Information Systems BSIS

Major: Information Systems
Degree Awarded: Bachelor of Science in Information Systems (BS)
Calendar Type: Quarter

Minimum Required Credits: 185.0
Co-op Options: Three Co-op (Five years); One Co-op (Four years)
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code: 11.0401
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code:
11-3021

About the Program

The College of Computing & Informatics' Bachelor of Science in Information Systems (BSIS) prepares students to apply information technology for the benefit of individuals and organizations. Students develop the skills and knowledge to design, develop, and manage leading-edge information systems. Since many Information Systems students choose careers in business organizations, a minor in business is built into the degree requirements.

The Information Systems curriculum prepares students for a wide range of information technology applications. Students learn how to determine client needs, design appropriate solutions, specify data architectures, and improve the usability of systems.

The core courses in the program address topics including fundamentals of programming, systems analysis and design, database management systems, networking, security and privacy, and social aspects of information systems. These courses provide a foundation for more advanced courses in technical areas of interest to each student. The technical courses are supplemented by courses in business, behavioral sciences, natural sciences, mathematics, and the humanities to provide balance and useful supplemental materials for information systems careers.

The BSIS has four (4) core competencies students will have mastered upon graduation. The core competencies are supported by three (3) courses in each area.

  • Requirements and Design
  1. INFO 200 Systems Analysis I
  2. INFO 324 [WI] Team Process and Product
  3. INFO 355 System Analysis II
  • Database and Information Management
  1. INFO 210 Database Management Systems
  2. INFO 315 Advanced Database Management Systems
  3. INFO 371 Data Mining Applications
  • User Experience 
  1. INFO 150 Introduction to Ubiquitous Computing
  2. INFO 310 Human-Centered Design Process & Methods
  3. INFO 405 Social and Collaborative Computing
  • Security and Assurance
  1. CT 201 Information Technology Security I
  2. CT 250 IT Security Awareness
  3. INFO 375 Introduction to Information Systems Assurance

The degrees in Computing and Security Technology, Data Science, and Information Systems share a common first year. This allows students to easily switch among the degrees early in their studies. In addition, some of the electives in each degree are accessible to students in the other two majors, and this provides a deeper and broader set of advanced topics for students in all three majors.

Additional Information

For more information about this program, please visit the BS in Information Systems webpage on the College of Computing & Informatics website.

Degree Requirements

Information Systems Requirements
CT 140Network Administration I3.0
CT 201Information Technology Security I3.0
CT 250IT Security Awareness3.0
INFO 101Introduction to Computing and Security Technology3.0
INFO 102Introduction to Information Systems3.0
INFO 103Introduction to Data Science3.0
INFO 150Introduction to Ubiquitous Computing3.0
INFO 200Systems Analysis I3.0
INFO 210Database Management Systems3.0
INFO 215Social Aspects of Information Systems3.0
INFO 310Human-Centered Design Process & Methods3.0
INFO 315Advanced Database Management Systems3.0
INFO 324 [WI] Team Process and Product3.0
INFO 355Systems Analysis II3.0
INFO 371Data Mining Applications3.0
INFO 375Introduction to Information Systems Assurance3.0
INFO 405Social and Collaborative Computing3.0
INFO 420Software Project Management3.0
INFO/CT Electives *12.0
Programming Requirements9.0
Choose one of the following sequences
Web Systems and Services I
and Computer Programming I
and Computer Programming II
Web Systems and Services I
and Web Systems and Services II
and Applied Data Management
Computing and Informatics Requirements
CI 101Computing and Informatics Design I2.0
CI 102Computing and Informatics Design II2.0
CI 103Computing and Informatics Design III2.0
CI 491 [WI] Senior Project I3.0
CI 492 [WI] Senior Project II3.0
CI 493 [WI] Senior Project III3.0
Business or IS Environment Minor Requirements **24.0
Mathematics Requirements
Choose 1 of the following sequences:9.0
If sequence less than 9.0 credits, add additional 1.0 credit to free electives
Introduction to Analysis A
and Introduction to Analysis B
and Introduction to Analysis C
Calculus I
and Calculus II
MATH 180Discrete Computational Structures4.0
STAT 201Introduction to Business Statistics4.0
Natural Science Requirements
Select 8.0 credits from any non-required courses from the following: ANAT, BIO, CHEM, ENVS, FDSC, NFS, PHEV, PHYS, HSCI, GEO, ENSS8.0
Liberal Studies Requirements
COM 230Techniques of Speaking3.0
or COM 310 Technical Communication
ENGL 101Composition and Rhetoric I: Inquiry and Exploratory Research3.0
or ENGL 111 English Composition I
ENGL 102Composition and Rhetoric II: Advanced Research and Evidence-Based Writing3.0
or ENGL 112 English Composition II
ENGL 103Composition and Rhetoric III: Themes and Genres3.0
or ENGL 113 English Composition III
Select any non-required courses from ANTH, COM, ENGL, HIST, PHIL, PSCI, PSY, SOC, WRIT, ECON, ENTP, ARTH, FMST, MUSC, TVST, VSST6.0
University and College Requirements
CIVC 101Introduction to Civic Engagement1.0
COOP 101Career Management and Professional Development1.0
UNIV CI101The Drexel Experience2.0
or CI 120 CCI Transfer Student Seminar
Free Electives24.0
Total Credits185.0
*

