Courses

The listing of a course description here does not guarantee a course’s being offered in a particular semester. Please refer to the published schedule of classes on the Student Link for confirmation a class is actually being taught and for specific course meeting dates and times.

• QST IS 465: Managing Data Resources
  Required for Management Information Systems concentrators. Provides a practical and theoretical introduction to data management focusing on the use of relational database technology and SQL to manage an organization's data and information. Introduces recent topics such as data warehouses and Web databases. Includes a project to design and implement a relational database to manage an organization's data. 4 cr.
• QST IS 467: Agile Development Methodologies
  This course is designed to provide the students with an overview of Agile Development methodologies. The course introduces the various methods currently used in the industry and then focuses on the primary methodologies used today, SCRUM and Kanban. Students will learn the tools of these software development approaches that produce deliverables to end users every two to four weeks. We analyze the value each of these methodologies bring into the development process and the reasoning behind a corporation selecting one method over the other (or a combination of both). In addition, the students will be introduced to CA Project Management software, the leader in the industry for SCRUM. Students will learn to analyze requirements, create backlogs, schedule "stories" to be developed, hold Standup meetings, Reviews and Retrospectives.
• QST IS 469: Designing Information Systems
  Required for Management Information Systems concentrators. Studies the process of designing and implementing management information systems. Students will learn to analyze organizational information requirements, develop specifications for information systems, manage systems development projects, and understand implementation issues. Key implementation concepts that affect management decisions will be discussed, and reinforced with programming examples. Design support tools will be used to support the design process. Includes a project to design an information system.
• QST IS 474: Platform Strategy & Design
  Today's most valuable and powerful companies do not offer standalone products or services, but rather platforms which enable transactions between multiple customer groups -- think Alibaba, Airbnb, Amazon, eBay, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Salesforce, Uber, etc. This course explores the unique strategy challenges and economic foundations of such platform businesses. What makes platforms special relative to regular product businesses? Why are platforms so powerful, yet so hard to build? How should platforms be designed and priced? How much responsibility should platforms take for bad things they enable their participants to do (e.g. fake news and ad scams on Facebook, counterfeits on Alibaba)? When and how can regular products or services be transformed into platforms? How should other businesses deal with the rising power of platforms that they depend on? The course will use a mixture of conceptual frameworks, (light) economic models, and case studies to provide students with a thorough and in-depth understanding of what it takes to build or invest in platforms. Such an understanding is indispensable to anyone seeking a career at technology companies or aspiring to become an entrepreneur or venture capitalist.
• QST IS 479: Innovating with Information Technology
  Surveys the organizational implementation, uses, and impacts of advanced information technology including decision support systems, management support systems, and expert systems. Includes a group project to design and develop a decision support system.
• QST IS 498: Directed Study: Management Information Systems
  Directed study in Management Information Systems. 2 or 4 cr. Application available on Undergraduate Program website.
• QST IS 711: IT Strategies for a Networked Economy
  This case-based course demonstrates the role that information technology plays in shaping business strategy and business models. It provides an overview of the key technologies that are important in today's business environment and introduces organization and management concepts relating to the information technology function. The course also illustrates the relationships between organizational performance and the ability to leverage knowledge assets.
• QST IS 717: Systems Architecture in Management and Applications
  The objective of this course is to provide an overview of the concept of systems architecture and how it has evolved from a technical notion to an important business issue. The course has several themes: (1) Students develop an appreciation of how a business may leverage architectural design choices for operational and competitive advantage, both at a technical and business level. (2) Students obtain insight into how interface driven systems (those using APIs) enable flexibility and increased innovation. (3) Students are confronted with the difficult aspects of modern systems, such as parallelism and concurrency, and how these technical challenges are managed. An introduction to programming in Python provides a context to help students develop a hands-on understanding of these concepts. Care is taken to not just apply the technical material to management contexts, but also inform business strategy and organization and operations through these architectural principles.
• QST IS 754: Human Centered Design
  When constructing digital artifacts, either for internal or external consumption, creating a coherent and well-motivated design is essential. This class will explore the language and key principles of design and how these impact the user experience. We will also cover the essentials of project management, including scoping as a design constraint. Students will be asked to critique existing designs and offer alternatives. Additionally, we will cover the programming topic of object orientation, and study both it and the structures it enables from a design perspective.
• QST IS 756: Digital Project Build
  The modern economy is driven by dynamic websites: those whose content is created on the fly by programs, not humans. In this class we will learn the technology behind both static and dynamic websites. Students will be exposed to the concepts through lectures and labs, and ultimately by the construction of a complete dynamic website in Python using our custom infrastructure built on Google App Engine.
• QST IS 815: FinTech Revolution: Disruptive Technologies, Blockchain and Future of Finance
  FinTech is the intersection of finance, technology, and regulation. The course aims to help students understand FinTech and recognize the challenges and opportunities the innovations within FinTech pose. Students gain a basic understanding of the foundations and principles that enabled the rise of FinTech and examine cases for a more in-depth analysis of specific innovations such as blockchain and cryptocurrencies. The course advances students' knowledge of FinTech, much needed skill in the industry, and gives students insight into the applications, limitations, and risks of technological innovations in finance.
• QST IS 823: Analytics for Managers
  This non-programming-based analytics course examines how the abundance of data has transformed decision making in organizations and the strategic implications of this transformation. We explore how data are being used, ranging from the core principles of properly identifying data sources to the actual analytical methods being used to solve a wide range of business problems. Students will have some hands-on work with advanced Excel, Tableau, and two database applications, Microsoft Access and Neo4j (Neo4j is used to compare and contrast SQL and NoSQL databases in an analytics context). At the end of this course, students will have gained a big-picture perspective on business analytics as well as hands-on experience with commonly-used business analytics software.
