The field of Information Systems (IS) addresses the application software lifecycle, including the design, creation, management, evaluation and analysis of the wide variety of computing systems applications that are directly used by individuals, groups and organizations to support their work and social lives. Students in this program will master both the technology and the human behavior in the computing environment.

The study of Information Systems is based upon the concept that there is a growing body of knowledge on the relationships between people and computers that is independent of any specific application. Understanding of the total system involves both the human and the computing environment as an integrated whole. Students will master both the technology and the understanding of human behavior in the computing environment.

The MSIS program provides solid grounding in three principal areas, all of which are applicable to the areas described above:

Systems analysis and software engineering
Information and communication technologies
Management of information system

The program emphasizes the planning, investigation, design, development, application, management and evaluation of Information Systems. The program trains students to be integral members of application design and development teams.

The program also provides exposure to the state-of-the-art in IS research, so that students will be prepared to work with both emerging concepts and technologies.For students wishing to become directly involved in research, there are ample opportunities to participate in ongoing projects, as well as to write a master's thesis under faculty supervision. A number of master's level courses are also included in the Ph.D.curriculum.The MSIS program is designed as a subset of the PH.D program in IS.The description here includes several notes for students considering continuing on with the Ph.D. program.

The program is offered both face-to-face and in a distance learning mode employing collaborative learning methods including team and project activities.

The field of IS is broadly interdisciplinary. Applicants with degrees in any field are therefore welcome to apply for the MS IS program. A series of "bridge courses" are used to develop the required skills of incoming students who may not have been exposed to some parts of the IS curriculum.

Applicants with undergraduate degrees in Information Systems, Management Information Systems, Information Technology, Computer Science, Computer Engineering and similar areas usually are sufficiently prepared for entry. Requirements for entry include a working knowledge of an object-oriented programming language, at least one year of calculus, one course in calculus-based probability and statistics, and finally an additional advanced mathematics course such as discrete analysis.

Applicants must have a GPA of 2.8 or higher in their prior academic work. (Applicants not meeting this requirement, but who have significant work experience since their last degree may be considered on an individual basis.)

Applicants without a prior undergraduate or master's degree from the United States must submit GRE, GMAT or MCAT scores for admission.

Bridge Program:
Computer and Information Systems Technology:

Off-Campus Programs: At extension and corporate sites, NJIT offers sufficient courses to fulfill all degree requirements. NJIT faculty teach all courses. For locations, see Extension Programs in this catalog. The university's distance learning arm, ACCESS/NJIT, offers this program (as well as part of the bridge program described above) to qualified students who have access to the Internet and a VCR. In addition, distance-based, 12-credit graduate certificates in Information Assurance, Internet Applications Development or Telecommunications Networking are available as a step toward this degree. See Graduate Certificates in this catalog. For further information about extension programs, ACCESS/NJIT programs, and graduate certificates, call the associate vice president of continuing and distance education, Division of Continuing Professional Education, 1 (800) 624-9850 or (973) 596-3060; e-mail cpe@njit.edu.

Important Note: Students assigned to bridge courses or English courses must take these courses before taking before taking 600- and 700-level graduate courses. It is possible, however, to sign up for graduate courses (i) in the final semester in which bridge courses are taken and (ii) when prerequisites delay taking of a particular bridge course.

The student is required to take 30 credits (10 courses).

The course planning form, posted on the MSIS Web site, lays out much of the information in this program description. Students should use it to plan out their courses for the MS IS degree. They should bring this (or email it) to the Program Director whenever they wish to discuss their progress.

The required courses are:
IS Core Courses (6 courses/18 credits)

All six IS core courses are required:

Electives (4 courses/12 credits):

The remaining four courses are electives chosen from the list below. Students will normally choose a specialization track that includes two to four courses. Students may also customize a track with approval from the Director of the MSIS Program.

We encourage Masters students doing well in the program to take electives at the 700-level.

Students planning to continue with the IS Ph.D. program may take up to four non-IS courses after gaining written approval from their MS IS Advisor. They also should check the Ph.D. program requirements and consider taking specific required courses as MS IS elective. They are advised to take as many 700-level courses as possible.

Masters Project and Masters Thesis
We strongly encourage students to consider a one-semester Masters Project (IS 700) or two-semester masters Thesis (IS 701). The masters project provides the opportunity to apply knowledge and skills to develop an application system or solve a complex problem. The thesis option extends the project by conducting publishable research in the project area. Both courses count as IS electives, and are not mandatory for graduation.