Any non-required INFO or CT course

**

Minor Requirements:

Students must complete the requirements for a minor in an information systems application area. The following minors are approved for this requirement:

  • College of Business minors – Note: the MIS minor cannot be used for this requirement due to its considerable overlap with the IS major
  • Close School of Entrepreneurship minors
  • School of Public Health minors
  • Other minors in IS application areas may be taken for this requirement with prior approval of an advisor

Writing-Intensive Course Requirements

In order to graduate, all students must pass three writing-intensive courses after their freshman year. Two writing-intensive courses must be in a student's major. The third can be in any discipline. Students are advised to take one writing-intensive class each year, beginning with the sophomore year, and to avoid “clustering” these courses near the end of their matriculation. Transfer students need to meet with an academic advisor to review the number of writing-intensive courses required to graduate.

A "WI" next to a course in this catalog may indicate that this course can fulfill a writing-intensive requirement. For the most up-to-date list of writing-intensive courses being offered, students should check the Writing Intensive Course List at the University Writing Program. Students scheduling their courses can also conduct a search for courses with the attribute "WI" to bring up a list of all writing-intensive courses available that term.

Sample Plan of Study

5 YR UG Co-op Concentration

First Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
CI 1012.0CI 1022.0CI 1032.0VACATION
ENGL 101 or 1113.0CIVC 1011.0ENGL 103 or 1133.0 
INFO 1013.0COOP 101*1.0INFO 1033.0 
INFO 1513.0ENGL 102 or 1123.0INFO 153 or CS 1723.0 
MATH 1713.0INFO 1023.0MATH 1733.0 
UNIV CI1011.0INFO 152 or CS 1713.0UNIV CI1011.0 
 MATH 1723.0  
 15 16 15 0
Second Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
COOP EXPERIENCECOOP EXPERIENCECT 2013.0INFO 2103.0
  INFO 1503.0STAT 2014.0
  INFO 2003.0Free Elective3.0
  INFO 2153.0INFO Elective3.0
  MATH 1804.0Liberal Studies Elective3.0
 0 0 16 16
Third Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
COOP EXPERIENCECOOP EXPERIENCECOM 230 or 3103.0CT 1403.0
  INFO 3153.0CT 2503.0
  INFO 3243.0INFO 3103.0
  INFO 3713.0Liberal Studies Elective3.0
  INFO 3753.0Minor Elective4.0
 0 0 15 16
Fourth Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
COOP EXPERIENCECOOP EXPERIENCEINFO 3553.0INFO 4203.0
  Free Elective6.0Minor Electives8.0
  Minor Elective4.0Science Sequence Course 2*4.0
  Science Sequence Course 1*4.0 
 0 0 17 15
Fifth Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCredits 
CI 4913.0CI 4923.0CI 4933.0 
INFO 4053.0Free Electives4.0Free Electives12.0 
INFO Electives6.0INFO Elective3.0  
Minor Elective3.0Minor Elective4.0  
 15 14 15 
Total Credits 185
*

 See degree requirements.

COOP 101 registration is determined by the co-op cycle assigned and may be scheduled in a different term.  Select students may be eligible to take COOP 001 in place of COOP 101.