• QST IS 827: Platform Strategy and Design
  To thrive in the modern economy, managers, entrepreneurs and investors need a thorough understanding of platform businesses. Indeed, today's most powerful and valuable firms, from Airbnb, to Amazon, Facebook and Salesforce, operate as platforms connecting buyers and sellers, or users and advertisers, or users and third-party developers. These platforms derive their value from network effects and the ability to harness innovation from their users. Drawing on cases from social media, entrepreneurship, enterprise software, mobile services, and consumer products, we will analyze and learn to launch platform startups, convert existing businesses into platforms, and compete in a platform-centric world. Students will learn to apply concepts from industrial economics, market design, and game theory to real problems.
• QST IS 828: Managing Information Security
  This MBA elective (also open to undergraduates) will combine a technical and business approach to the management of information. It will address technical issues such as cryptography, intrusion detection and firewalls along with managerial ideas such as overall security policies, managing uncertainty and risk and organization factors. We will examine different aspects of computer security such as passwords, virus protection and managing computer security in dynamic environments. Topics will also include network security and how to secure wireless application and services. These technical details will be placed in a business context. The class will have a practical focus as we examine current best practices. There well be several guest speakers in the security area. This will be a project oriented class and students will present their research projects during the last several classes.
• QST IS 833: Business Analytics in Practice Assuming Introductory Programming
  This course will introduce students to programming-based tools and techniques for becoming an analytically-minded manager. The course covers both a hands-on introduction to the concepts, methods and processes of business analytics as well as an introduction to the use of analytics as the basis for creating a competitive advantage. In the first half of the course, we will learn how to extract value from data by asking the right questions and using the appropriate analytical methods and tools. These methods comprise data preprocessing steps, explanatory analysis, optimization routines, and machine learning techniques. Having developed an understanding of the fundamentals, in the second half of the class our attention shifts toward learning how managers can use these techniques as the basis for decision making and creating competitive edge from their enterprise data. Basic programming in python (e.g., IS717, taken by all MSDi students) is a prerequisite.
• QST IS 834: Business Analytics in Practice Plus Introductory Programming
  This course will introduce students to programming-based tools and techniques for becoming an analytically minded manager. The course covers both a hands-on introduction to the concepts, methods and processes of business analytics as well as an introduction to the use of analytics as the basis for creating a competitive advantage. In the first half of the course, we will learn how to extract value from data by asking the right questions and using the appropriate analytical methods and tools. These methods comprise of data preprocessing steps, explanatory analysis, optimization routines, and machine learning techniques. Having developed an understanding of the fundamentals, in the second half of the class our attention shifts towards learning how managers can use these techniques as the basis for decision making and creating competitive edge from their enterprise data. No prior programming experience is required; learning basic programming is part of successful completion of the class.
• QST IS 841: Advanced Analytics For Managers: Data Mining
  The widespread proliferation of IT-influenced economic activity leaves behind a rich trail of micro-level data about consumer, supplier and competitor preferences. This has led to the emergence of a new form of competition based on the extensive use of analytics, experimentation, and fact-based decision making. In virtually every industry the competitive strategies organizations are employing today rely extensively on data analysis to predict the consequences of alternative courses of action, and to guide executive decision making. This course provides a hands-on introduction to the concepts, methods and processes of business analytics. We will learn how to obtain and draw business inferences from data by asking the right questions and using the appropriate tools. Topics to be covered include data preparation, data visualization, data mining, text mining, recommender systems as well as the overall process of using analytics to solve business problems, its organizational implications and pitfalls. Students will work with real world business data and analytics software. Where possible cases will used to motivate the topic being covered. Prior courses in analytics, data management and statistics (such as IS823) will be helpful but are not required.
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  • Teamwork/Collaboration
• QST IS 843: Big Data Analytics for Business
  This programming-based analytics course will cover how to perform statistical analysis of large datasets that do not fit on a single computer. We will design a Hadoop cluster on Google Cloud Platform to analyze these datasets. Utilizing Spark, Hive, and other technologies, students will write scripts to process the data, generate reports and dashboards, and incorporate common business applications. Students will learn how to use these tools through Jupyter Notebooks and experience the power of combining live code, equations, visualizations, and narrative text. Employer interest in these skills is very high. Basic programming in python, and basic analytics are prerequisite.
• QST IS 854: Digital Strategy for Emerging Business Leaders
  The use of AI, IOT, 5G, cloud computing and other disruptors are transforming industries and business models. In this class students will learn, practice and build digital strategies that extend Porter's Five Forces. Students will be able to engage top executives in proposing new ways to grow top and bottom line. In addition to case studies and class exercises, we will bring in industry experts to share their real world experience. In lieu of a final exam, students will form into project teams that will analyze, develop, present and gain buy-in for a specific digital strategy. In addition, the course will cover topics business leaders need to drive new value by partnering effectively with IT, including such key management concepts as digital delivery, governance, architecture, and decision rights.
• QST IS 855: Digital Transformation: Immersive Interactions and Insights at Silicon Valley
  This course will be a one week intensive held in Silicon Valley. The course is designed to achieve two objectives. First, to develop an appreciation for the role of Silicon Valley in Digital Innovation and, secondly, to examine how digital innovations are impacting key shifts in specific sectors. Students will be placed into teams and be expected to develop specific insights as the basis to engage in interactions with corporate executives, alumni and follow classmates. Teams will also visit leading companies involved in each sector and develop and present their team's perspective on key digital trends and leadership challenges for their sector.

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