems and the organizational considerations that are necessary to make them successful. Having advanced degrees in Computer Science, Chemistry and Business, he is always exploring opportunities at the intersection of these fields.
Theresa Steinbach
Terry is an associate dean at CDM and an associate professor in the School of Computing. Her research areas include computer science education, informal learning, makerspaces and computational thinking, and entrepreneurship. She teaches in the areas of database design for information systems, analysis and design, project management, and entrepreneurship.
Olayele Adelakun
Yele is an associate professor in the School of Computing and the executive director of the Innovation Development (ID) Lab. His research areas include agile and digital innovation, telemedicine, and IT sourcing.

Corporate Connections

CDM’s Innovation Development Lab (iD-Lab) serves as a model for university and corporate partnerships in the area of technology innovation. Current work in the lab focuses on three primary areas: development of technology innovation projects with member companies; education through training, workshops, and practical experiences; and research on technology innovation. Current partners include companies such as Abbott, Allstate, Bosch, CareerBuilder, CDW, and Digital Mint.

Student Organizations

CDM is home to a number of student organizations to fit your interests and career goals, including the DePaul Information Systems Student Organization (DISSO). DISSO is the Association of Information Systems Student Chapter at DePaul University. Their mission is to promote the study and utilization of information systems through programs of professional development, social networking, and community development. The organization holds networking events with professionals from industry and academia, participates in national competitions, and hosts academic events pertinent to information systems. Students will gain experience and exposure that can contribute to their professional prospects.

Interacting with the Industry

The Optimizing Digital Innovation Conference is an annual gathering hosted by the DePaul Innovation Development Lab. Each year, nearly 200 industry professionals from a number of Fortune 500 Companies come together to discuss new ways that their organizations can approach innovation. The event features discussions with speakers ranging from Executives and Sr. Directors to Academics and Award-Winning Authors. ODI is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to network and learn groundbreaking innovation strategies that can be applied at any level.

Application Deadlines

Enrollment Quarter	Domestic Student Deadline	International Student Deadline
Fall	August 1	June 15
Winter	December 1	October 15
Spring	March 1	January 15
Summer	May 1	April 15

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Admission Process

The graduate application process involves completing an online application, sending in your transcripts and submitting any supplemental material (e.g., letters of recommendation, certifications, etc.). To learn more about your program specific requirements, visit our Graduate Admission page.

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Paarth Pathak

MS in Information Systems