4 YR UG Co-op Concentration 

First Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
CI 1012.0CI 1022.0CI 1032.0VACATION
ENGL 101 or 1113.0CIVC 1011.0ENGL 103 or 1133.0 
INFO 1013.0COOP 101*1.0INFO 1033.0 
INFO 1513.0ENGL 102 or 1123.0INFO 153 or CS 1723.0 
MATH 1713.0INFO 1023.0MATH 1733.0 
UNIV CI1011.0INFO 152 or CS 1713.0UNIV CI1011.0 
 MATH 1723.0  
 15 16 15 0
Second Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
COM 230 or 3103.0INFO 2103.0INFO 3153.0CT 1403.0
CT 2013.0STAT 2014.0INFO 3243.0CT 2503.0
INFO 1503.0Free Elective3.0INFO 3713.0INFO 3103.0
INFO 2003.0INFO Elective3.0INFO 3753.0Liberal Studies Elective3.0
INFO 2153.0Liberal Studies Elective3.0MATH 1804.0Minor Elective4.0
 15 16 16 16
Third Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
COOP EXPERIENCECOOP EXPERIENCEINFO 3553.0INFO 4203.0
  Free Elective6.0Minor Electives8.0
  Minor Elective4.0Science Sequence Course 2*4.0
  Science Sequence Course 1*4.0 
 0 0 17 15
Fourth Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCredits 
CI 4913.0CI 4923.0CI 4933.0 
INFO 4053.0Free Electives4.0Free Electives 12.0 
INFO Electives6.0INFO Elective3.0  
Minor Elective3.0Minor Elective4.0  
 15 14 15 
Total Credits 185
*

 See degree requirements.

COOP 101 registration is determined by the co-op cycle assigned and may be scheduled in a different term.  Select students may be eligible to take COOP 001 in place of COOP 101.

Co-op/Career Opportunities

Co-Op Options

Two co-op options are available for this program:

  • five-year/three co-op
  • four-year/one co-op

The following list is a sample of recent co-op job titles and employers:

  • Applications Architect, Aetna
  • e-Communications Intern, Airgas
  • PC Network Support, Aramark
  • Information Systems Intern, Campbell's Soup
  • Distributed WAN Support Co-op, Cigna
  • Network Services, GlaxoSmithKline
  • Programmer/Analyst, Independence Blue Cross
  • Information Management Co-op, Johnson & Johnson
  • Database Developer, Princeton Plasma Physics
  • Website Developer, QVC
  • Shared Services Co-op, Wyeth

Career Opportunities

The demand for information systems professionals is strong. Graduates find careers in a number of areas, including designing information systems, leading project teams, planning, developing, and marketing information systems. Most information systems students enter the professional world right after graduation, but some continue their studies in advanced information technology programs.

Job titles of recent information systems graduates include:

  • Security Analyst
  • Network Systems Analyst
  • Database Administrator
  • Data Communications Analyst
  • Systems Administrator
  • Systems Engineer

Visit the Drexel Steinbright Career Development Center page for more detailed information on co-op and post-graduate opportunities.

3675 Market Street

The College of Computing & Informatics is located at 3675 Market. Occupying three floors in the modern uCity Square building, CCI's home offers state-of-the-art technology in our classrooms, research labs, offices, meeting areas and collaboration spaces. 3675 Market offers Class A laboratory, office, coworking, and convening spaces. Located at the intersection of Market Street and 37th Street, 3675 Market acts as a physical nexus, bridging academic campuses and medical centers to the east and south, the commercial corridors along Market Street and Chestnut Street, and the residential communities to the north and west.

The uCity Square building offers:

  • Speculative lab/office space
  • World-class facilities operated by CIC
  • Café/restaurant on-site
  • Quorum, a two-story, 15K SF convening space and conference center
  • Adjacent to future public square
  • Access to Science Center’s nationally renowned business acceleration and technology commercialization programs

Drexel University Libraries

Drexel University Libraries is a learning enterprise, advancing the University’s academic mission through serving as educators, supporting education and research, collaborating with researchers, and fostering intentional learning outside of the classroom. Drexel University Libraries engages with Drexel communities through three physical locations, including W. W. Hagerty Library, Queen Lane Library, and the Library Learning Terrace, as well as a vibrant online presence which sees, on average, over 8,000 visits per day. In the W.W. Hagerty Library location, College of Computing & Informatics students have access to private study rooms and nearly half a million books, periodicals, DVDs, videos and University Archives. All fields of inquiry are covered, including: library and information science, computer science, software engineering, health informatics, information systems, and computing technology. Resources are available online at library.drexel.edu or in-person at W. W. Hagerty Library.

