Information Systems 4+1 Option
Move on to your master's degree more quickly and at less cost.
The Information Systems 4+1 option at the University of Michigan-Dearborn allows you to earn both the Bachelor of Business Administration and the Master of Science in Information Systems with a substantial savings of time and money.
You can double-count up to five master's-level information systems courses toward the BBA Information Systems Management major and the MS-Information Systems. Not only will you save five courses, but you'll only be charged the undergraduate base tuition rate for those five master's courses.* The total value of the course substitutions is approximately $16,000 if you go on to complete the MS in Information Systems, assuming part-time enrollment at resident tuition rates.
*You'll be charged the slightly higher graduate course premium, an extra $50 per credit hour compared to the undergraduate course premium as of the 2024-25 academic year.
Information Systems 4+1 Curriculum
In the Information Systems 4+1 option, you would complete the curriculum requirements for the BBA Information Systems Management major and the MS-Information Systems, but with the following modified requirements for the BBA Information Systems Management major:
BA 530 - Programming and Data Structures with Python (replaces ISM 301 – Business Applications Programming)*
ISM 575 - Information and Database Management (replaces ISM 321 – Database Systems I)*
ISM 650 - Systems Development and Data Quality (replaces ISM 331 – Info Systems Development)*
ISM 351 - Networking and Collaborative Computing
ISM 431 - Database Systems II
Choose two from the following (including 387 and 642 if you're completing the IS Security Concentration):
ISM 302 - Object-Oriented Programming
ISM 347 - Information Visualization: Business Insights via Storytelling
ISM 644 - IT Strategies and Opportunities (replaces ISM 371 – IT Strategy: Disrupting Industry Norms, Practices, and Structures)*
ISM 382 - Advanced Computer Applications
ISM 642 - Cybersecurity and Networking (replaces ISM 383 – Information Technology Security)*^
ISM 387 - Digital Security: Threat Prevention and Management^
* In order to receive the full benefit of the 4+1 option, make sure you enroll in the 500- and 600-level courses, not the corresponding undergraduate courses.
^ Students must select ISM 642 and 387 to complete the Information Systems Security Concentration.
The Information Systems 4+1 option encourages students to pursue more advanced coursework in the Master of Science in Information Systems program. As a result, Information Systems 4+1 students may not receive credit for BA 530, ISM 525, ISM 575, ISM 650, ISM 644, or ISM 642 in the Master’s program if those students have earned a B or better in the equivalent undergraduate courses of ISM 301, ISM 310, ISM 321, ISM 331, ISM 371, or ISM 383, respectively. Instead, Information Systems 4+1 students must replace these courses with more advanced electives from the MS in Information Systems program.
Admission
You are eligible to apply if you are:
- Currently enrolled at UM-Dearborn as a BBA student with Professional standing and with a declared Information Systems Management major
- Have completed ISM 310 (if currently enrolled, you may seek conditional admission) with a B or better
- Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.2 at UM-Dearborn
To take full advantage, apply for admission to the 4+1 option before you take ISM 301, ISM 321, ISM 331, ISM 371, and ISM 383. (You will want to take the graduate versions of those same courses, BA 530, ISM 575, ISM 650, ISM 644, and ISM 642, respectively.)
Please click “Sign up” in the online application portal and follow the on-screen instructions.
Students following the Information Systems 4+1 option are not required to submit transcripts, a letter of recommendation, statement of purpose, resume, or an application fee. Enter coupon code "UMD41" when prompted in the application in order to waive the application fee.
If you meet the 4+1 eligibility criteria, you will be admitted to the MS in Information Systems program while you are still completing your BBA in Information Systems Management.