Students with a bachelor’s degree in information systems from BYU or another accredited university in the United States may apply to the MISM degree program. Exceptions may be allowed on a case-by-case basis (e.g. computer science major with a business minor). International transfer student transcripts will be verified by IFELTS and will be considered using the same standards.
Prerequisite Courses
A student who does not have an undergraduate degree in information systems must be 80 percent proficient in the core equivalent skills listed below. The program does not allow provisional admissions.
The junior core equivalent skills must be taken at an accredited college or university and are not available to be taken at BYU.
Core Equivalent Skills
Product Management
- Scrum
- Diagrams
- UI design with Figma
Database
- PostgreSQL
- SQ Lite
- AzureDB
Database Design
- Entity- Relationship Diagrams (ERD)
- Database normalization to 3rd normal form
Database Theory
- Intersect, difference, and union
SQL
- Select, from, inner/outer joins, where, group by, having, CTE’s, and window functions
- Data-definition language (DDL)
Software Development
- Full stack with node express with EJS
- HTML/CSS
- Git/GitHub
- CRUD including login
Problem-Solving
- Javascript
Networking
- TCP/IP Networking (OSI Model)
- Basic linux and command line navigation
- AWS EC2, security groups, RDS, Elastic Beanstalk
Framework
- .NET framework
- Client-server model
C#
- Data types
- Loops, arrays, objects, getters/setters
- Passing variables/objects, returning variables/objects
- Lambda functions
ASP.NET
- Coding by convention
- Program structure
- MVC
- Tag helpers
- Importing packages
- API
React
- React.js
- jQuery
- TypeScript
Security
- Secure and defend servers against attacks
- Perform basic digital forensic analysis
- Apply principles of secure application development
- Scan and exploit vulnerabilities in systems
ML/AI
- Basic statistics and regression modeling for prediction
- Data collection (from APIs in JSON) and cleaning
- Python Jupyter notebooks
Python Data Analysis
- Pandas
- Univariate analysis/bivariate analysis
- Basic data cleaning
Tableau
- Creation of dashboards
- Chart design and familiarity with principles discussed in Storytelling with Data by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic
Business Courses
Applicants must also be proficient with the following learning outcomes within the specific business courses below:
STRAT 560:
- Analyzing and building effective strategic positions using economic and strategic tools, considering
external forces and competitive risks. - Understanding how internal resource fit, coherence, and ethical integrity drive sustainable
competitive advantage. - Communicating clearly and collaborate effectively in teams through discussion, projects, and
shared responsibility
HRM 540:
- Developing Christlike leadership rooted in faith while strengthening teamwork and collaboration
skills. - Building awareness of human behavior and organizational challenges to navigate complex workplace dilemmas.
- Applying core organizational behavior theories to analyze issues and deliver evidence-based solutions.
MSB 572:
- Developing a practical understanding of Christ-centered leadership and apply it effectively in the
workplace. - Identifying, analyzing, and resolving ethical issues using established frameworks while recognizing
judgment biases. - Applying personal values and organizational systems to make ethical decisions and communicate
them clearly.
GMAT
The GMAT is required for all students who have not completed the BYU Marriott information systems junior core.
For the new version of the GMAT test, we expect a competitive score to be 560 or above for our program. If you have taken the old version of the GMAT, we expect a score of 600 or above to be competitive.
If an applicant retakes the GMAT, the higher score is used. No other exams (e.g. GRE) can replace the GMAT.
GPA
The minimum GPA is 3.0 for the last 60 credit hours a student has completed. An average GPA of 3.6 or above would be considered competitive.
Deadline
The application deadline is 1 March. Admission decisions are made by the end of March, and all applicants are notified at that time. Notification will be sent in a letter from Graduate Studies. Applicants who are admitted to the MISM program will receive an email from the department that includes instructions for accepting the admission offer, a proposed graduation plan to be submitted, and registration information.
Application
Students must apply to the MISM program through Graduate Studies. The site includes things to know before applying, cost of attendance, how to apply, an application checklist, and how to check an application’s status.