Computer Science Graduate Programs

Master of Computer Science With A Specialization in Business

33 credit hours

The Master of Computer Science with a Specialization in Business is designed to help Computer Science professionals extend and deepen their technical and practical knowledge of the field while introducing themselves to core topics in modern business practices. Learning some of the basic language of business can help practitioners communicate with business analysts, nontechnical managers, and users of software systems.

Courses for the MCS/Business degree program are taken from the Computer Science Department and the IIT Stuart School of Business (SSB). In addition to satisfying General MCS Degree Requirements (GPA, core courses, ...), the program of study must include 24 credit hours of CS/CSP courses and 3 BUS/MBA courses (9 credit hours) from the following list:

• BUS 510: Building an Innovative & Sustainable Business (Business Fundamentals)
• BUS 550: Business Analytics for Competitive Advantage (Analytics)
• MBA 501: Accounting for Strategic Decision Making
• MBA 502: Emerging Issues in the Global Business Environment (Global Business)
• MBA 504: Spreadsheet Modeling (Analytics)
• MBA 506: Leading & Managing Knowledge-Intensive Organizations (formerly MBA 503)
• MBA 509: Financial Mgmt in a Globalized World (prereq: 501)
• MBA 511: Creating, Communicating & Delivering Customer Value

Of the 24 credit hours of CS/CSP courses, at least 20 must be at the 500-level; the remainder must be at the 400- or 500-level. Only the BUS/MBA courses can come from outside CS/CSP. (Since 6 BUS/MBA credit hours are treated as transfer courses, no other transfer credits are available.)

Students with limited backgrounds in computer science will need courses beyond the required minimum. Depending on the student, these may include prerequisite courses (which do not count toward the program of study) and/or various 400-level courses (which generally do).

Admission to the Master of Computer Science program is sufficient for choosing the Business Specialization. Stuart Graduate Tuition rates will apply to the BUS/MBA courses. Students choosing the Business Specialization must satisfy prerequisite requirements either with prior coursework or equivalent courses in Computer Science or Business.

Students must file a Program of Study specifying the MCS/Business before taking any business courses. For purposes of the Program of Study, 6 credit hours of the business courses are treated as CS-Related Transfer Courses. Because the general MCS program requires at least 24 credit hours of CS or CS Professional courses, the MCS/Business program requires a minimum of 24 + 3*3 = 33 credit hours to complete. A student whose bachelor's degree is not in Computer Science is required to take an additional 3 hours of CS or CS Professional courses, for a total of 36 credit hours.

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Last modified 4/21/2012