The Libraries also make available laptop and desktop PC and Mac computers, printers and scanners, spaces for quiet work or group projects and designated 24/7 spaces. Librarians and library staff—including a liaison librarian for computing and informatics—are available for individual research consultations and to answer questions about materials or services.

CCI Commons

Located on the 10th floor of 3675 Market Street, the CCI Commons is an open lab and collaborative work environment for students. It features desktop computers, a wireless/laptop area, free black and white printing, and more collaborative space for its students. Students have access to 3675 Market's fully equipped conference room with 42” displays and videoconferencing capabilities. The CCI Commons provides technical support to students, faculty, and professional staff. In addition, the staff provides audio-visual support for all presentation classrooms within 3675 Market. Use of the CCI Commons is reserved for all students taking CCI courses.

The computers for general use are Microsoft Windows and Macintosh OSX machines with appropriate applications which include the Microsoft Office suite, various database management systems, modeling tools, and statistical analysis software. Library-related resources may be accessed at the CCI Commons and through the W.W. Hagerty Library. The College is a member of the "Azure Dev Tools for Teaching” platform that allows students free access to a wide array of Microsoft software titles and operating systems.

The CCI Commons, student labs, and classrooms have access to networked databases, print and file resources within the College, and the Internet via the University’s network. Email accounts, Internet and BannerWeb access are available through the Office of Information Resources and Technology.

CCI Learning Center

The CCI Learning Center (CLC), located in 3675 Market Street's CCI Commons student computer lab, provides consulting and other learning resources for students taking courses offered by the Computer Science Department. The CLC is staffed by graduate and undergraduate computer science students from the College of Computing & Informatics.

The CLC and CCI Commons serve as a central hub for small group work, student meetings, and TA assistance. 

Research Laboratories

The College houses multiple research labs, led by CCI faculty, in 3675 Market Street including: the Metadata Research Center (MRC), Interactive Systems for Healthcare (IS4H) Research, Economics and Computation (EconCS), The TeX-Base Lab, SPiking And Recurrent SoftwarE (SPARSE) Coding, Human-System Evaluation and Analysis Lab (H-SEAL), Applied Symbolic Computation Laboratory (ASYM), Software Engineering Research Group (SERG), Social Computing Research Group, Vision and Cognition Laboratory (VisCog) and the Vision and Graphics Laboratory. For more information on these laboratories, please visit the College’s research web page.

Evaluations

The College of Computing & Informatics works continually to improve its degree programs. As part of this effort, the Information Systems degree is evaluated relative to the following Objectives and Outcomes.

BS in Information Systems Program Educational Objectives

Within three to five years of graduating, alumni of the program are expected to achieve one or more of the following milestones: 

  • Be valued contributors to private or public organizations as demonstrated by promotions, increased responsibility, or other professional recognition
  • Contribute to professional knowledge as demonstrated by published papers, technical reports, patents, or conference presentations
  • Succeed in continuing professional development as demonstrated by completion of graduate studies or professional certifications
  • Demonstrate commitment and leadership within their profession and community as demonstrated by professional and community activity or contributions towards society's greater good and prosperity

BS in Information Systems Student Outcomes

The program enables students to attain by the time of graduation:

  • An ability to apply knowledge of computing and mathematics appropriate to the discipline
  • An ability to analyze a problem, and identify and define the computing requirements appropriate to its solution
  • An ability to design, implement, and evaluate a computer-based system, process, component, or program to meet desired needs
  • An ability to function effectively on teams to accomplish a common goal
  • An understanding of professional, ethical, legal, security, and social issues
  • An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
  • An ability to analyze the local and global impact of computing on individuals, organizations, and society
  • Recognition of the need for and an ability to engage in continuing professional development
  • An ability to use current techniques, skills, and tools necessary for computing practice
  • An understanding of processes that support the delivery and management of information systems within a specific application environment
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