The Master's Program in Information Systems (IS): A Survey of Core Curriculums of U.S. Institutions

This author investigated the present state of information systems (IS) master's programs in the United States. A total of 273 institutions were surveyed and 99 institutions were included in the final study population. The results show that 5 out of 8 master of science in information systems (MSIS) 2006 courses are required by less than 50% of institutions, but a descriptive model of the core of IS master's programs differs from MSIS 2006 by only one course. It is also found that the widely required core courses have not changed over the past 10 years. The results suggest that in the dynamic field of IS, institutions may have converged upon a set of IS core courses that they deem as essential to their graduates.