Course List - Master of Professional Studies in Information Sciences

 

Core Courses (9 credits)
IST 552	Data and Knowledge Management This course introduces the computational foundations, methodologies, and tools in data, information, and knowledge management so that the students can organize information storage more efficiently, process information more effectively, and manage and reuse knowledge for better situational awareness and decision making. Emphasis is placed on data models, knowledge representation, information retrieval and searching techniques, data mining, geospatial applications, and multimedia tools. Relevant organizational issues are discussed throughout the course.	3 credits
IST 554	Network Management and Security This course develops the essential skills and knowledge for effectively using networks and Internet technologies to facilitate data communications and web-based applications. The students examine how the Internet model applies to business and how developments in technology have made e-commerce and the digital world possible. The course begins with a study of data communication and Internet technology. It then examines web-based and network technologies in an organization, addressing both technological aspects and applications. The course addresses the broader issues associated with analyzing, designing, developing, implementing, and evaluating web-based media. These issues are examined from technological, social, business, ethical, legal, and governmental perspectives. The last part of the course reviews web-based applications of e-commerce, data warehousing, data mining, and policy issues such as universal service and access.	3 credits
IST 562	Introduction to Theoretical Foundations of Information Science This course introduces the theoretical foundations of information sciences. The objective is to provide the students with a wide range of theories of relevance to their innovation and development in modern information systems—from classical information theory, probabilities and inference, and learning methodologies, to graph theory. Prerequisite: familiarity with college-level linear algebra, calculus, and probability theory, or consent of the instructor	3 credits

Master Paper (3 credits)
IST 594	Research Paper or Project In this project all students in the program are required to focus on a well-defined issue or problem relevant to information sciences and technology. Each student will submit a project proposal to his/her faculty adviser for approval.	3 credits

Information Assurance and Decision Support (12 required credits)
IST 515	Information Security and Assurance This course covers the interdisciplinary theoretical, conceptual, and methodological foundations of information security and assurance, with emphasis on information systems security, information assurance, privacy, trust management, database and web security, socioeconomic aspects of security, human factors in security, e-commerce security and identity theft, and distributed-systems security. Prerequisite: IST 511 or IST 512 or IST 554	3 credits
IST 555	Intelligent Agents and Distributed Decision Making This course introduces the theory and design of intelligent agents for distributed decision making, with applications in grid computing, emergency management, and sensor management. Emphasis is placed on understanding theories of decision making and using them to model and build relevant agent-based distributed systems.	3 credits
IST 885	Introduction to Multisensor Data Fusion Rapid advances in nano- and micro-scale sensors, ubiquitous wideband wireless communications, and improvements in computing provide the opportunity to collect and disseminate huge amounts of data and information from sensors, humans acting as observers, and emerging data available on the web. Applications for this data are widespread and include areas such as geospatial intelligence, emergency management, environmental monitoring, and epidemiology. This course introduces methods and process models for fusion of the information from diverse sources to achieve inferences that cannot be obtained by using a single source or sensor.	3 credits
STAT 897D	Applied Data Mining and Statistical Learning Data Mining tools are exploring data with regression, PCA, discriminant analysis, cluster analysis, classification and regression trees (CART).	3 credits

Information Assurance and Decision Support Electives (9 elective credits)
IN SC 561	Web Security and Privacy A web-centric look at the latest techniques and practices in computer security as they apply to the Internet. Prerequisite: CSE 543 or IST 515	3 credits
IST 451	Network Security Fundamental issues and concepts of network security, network security technologies and protocols, and emerging technologies in network security. Prerequisite: IST 220 and SRA 221	3 credits
IST 454	Computer and Cyber Forensics Fundamental issues and concepts of computer forensics; aspects of computer and cyber crime; methods to uncover, protect, exploit, and document digital evidence; tools, techniques, and procedures to perform computer and cyber crime investigation. Prerequisite: IST 220 and SRA 221	3 credits
IST 456	Security and Risk Management Contemporary security issues; security management processes, architecture and models; risk analysis and management; security planning, analysis and safeguards; security policies development and administration; contingency planning, incidence handling and response; and security standards and certification processes. Prerequisite: IST 220 and SRA 221	3 credits
IST 516	Web and Internet Information Retrieval The course addresses aspects of searching, retrieving and modeling the web/Internet as information repositories using mathematical and probabilistic treatments.	3 credits
IST 521	Human-Computer Interaction: The User and Technology Users, models of users, developing the models, technology for creating interfaces; examples of good research and implications for Human-Computer Interface (HCI) design.	3 credits
IST 564	Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management This course examines the fundamental elements of crisis, disaster, risk, and emergency management.	3 credits
IST 868	Topics in Visual Analytics for Security Intelligence Introduce visual analytic techniques for security informatics and intelligence. Survey technical approaches for data analysis, threats and vulnerability, communicating risk Prerequisite: IST 516 or IST 552 or IST 554 or IST 562	3 credits