While we encourage people to partake in NJIT's Cooperative Program, it does not count as IS elective credit.

For further details, please see http://is.njit.edu/msis/

ELECTIVE TRACK:

Select one of the following tracks and choose two to four of the courses listed in that area. The student is responsible for checking with the program director to determine if the necessary course prerequisites have been met. All other electives must be chosen from the list below.

Research Methods:

Data Managment:

The Department of Information Systems is distinguished by prominent researchers who are actively investigating conceptual and practical advances in Computer-Mediated Communications, Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, Asynchronous Learning Networks, Decision Analysis and Support, Group Decision Support, Negotiation Systems, Emergency Preparedness and Response, Social Computing, Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing, Human-Computer Interaction, Web Ethics and Integrity, Bioinformatics, Information Science, Text Analysis, Data Mining, Search Engines, Digital Libraries, Web Engineering, Hypermedia Functionality, Relationship Analysis, Systems Analysis and Design, and Software Engineering.

The department provides an environment that gives students the background and skills necessary for entry into today's workplace. This is achieved through team research in state-of-the-art facilities; a faculty that works steadily in the forefront of many research areas; interaction with industry and experts; and an administration focused on research and student services.  As a result, the department attracts the largest student population for information systems in the greater New York/New Jersey area.

The Information Systems Department maintains and offers computing facilities for its students, faculty, and staff.  The computing facilities include the Collaborative Hypermedia Research Laboratory and the Electric Arts Habitat (EARTH) Laboratory.  Users have access to the state-of-the-art software and hardware including Oracle database, UNIX and LINUX-based workstations, Macintosh and Microsoft Windows PCs supported by several file and computer servers.  Internet access, departmental intranets, and conferencing systems provide an integrated infrastructure of supporting teaching and research.

Objectives:

The field of Information Systems concerns the effective design and use of information technologies by individuals, groups and organizations.  Information Systems can be applied to many different areas, including support of business, science, engineering, community, social and education activities, both in the public and private sectors.  Across all these areas, information systems is broadly concerned with the effective use and integration of computing technologies into human endeavors; that is, with human-centered computing.

The study of Information Systems is based upon the concept that there is a growing body of knowledge on the relationships between people and computers that is independent of any specific application. Understanding of the total system involves both the human and the computing environment as an integrated whole.  Students will master both the technology and the understanding of human behavior in the computing environment.

The Ph.D. program in Information Systems is designed to produce scholars who possess a commanding knowledge of the nature of Information Systems, applications of and research on Information Systems, and the supporting technology in Computer Science.

The program seeks to develop individuals who can expand both the practice and theory of information systems for complex applications and/or organizational environments.  It deals with integrated information, computer and communication systems that support and augment individuals and groups in any field of application; management, business, engineering and manufacturing, health and medicine, education, social sciences, arts and humanities, etc.

There have been dramatic developments in information systems, computing technology, economics and related social sciences which have substantially affected the underlying methodological and scientific frameworks of business. The area of information systems has shown explosive growth as organizations have become increasingly complex, electronically integrated, and interdependent.

Graduates will be prepared for research, teaching, and/or practice in this field. The program also emphasizes the behavioral and organizational context of computer-based information systems, their requirements, design, implementation, user acceptance, management and the evaluation of their effectiveness and consequences.

The program is designed to attract students from different disciplinary backgrounds and encourages an interdisciplinary approach to the concepts of information system design, utilization, and evaluation. It provides students with the ability to analyze and organize the information needs and resources of an application environment and to design and develop systems to respond to those needs.

Students are expected, as a result of the program, to be able to advance the state-of-the art knowledge in information systems. They are prepared for research and/or development activities in either academia or industry. They are expected to be able to deal with the evolution and creation of systems to handle new application areas.

An outstanding student with a Bachelors or Masters in any field may apply and be accepted, which may be conditional on completing an appropriate set of bridge courses to make up necessary pre-requisites or knowledge deficiencies in such areas as Computer Science, Information Systems and Mathematics.

