MIS - Computer Science Course Descriptions

This course offers a survey of information technology underpinning information systems in the private and public sectors. It aims to provide students with an overview of advances in information technology of importance to systems design and development. Topics to be covered will be updated each year the course is taught. Current topics would include cloud computing, mobile applications, user interfaces, data analytics, and social networks. The key elements of each of these technologies will be detailed together with examples of their use in existing information systems. The implications of these technologies for future information systems development will also be examined.

This course presents an in-depth look at an area of specialization such as financial computing, business process management or medical informatics. Description of the specialization offered for coverage is as follows: 

Financial Computing 

This specialization presents theories and computational methods for analyzing and modeling various aspects of financial markets. It aims to provide students considering careers in Investment Banking with an in-depth understanding of financial services and significant computing and statistical skills. The topics in this area would introduce students to the modeling of asset values and financial derivatives and the software implementation of these models for pricing, simulations and scenario analysis. Also included would be an introduction to markets and financial derivatives, and a development of the necessary tools from the theories of stochastic processes and parabolic differential equations. Extensive use is made of financial information sources and software packages available on the Internet for modeling and analysis. 

Semantic Business Process Management (SBPM) 

Business Process Management can be viewed as a mapping between a business requirements process space of an enterprise and the actual process space of this enterprise comprised of IT systems, resources, and human labor. One paradigm of SBPM is to represent both spheres using Semantic Web Technology and then to process the information content, rather than just presenting the information. The Ontology Web Language (OWL), a language for defining and instantiating Web ontologies, which is seen as a major technology for the future implementation of Semantic Web, will be discussed. Laboratory work will form an integral part of this specialization. Projects will introduce students to Ontology Building tools, and Ontology Editors (e.g. Protégé from Stanford, and SemanticWorks, an OWL editor from ALTOVA). 

Medical Informatics 

The emerging field of Medical Informatics is dedicated to improving healthcare outcomes through the application of information technologies. This field blends healthcare management and information systems. The specialization in medical informatics aims to provide a balance of both conceptual and applied knowledge, preparing graduates for career paths in the field of medical information management. The topics in this specialization will cover a subset of the following: Computer-Based Patient Records; Medical Decision Support Systems; Medical Informatics in Web-Based Enterprise Computing; Clinical Data Acquisition and Analysis; and Telemedicine.

The objective of this course is to analyze data and use methods of statistical inference in making business decisions. This course will focus on the application of fundamental concepts covered in Probability and Decision Making to the problem of drawing inferences from data on observed outcomes. Topics covered during the first part of the course will include statistical sampling and sampling distributions, point estimation and confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, and correlations among variables. The second part of the course will focus on multivariate analysis, with special attention paid to the inferences that may draw with respect to prediction and causality. Microcomputer statistical packages support the course content.

This course is concerned with the use of Database Management Systems (DBMS) to solve a wide range of information storage, management and retrieval problems, in organizations ranging from large corporations to personal applications, such as research data management. The course combines the practical aspects of DBMS use with more theoretical discussions of database design methodologies and the "internals" of database systems. The course will give the student a basic overview of Relational Database Systems and Relational Database Design. The student will acquire a working knowledge of Microsoft ACCESS and the ISO standard SQL language. Students will work individually on a series of small projects, and one larger project encompassing all phases of database design and implementation.

This course provides an overview of security issues in computer networks. Basic concepts of computer security will be introduced and illustrated by means of case studies. Topics to be covered include: risk analysis and security planning; access controls; program security in relation to malicious code such as Trojan horses, viruses, and worms; security policies and models; trusted systems and the TCSEC (Orange Book); cryptography and hashing; encryption-based protocols; authentication/PKI and network security.

Managerial economics integrates microeconomic theories, statistics inference and other quantitative methods into a well-grounded subject so as to make optimum managerial decisions in a dynamic business world. It includes the theory of optimization, case studies and business strategies in managerial decision-making. Major topics include pricing strategies, estimating and forecasting market demand/supply, optimal production and input usages as well as long range planning for modern corporations.

The purpose of this course is to prepare students for future management and leadership positions, including developing the personal skills that are needed when working with other individuals and teams in modern organizations. Topics include: problem solving, stress management, managing and motivating others, coaching and counseling, managing conflict, and leading change. Students are provided with a solid background in fundamentals. They are also introduced to the assessment tools, tests, and exercises that help gauge their personal development in each area.

The modern corporation and its historic development: principal functions of management and its social role; structure of the management decision process; choice of management tools for analyzing decisions and coping with outcome uncertainty.

The objective of this course is to introduce methods to efficiently organize and manage software projects using advanced software engineering class tools including Rhapsody (ilogix) and Rational (IBM). Topics to be covered include: the software development life cycle, specification, analysis, design, implementation and testing; modular top-down analysis, design and testing, CASE tools for system analysis and design, data modeling and processing modeling tools (data flow diagrams, entity relationship diagrams) traditional and prototyping approaches, design and development of relational database systems, I/O design, input validation and user interface design (GUI), project management tools and source code control systems (SCCS), required communication skills for the systems analyst, and fact finding and interviewing techniques.

The project will focus on real-world systems in the chosen area of specialization as described in course H5010. Students will be required to gain hands-on experience with a major computer-based information system, and to prepare a report based on their experience detailing the features, applications and limitations of the system.