LIB - Information Technology Management Graduate Program

Information Technology Management Program
Director: Elizabeth Humrickhouse
118A Murphy Library; 608.785.8738
Email: ehumrickhouse@uwlax.edu

https://itmanagement.wisconsin.edu/
https://www.uwlax.edu/grad/information-technology-management/

The Master of Science in Information Technology Management Program is a fully online curriculum consisting of 31 credits (10 three-credit courses and a one-credit capstone preparation course). The degree program is offered jointly by UW-La Crosse, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Parkside, UW-Stevens Point, UW-Stout, and UW-Superior. The program represents a multidisciplinary curriculum that balances real-world applications and practices relevant to the current field and draws primarily from business, information systems, information technology, cybersecurity, data science, communications and project management. Graduates of the program will gain the knowledge and skills required to manage information technology functions across a wide range of industries. The required capstone course, which represents the culminating experience in the program, will provide students with the opportunity to apply skills acquired from coursework through a project-based experience that addresses a problem, need, or concern in an IT setting.

Certificates

The Information Technology Management Program also offers three certificates and the option to complete the master's degree. The certificates are organized into three IT management topics:

  • IT Leadership
  • Enterprise Infrastructure
  • IT Operations

Each certificate can be earned independently. Completing the master's degree in total would require completing all three certificates, plus the pre-capstone and capstone courses.

Program length

The Master of Science (M.S.) in Information Technology Management Program is typically a two-year program. The program length is based on how long the required UWL coursework would take to complete for a part-time student taking six credits a term, who does not need to complete any prerequisite coursework. Program length may be extended if students take fewer than six credits per term or due to the requirements of an individual student's plan of coursework, research or capstone project.

The graduate certificate programs are typically one-year programs. The program length is based on how long the required UWL coursework would take to complete for a part-time student, taking one course per term. Program length may be shortened if students take more than one course in a term.


Courses

ITM 700 Cr.3

Communications for IT Professionals

This course focuses on developing communication skills for IT professionals. Students will learn how to deliver effective presentations, conduct crucial conversations with stakeholders, and develop verbal and nonverbal communication skills emphasizing cultural sensitivity, diversity, and ethics. Students will also conduct relevant research and critically evaluate information to make informed evidence-based decisions. Prerequisite: admission to Information Technology Management Program. Consent of department. Offered Fall, Spring, Summer.

ITM 705 Cr.3

Leading the IT Function

This course focuses on the differences between and application of management and leadership theories in an IT environment. Utilizing an array of assessment activities, students will identify and understand one's own personal assets and liabilities to become an effective leader and agent of change in a complex adaptive system. Prerequisite: admission to Information Technology Management Program. Consent of department. Offered Fall, Spring, Summer.

ITM 710 Cr.3

Finance for IT Managers

This course will frame financial decisions within general and project accounting principles. Topics include: pro forma financial statements, time value of money, cash flows and equivalence, depreciation, net present value, rate of return, and ratio analysis. Students will prepare budgets that prioritize projects within constraints, address uncertainty and intangibles, and integrate with project scheduling. Prerequisite: admission to Information Technology Management Program. Consent of department. Offered Fall, Spring, Summer.

ITM 715 Cr.3

Data Science

This course examines key data science concepts, methods, and processes. It addresses issues for developing, managing and supporting data-driven decision-making in the organization and provides knowledge and tools for incorporating data science into IT project workflows. Topics include, but are not limited to, data analytics, data warehousing, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. Prerequisite: ITM 710; admission to Information Technology Management Program. Consent of department. Offered Fall, Spring, Summer.

ITM 720 Cr.3

Cloud Computing and Enterprise Applications

Students will learn to leverage cloud services to streamline computing resources, deploy enterprise applications, improve user access and system reliability, and utilize advanced computing capabilities. Foundation concepts include: virtualization, multi-tenant architecture, and software defined networking. Examines the full range of services available to organizations along with deployment strategies, evaluation criteria, economic justification, and manageability. Prerequisite: ITM 710; admission to Information Technology Management Program. Consent of department. Offered Fall, Spring, Summer.

ITM 725 Cr.3

Enterprise Security

Students will explore the technical, administrative, and physical aspects of IT security. They will investigate various threats within IT and fraud and apply information classification to the design of information, network and physical security. Students will evaluate the business processes of risk, business continuity, audit, and the risk within software development. Prerequisite: ITM 700; admission to Information Technology Management Program. Consent of department. Offered Fall, Spring, Summer.

ITM 730 Cr.3

Agile and Traditional IT Project Management

This course examines project management concepts as applied to IT projects and covers traditional PMBOK techniques such as project identification, selection, procurement, and cost/schedule preparation and monitoring. Students will be introduced to agile IT project management concepts including Scrum and Extreme Programming. This course requires students to apply these concepts to group projects. Prerequisite: ITM 700, ITM 710; admission to Information Technology Management Program. Consent of department. Offered Fall, Spring, Summer.

ITM 735 Cr.3

Business Analysis for Effective IT Organizations

This course focuses on the importance, role, and techniques of the business analysis function in the modern IT organization. This course is organized around the six knowledge areas and associated techniques of the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK) specified by the International Institute of Business Analysis. Prerequisite: ITM 710; admission to Information Technology Management Program. Consent of department. Offered Fall, Spring, Summer.

ITM 740 Cr.3

IT Operations

This course explores best practices and techniques for ensuring the smooth functioning of the IT infrastructure and operational environments to support development and deployment of applications and services within the organization. Coverage includes network infrastructure; servers and devices; computer operations; service management; facilities; help desk services, DevOps, and process automation. Prerequisite: ITM 735; admission to Information Technology Management Program. Consent of department. Offered Fall, Spring, Summer.

ITM 745 Cr.3

IT Governance, Ethics, and Regulatory Compliance

This course examines best practices in IT governance to achieve regulatory compliance, optimize use of available resources, ensure trustworthiness of enterprise information, and support business strategies and objectives. Topics include: strategic alignment, IT service and control frameworks, portfolio management, IT risk management, and ethical issues in IT governance. Prerequisite: ITM 705; ITM 735; admission to Information Technology Management Program. Consent of department. Offered Fall, Spring, Summer.

ITM 750 Cr.3

Emerging Technologies

This seminar course researches, identifies and evaluates significant new trends, technologies and events influencing the global environment of information technology and systems. The course will evaluate future and disruptive technologies, strategies for successful implementation of innovative technologies, critical thinking, and ethics pertaining to its use. Prerequisite: ITM 740; admission to Information Technology Management Program. Consent of department. Offered Fall, Spring, Summer.

ITM 754 Cr.1

Capstone Preparation

Students select their capstone project, create a plan, define deliverables, secure approval and complete setup of their development environment. Students review concepts necessary for completion of the capstone including Agile project management, systems analysis and communicating with technical and non-technical audiences. Additional topics may be included. Prerequisite: ITM 730; admission to Information Technology Management Program. Consent of department. Offered Fall, Spring, Summer.

ITM 755 Cr.3

Capstone

In this course, students complete the projects approved in the Capstone Preparation course. This course includes the management, development and delivery of an information technology project to a client or employer, including regular communication of status to both technical and non-technical audiences. Prerequisite: ITM 735; ITM 754; admission to Information Technology Management Program. Course to be taken in final semester. Consent of department. Offered Fall, Spring, Summer.