Policies on Part-Time and Distance Students:

Full-time students normally take 18-24 credits a year. Part time students normally take 12 credits per year. The general rule is that part-time students have twice the amount of time as full-time students to fulfill a requirement. However, it may be necessary at some point in their work for a student to devote full-time to work related to the dissertation, in order to complete it within the maximum time allowed. The absolute limit is eight years from the time of admission to graduation.

Distance:

We DO NOT have a distance learning Ph.D. program. We do have a distance learning masters degree in information systems, so many of our 600 level courses and some of our 700 level courses are available online. Students in the Ph.D. program should be careful to select sections taught by full-time faculty members. All students will need to spend at least a semester in residence, and often a full year, to be determined by the dissertation advisor who is chosen after qualifying examinations are passed.

Program Admission Requirements:

A student seeking admission to this Doctor of Philosophy program must satisfy the following minimum admission requirements.

Students must have successfully completed a baccalaureate program from an accredited institution.

Submit:

1. Resume of Experience and Background (This should include details of experience, knowledge, and skills with respect to computer technology and information systems.)

2. Transcripts of academic record; GPA should be 3.5 or better on a 4.0 scale.

3. Three letters of recommendation by persons familiar with the student's academic work and/or related work experience.

4. GRE, GMAT, or MCAT scores. The normal minimum GRE total score is in the 85% percentile.

5. Personal statement (see below).

International students must demonstrate proficiency in the English language by scoring a minimum score required by the university which is currently 550 (pencil and paper) and 213 (computer-based) on the TOEFL exam. However, those seeking support must demonstrate a level of spoken and written English proficiency sufficient for teaching activities (600 or over on the TOEFL). Students may be admitted below the minimum score but will be required to take English courses to prove proficiency.

Applications should include documented aptitude, interest in and commitment to scholarly activities and research. This may be demonstrated by your personal statement, the quality of papers or projects completed by the student or employee, and/or letters of recommendation by individuals qualified to judge your professional performance.

As part of your personal statement, please list your areas of research interest in information systems. For each area, please describe: your understanding of the area, what related work you have done, and what specific topics you plan to research.

Supplemental materials: photocopy or electronic copy of your published papers, screen shots of systems you developed, etc. Please send these to Graduate Admissions as part of your supporting material.

In addition, applicants must have demonstrated superior performance in the following areas/courses or their equivalents. Applicants who have not met all these course requirements prior to admission, may be provisionally accepted and then complete these requirements while in the program. Those seeking support must have satisfied this knowledge requirement.

Table of Undergraduate Prerequisites or Demonstrated Knowledge:

Admission to Candidacy Requirements:

Admission to the doctoral program does not imply candidacy for a degree. To be admitted to candidacy, the student must:

1. Qualifying exams: The student must take the qualifying exam which will cover the IS core area. Full-time Ph.D. students normally take the exam within 12 months of matriculation; e.g., if they enter in September of 2006, they should plan to take the exam by Summer 2007 or no later than January 2008. The exam is currently scheduled twice a year.

Students will be provided with a reading list of all course materials that they are responsible for in the four courses involved in the qualifying exam. The objective of the qualifying exam is to determine if the student has mastered the basic knowledge in the field of Information Systems and is prepared to go on to dissertation research. Students may not enroll in the State-of-the-Art paper of pre-dissertation research until they pass the exam.

2. Maintain a grade average of 3.5 (B+) or better in the core courses. No graduate course may have a grade of less than B and count toward candidacy, this includes potential transfers. A grade of B or better in each core course is required in order to take the qualifying exam.

3. Successfully complete courses in Computing Systems technical foundations. Credits may be utilized for these requirements, with the approval of an advisor, from a prior masters degree, if the courses match these requirements.

4. Choose a Research Specialty within Information Systems that will be the focus of the Ph.D. dissertation. A total of at least 12 courses will be needed for this specialty area; up to two may be Independent Study or the IS Ph.D. seminar, IS 788. At least 5 of these must be at the 700 level. Up to four may be in an application area track, for which credit may be applied from a previous master's degree, with the approval of the advisor.

5. Develop a state-of-the-art paper in your specialty area under the guidance of a faculty member, usually by taking IS 776, Independent Study. The state-of-the-art paper will usually form the basis for one or more publications and for the student's subsequent dissertation proposal. The state-of-the-art paper, once approved by the advisor, will be submitted to an exam committee approved by the program director but including the student's advisor. The examination committee will determine the nature of any additional comprehensive exam after careful review of the state-of-the-art paper.

