MBA/MS-Information Systems
Combine a broad managerial education with in-depth training to manage IT projects, oversee application development, and develop an organization's IT strategy.
The dual MBA/MS-Information Systems at the University of Michigan-Dearborn allows you to earn the MBA and MS-Information Systems degrees simultaneously. The MS-Information Systems will prepare you to manage information systems functions, as well as the organizational challenges facing information systems managers, while the MBA will provide you with management skills for your organization as a whole. The MBA offers a unique set of courses in Applied Integrated Management (AIM), which help build your expertise at applying business skills to real-world, global business problems.
You can complete the dual MBA/MS-Information Systems in the evenings on campus or in a hybrid online format. Throughout the program, you'll work together with expert faculty and other bright, motivated students. You'll enjoy flexible schedules with evening and online course options, and you'll have expansive opportunities for networking, all from a consistently top-ranked program.
Admission and Enrollment
If you have strong analytical skills and an interest in managing information technology, we welcome your application, regardless of your undergraduate major or previous work experience.
Admission is rolling, and you may begin the program in the fall or winter semesters. Summer semester admission is also usually possible for part-time students.
Learn more about our admission criteria and process.
University of Michigan-Dearborn students who have been admitted to the dual MBA/MS-Information Systems program may take up to 6 graduate credits during the final semester of their undergraduate program.
Applicants with three years of professional work experience, a degree in business or engineering, or other credentials may be eligible to waive the GMAT/GRE admission requirement. If you believe you qualify to waive the entrance examination after reviewing the criteria, simply answer "yes" in the appropriate question on the application for admission.
You can complete the dual MBA/MS-Information Systems in the evenings on campus, and many of the courses are also available online. You may enroll on a full- or part-time basis during the fall and winter semesters, and a few courses are available during the summer. Most students can complete the program within three years of part-time study, depending on their eligibility to receive MBA core course waivers.
Curriculum
The MBA/MS-Information Systems requires 19-22 courses or 57-66 credit hours, depending on your eligibility to receive MBA core course waivers.
(9 courses/27 credits)
ACC 505 - Developing and Interpreting Financial Information
BE 530 - Economic Analysis: Firm and Consumer
BPS 516 - Corporate Social Responsibility
DS 520 - Applied Statistical Modeling
FIN 531 - Financial Fundamentals and Value Creation
ISM 525 - Computer and Information Systems
MKT 515 - Marketing Management
OB 510 - Organization Behavior
OM 521 - Operations Management
(4 courses/12 credits in three areas)
- International Business (3 credits) from: BE 583 The Global Economy: Crisis and Growth, FIN 655 International Financial Management, MKT 622 Global Marketing, OB 610 International Dimensions of Management
- Capstone (3 credits): BPS 535 Strategic Planning and Decision Making
- General AIM Elective Courses (6 credits) from: BA 605 Managerial Decision Making, BA 607 Business Disruption in the Digital Age: Machine Learning, Platforms, and the Crowd, BA 611 Organizational Dysfunction and Wealth Effects, BA 616 Firm Value and Market Reactions
(6 courses/18 credits)
ISM 575 - Information Management
ISM 641 - Enterprise Architecture and Networking
ISM 642 - Information Assurance
ISM 644 - IT Policy and Strategy
ISM 649 - Business Intelligence
ISM 650 - Information Systems Quality (no credit after MIS/ISM 640)
(3 courses/9 credits)
In order to fulfill the requirements of both degree programs, students must select 3 courses from the MS-Information Systems electives (ACC 555, DS 570, DS 630, DS 631, DS 632, OM 664, OM 665, BA 690). With the approval of the COB Graduate Office, students with MBA core course waivers may be eligible to elect additional courses, including up to 3 credits in non-business graduate courses or Business Internship (BI 500).
You may also tailor the degree to your own interests with an optional MBA concentration in Accounting, Business Analytics, Finance, Human Resources Management, International Business, Marketing, Sales Management and Personal Selling, or Supply Chain Management. (Students in the dual-degree program may not earn the MBA Information Systems Management concentration.) Students may have to take additional courses in order to complete an optional MBA concentration.
Program Details
- Complete AIM courses in at least 3 different disciplines.
- Complete no more than 4 AIM, MBA Concentration, and Elective courses (12 credits) in any one discipline other than ISM.
- Complete no more than 7 courses (21 credits) in ISM courses after completion of the MBA Core.
- Complete graduate business courses in at least 7 different disciplines.
No single course may be counted toward more than one requirement or concentration in the dual degree program. (For example, you may not use the same course to fulfill both an AIM and a concentration requirement).
Students may waive any of the MBA Core Courses except ISM 525 if they have equivalent courses in an AACSB business program completed within the previous 10 years and have earned at least a 3.2 post-60 GPA (that is, your GPA in courses taken after your first 60 undergraduate credit hours). Students who do not meet these criteria may request to have their courses evaluated for waiver credit at the time of admission. Students must have earned a B or better in equivalent courses as a part of a degree program completed within the previous 10 years.
Previous coursework deemed substantially similar to ISM 525, or an undergraduate degree in Information Systems Management, may qualify to exempt students from the course. The exempt course must be replaced with another approved course in the MS-Information Systems degree program.
Regardless of waiver and exemption credits granted, students must earn at least 57 credits in the dual-degree program.
In addition, up to 6 transfer credits for equivalent graduate coursework can be applied to the degree if those credits have not previously been counted toward a degree.
Exemptions, waivers and transfer credit are granted at the discretion of the program faculty.
MBA
Goal 1: Students will have an understanding of the core business disciplines and be able to apply this knowledge to global business situations.
Objectives: MBA students will:
- Demonstrate knowledge of disciplinary concepts, terminology, models, and perspectives.
- Identify business problems and apply appropriate solutions (problem-finding/problem-solving).
- Integrate knowledge across disciplinary areas (integrative thinking).
- Apply knowledge in a global environment.
Goal 2: Students will be effective communicators.
Objectives: MBA students will:
- Demonstrate an ability to effectively communicate in a manner that is typically required of a business professional.
Goal 3: Students will appreciate the importance of ethical/corporate social responsibility principles.
Objectives: MBA students will:
- Identify and explain alternative approaches to ethical/corporate social responsibility issues.
MS-Information Systems
Goal 1: MS-Information Systems students will acquire discipline-specific knowledge and competencies.
Objectives: MS-Information Systems students will:
- Design an information system for an organization.
- Evaluate security risks of an organization.
- Use data to provide solutions to business questions.
Goal 2: MS-Information Systems students will develop effective communication skills.
Objectives: MS-Information Systems students will:
- Communicate complex information technology concepts orally.
- Communicate complex information technology concepts effectively in writing.
Goal 3: MS-Information Systems students will develop information technology strategy skills.
Objectives: MS-Information Systems students will:
- Be able to assess the impact of information technology strategy on organizational effectiveness.
- Manage information quality initiatives in organizations.