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2014-2015 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog

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Bachelor of Science in Information Systems

Students who wish to major in information systems must complete the following:

Requirements for a Major in Information Systems

1. University Degree Requirements

As identified in the General Academic Policies section of the catalog.

2. Admission to the Information Systems Major

Admission to major standing in information systems (IS) or computer science (CS) is competitive and requires an application. Applicants must meet the following criteria:

  1. Overall GPA of 2.5 or above in all Grand Valley State University coursework.
  2. Completion of each course in the IS Foundation or the CS Foundation with a grade of C or above (C- is not sufficient).
  3. GPA of 2.5 or above in the IS Foundation or the CS Foundation.

The IS Foundation includes CIS 162 and 260; MTH 125; STA 215, 312; and either COM 201 or WRT 350. (The CS Foundation is listed in the catalog with the computer science major.) Completing the IS (or CS) Foundation courses require programming, analytical reasoning, and communication skills. These skills are important to excel in the computing field.

The IS/CS Foundation GPA is calculated on no more than one repeat per course. Achievement of the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission to the major. The School of CIS will also consider internship availability and the applicants suitability for internships before granting admission. Transfer students must complete at least six hours of CIS coursework before applying, but should consult with a CIS advisor before scheduling their first semester.

NOTE: While admission to major standing in information systems may be achieved with completion of the CS Foundation instead of the IS Foundation, it is still necessary to complete all the required courses of the information systems major.

3. Information Systems Major

All information systems majors must complete the following 49-52 credit hours of CIS courses with a minimum 2.0 GPA:

Select one:

Information systems majors must select one of the following tracks:

Software Development: (2-course track)

CIS 443 - Software Development Tools (3 credits)

Networking: (2-course track)

4. Cognate Courses

Completion of MTH 125, and either STA 215 or 312, and either STA 216 or 318 satisfies the B.S. degree cognate requirement for information systems majors.

All information systems majors must complete the following 39 credits of cognate courses:

Select one from each of the following 3 groupings:

Suggested Order of Coursework for a Major in Information Systems

This suggested order of coursework assumes that students will complete the IS Foundation and general education courses with the help of their advisor and apply for admission during the winter semester of their first year. The following course sequence also assumes a strong mathematics background for the entering student. If mathematics deficiencies exist, completing the mathematics prerequisites should be the student's top priority.

First Year:

Second Year:

Third Year:

Fourth Year:

Click here for the program description.


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