After fulfilling these requirements, the student will be a candidate for the doctoral degree with all work but the dissertation completed (ABD).

6. Dissertation Proposal and Dissertation:

This comprises the original research leading to a dissertation and demonstrating the student's ability to conceive and carry out independent research.

Six (6) credits of pre-doctoral research allow the student to identify a research problem and to prepare a proposal for solving the problem in the dissertation. The proposal must be in writing and be defended orally in the presence of a formal review committee before it is accepted. The student is expected to successfully pass the proposal defense within a period of two (2) years after passing the qualifying examination. The committee, chaired by the student's research advisor, will contain at least four (4) faculty members, with at lease one (1) committee member from outside CCS. The outside member may be from other institutions or industry provided he or she is currently engaged in relevant research. It is expected this committee will later become the thesis committee.

7. Dissertation and Defense:

At least twenty-four (24) credits of dissertation research is required. After the research is completed, the dissertation will be defended at an open meeting of the NJIT faculty, in the presence of the dissertation committee.

However, if the student does not successfully complete the dissertation within a period of six years after passing the qualifying examination, the student's ABD status will be removed and the state-of-the-art paper must be redone and the examination must be taken and passed again to restore the status.

Summary of Academic Credit Requirements:

Those entering with a masters degree are required to complete a minimum of 30 additional course credits. However, they must also satisfy the candidacy requirements. Up to 30 credits may be transferred from a Masters degree if the courses are appropriate for satisfying the Ph.D. requirements. The transferability of credits for specialty area courses must have the approval of the program director.

Other Requirements:

8. Participation in the Ph.D. IS graduate seminar for at least 4 semesters or credits (IS 787/IS 788).

9. Teaching or assistance in teaching at least one course in Information Systems or a related area, under the supervision of a faculty member.

10. Submission of at least one research paper for publication in a peer review conference or journal.

11. Submission of the final draft of the dissertation in the format required by the university, with signed approvals of the dissertation committee.

Should twenty-four (24) credits of dissertation research be completed before submission of the final copy of the dissertation and its acceptance by the department, it will be necessary for the student to register for a minimum of six (6) additional dissertation credits per year until the dissertation has been submitted and accepted. The oral examination will be given only after the submission of the final draft of the dissertation.

Many of the courses are available in distance mode, but a period of on campus study may be necessary to complete advanced courses and dissertation proposal requirements.

Core Requirements:

An extensive foundation which is intended to establish a core of expertise in computing, information systems, and management is required: two courses in Computing Sciences Tools and Methodologies; and four courses in Information Systems. The Ph.D. student is expected to maintain a B+ average in the core courses.

Computing Sciences Tools and Methodologies:

To ensure a strong technical foundation, Ph.D. students should choose at least one course from the Programming and Database area courses listed below.

Programming Languages and Methodologies: CS 602 or equivalent.

Database Design: CS 631, CS 632 or CS 731

Information Systems Core:

Ph.D. students should take those core IS courses from full time faculty members.

Early Research Requirement:

All Ph.D. students should get involved in research groups early and continuously. Presentations at the IS Seminar and consultation with their advisor help students to identify faculty and groups with whom they may work. All students should register for one research-related course each semester during the first year. Normally this will be done by registering for the 3-credit IS seminar, IS 788, involving a research internship during the first or second semester and Independent Study research (with a different professor) during a subsequent semester.

As part of each of these first two early research courses, the equivalent of an AMCIS submission of research in progress, and associated NJIT presentations are expected from the student.

Planned Program of Study

The student must fill in a planned program of study form and update it and submit it to his or her advisor at least once every academic year to indicate the courses that have been taken.

Advanced Studies

Upon successful completion of the qualifying examinations, the student must select a specialty area under the approval of an advisor. These 36 credits (12 courses) must be in Information Systems or a closely related discipline and constitute a coherent body of knowledge in support of the student's expected area of specialization and research. A maximum of four may be outside of the College of Computing Sciences, with permission of the advisor. At least 5 must be at the 700 level. (Note, these courses can include IS 776, State-of-the-Art Paper Independent Study.)

Besides including at least five courses at the 700 level, the advanced courses shall:

1. Include Math 661, Applied Statistics. It should ideally be taken in the first semester, before IS 675.

2. Include an advanced course in Qualitative Research in Information Systems (e.g. IS 763) and in Quantitative Research in Information Systems.

3. A maximum of two independent study courses may normally be included in the minimum courses for the degree (including 776).

4. Specific application oriented advanced courses or additional IS and CS courses (12 credits) for a specialty area within IS.

Advanced courses may include up to four courses eligible for transfer credit from a prior program beyond the Bachelor's. This planned program of study will be filed with the program director, but may be changed later with the consent of the advisor. Course choices must be focused and include both the beginning and advanced course or courses in a given topic.

State-of-the-Art Paper and Comprehensive Exam:

The state-of-the-art paper is a product the student works on with an advisor towards the end of the period when he or she is taking the 36 credits of advanced study. It focuses on summarizing the students' command and understanding of the current research issues and activity in the specialty area and important related findings from all of the coherent set of courses in the advanced study. The student may include in the advanced study an independent study or seminar course (IS 776) with the advisor to allow for the compilation of the State-of-the-Art paper under the advisor's guidance.

The State-of-the-Art Paper will usually form the basis for the student's subsequent dissertation proposal. It will summarize literature in the specialty area, carefully exposing related research areas from relevant topics making up the specialty area. The objective of this requirement is to insure the student has obtained a solid understanding of the research issues in the chosen area of study. Full-time students should plan to complete the state-of-the-art paper within one year of passing the qualifying examination on the IS core areas; e.g., if the student takes the qualifying exam in June 2006, he or she should complete the state-of-the-art paper by the end of May 2007.

The state-of-the-art paper, once approved by the advisor, will be submitted to an exam committee approved by the program director but including the student's advisor, who will also make recommendations as to other members. The examination committee will determine the nature of any additional comprehensive exam after careful review of the state-of-the-art paper.

Dissertation Proposal and Dissertation:

This comprises the original research leading to a dissertation and demonstrating the student's ability to conceive and carry out independent research.

Dissertation Proposal and Defense:

The purpose of the six (6) credits of Pre-doctoral research is to allow the student to identify a research problem and to prepare a proposal for solving the problem in the dissertation. The proposal must be in writing and be defended orally in the presence of a formal review committee before it is accepted. Our objective is to have the full-time student successfully defend the dissertation proposal in their third year. Students entering with only a bachelor's degree or who are attending part time may take somewhat longer. In any case, the full-time student is expected to successfully pass the proposal defense within a period of two (2) years after passing the comprehensive examination.

The thesis proposal review committee will be made formal when the student has passed the comprehensive examination. The committee, chaired by the student's research advisor, will contain at least five (5) faculty members, with at least three (3) IS faculty members and at least one (1)? committee member from outside of the College of Computing Sciences and normally from outside of NJIT. The outside member may be from other institutions or industry provided he or she is currently engaged in relevant research. The members of the committee will be appointed by the student's research advisor with the agreement of the student and the Program Director. It is expected this committee will later become the thesis committee.

Dissertation and Defense:

With the approval of the dissertation proposal, the student may conduct research under the guidance of the research advisor. At least twenty-four (24) credits of dissertation research is also required. However, if the student does not complete the dissertation within the twenty-four (24) credits, the student must continue to register for at least three (3) credits of dissertation research each semester until dissertation is accepted by the dissertation committee as completed. After the research is completed, the dissertation will be defended at an open meeting of the NJIT faculty, in the presence of the dissertation committee.

The formal dissertation committee will be formed after the student has successfully defended the dissertation proposal. The purpose of the dissertation committee is to guide the student to carry out high quality research and to evaluate the student's progress during the research. The primary dissertation research advisor must be a member of the tenure-track faculty of IS, which includes faculty with joint appointments in IS. The Committee, chaired by the student's research advisor, will contain at least four (4) faculty members and at least one (1) committee member from outside of NJIT. The members of the committee will be nominated by the student's research advisor for the Ph.D. Program Director's approval. The Ph.D. Program Director will formally appoint the examination committee. There is a form on which the names of the nominated members must be submitted for approval to the Program Director.

Dismissal from the Program:

Any student failing any part of the qualifying examination, or any course work, may petition the Ph.D. Program Director for a second try presenting, in conjunction with the Program Director, a plan for rectifying any deficiencies. The student may be required to retake the entire examination or only selected parts. The plan to rectify deficiencies may require the completion of additional course work. The retaking of parts of the qualifying examination must be completed by the next offering of the exam, e.g., if part of the exam is failed in June, the exam should be retaken the next January.

Students failing the qualifying examination, a second time will be dismissed from the program. Students may be denied permission to take a second qualifying examination or comprehensive and be dismissed from the program. Students failing the qualifying examination, comprehensive examination, or advanced course work may, with the approval of the department, elect to complete all requirements for the master's degree in Information Systems or the master's degree in Computer Science provided they do not already have such a degree.

Admissions & Support:

Outstanding full-time Ph.D. students are encouraged to apply for support. There may be either Teaching Assistantships or Research Assistantships available. Current minimum requirements for consideration for support are GRE scores of 90% or above, a GPA of 3.7 or above, and work experience or outstanding accomplishments.

Teaching assistants and Research Assistants

Doctoral students supported by the department serve as Teaching Assistants. During the first semester or two, they are usually assigned as a TA to an instructor, and they usually start as a grader and assistant. They should be given progressively greater degrees of responsibility and practice in the various pedagogical roles and responsibilities involved in preparing, delivering, and grading a course. By the end of the first year, at the latest, the TA should be prepared to teach that course or another course (under the guidance of the course supervisor). As a teaching assistant, the total work expectation? is 20 hours a week maximum. Usually grading and assisting a faculty member with teaching takes no more than 15 hours a week, so that at least five of the 20 hours should be available to serve as a research intern to the supervising faculty member, or working on research with another faculty member. The supervising faculty member may choose to do the grading himself or herself, and to assign more research assistantship duties to the TA instead. However, the first year TA must also receive sufficient teaching experience to be prepared to teach a section of the course. From the second year on, TAs normally teach one section of a course per semester.

Research assistants are supported by research grants awarded to faculty members, and are chosen by the Principal Investigator for the grant. These assistantships involve 20 hours a week of assigned tasks working on the research during the academic year and often include support for summer research working on the grant. Usually, the student who chooses to work as a research assistant under a grant agrees that their dissertation research will also be related to the grant.

All teaching and research assistants are also expected to serve as a lab monitor in one of the department labs for approximately five hours a week. During this time, they are usually working mostly on their own research or grading or courses, but they are responsible for opening or closing the lab at the designated times, making sure that people in the lab are authorized to be there, assuring the security and cleanliness of the equipment and facilities, enforcing the "rules" of the lab, and answering any requests for help from new users of the lab. Lab monitors who cannot make their assigned hours are responsible for finding a substitute.

The forms for applying for the above programs may be obtained from the Office of University Admissions (NJIT, University Heights, Newark NJ 07102, Tel.: (973) 596-3300). Forms for admission also appear on the NJIT web site (http://www.njit.edu). A non refundable fee is required with the actual application for admission.

Program Director for IS Ph.D. Degree:

Those interested in the Ph.D. in Information Systems who have specific questions may contact the Program Director (Roxanne Hiltz; Hiltz@njit.edu). However, it is impossible to express (before the complete application is reviewed) any specific opinions about admission, support, and transfer credits. If you do wish to visit, please arrange via e-mail first.

Other Information:

The NJIT web site is http://www.njit.edu and one may find there web pages for the College of Computing Sciences, Information Systems Department, Computer Science Department and the School of Management. One can, at those sites, and related ones, learn about these communities, the faculty, many of the courses and some of the current research taking place. Applications for graduate admissions may be found at the web site for the NJIT Office of Admissions.

Related Programs:

NJIT currently offers the M.S. Degree in Computer Science and the M.S. Degree in Information Systems through the College of Computing Sciences. In addition, an M.S. Degree in Management offered by the School of Management includes concentrations in both Information Systems Management and Information Systems Auditing. The IS degrees at the master levels train individuals to be part of application development teams and to posses a high degree of computer skills for the development of applications. The management degrees are meant to train managers knowledgeable in the utilization of computers in a commercial organization but do not require the same degree of technical capability.

There is also a B.A. in Information Systems, B.S. in Information Systems, B.S. in Human Computer Interaction, B.S. in Information Technology and a B.S. in Computer Science offered by the College of Computing Sciences at NJIT. While these are adequate preparatory programs for entering the Masters or Ph.D. program in Information Systems, they are not the only path that may be taken.