Mar 04, 2025  
[DRAFT] 2025-2026 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
[DRAFT] 2025-2026 Undergraduate Catalog

Information Systems, B.B.A.

Location(s): On Campus


[linked graphic] Program Description [linked graphic] Program Student Learning Outcomes [linked graphic] Admissions, Enrollment, and Graduation Criteria [linked graphic] Program Course Requirements [linked graphic] Have questions? Contact us!

Program Description

The BBA degree with a major in information systems (IS) produces students who know how to apply technology as a driver of business strategy. This requires students to have strong technology skills, a clear understanding of business strategy, processes, and environment, and ultimately an ability to envision and apply technology solutions in a business environment. Students earning a BBA with a major  in information systems understand web and application development in the context of the business environment. Graduates have capabilities in systems analysis and design, database management, and IT project management. Students also have the opportunity to consider information systems strategy in the global environment and bring everything together into an IS capstone course. The program of study includes general business courses, and business topics are integrated into many IS courses. The BBA in IS provides students with flexible elective options. Elective courses focus on cutting-edge IT topics such as data mining and business intelligence.

Students completing the BBA with a major in IS may choose to pursue graduate studies in IS, business, and related fields, or they may choose to begin careers in industry, government, or other agencies. Graduates of the IS program are prepared for a variety of careers in IS, especially in the design, implementation, and management of IT projects. Example job titles include application developer, application support, business analyst, business intelligence manager, client services analyst, database administrator, database analyst, information resource manager, IT consultant, programmer/analyst, project manager, quality assurance analyst, systems analyst, user support analyst, web developer, web page designer, and webmaster.

Program Student Learning Outcomes

Students who successfully complete this program will be able to:

  1. Define Information Systems: Define concepts of an information infrastructure and apply strategies and tools for implementing, accessing and using information systems. Compare and contrast various implementations of the information systems function, such as centralized, distributed and outsourced.
  2. Differentiate Information Technology: Differentiate and understand the role and function of various technologies, including but not limited to computer hardware, networking, programming, database and Web technologies. Explain in system terms the fundamental characteristics and components of computer and telecommunications hardware and system software and demonstrate how these components interact.  
  3. Conduct IS Research: Identify information technology literature and the current topics and issues related to the management of information systems. 
  4. Enumerate Controls: Enumerate (suggest) controls that can be incorporated into an information system to ensure or encourage conformance with legal regulations, ethical standards, business policies, business procedures, and information security practices. 
  5. Develop Requirements: Define user requirements and integrate social and technical needs to frame systems problems so that they clearly express user stories (personas) and technical functionality according to standard methodologies. Identify related technical specifications and cost/benefit tradeoffs.
  6. Design Methodology: Take given requirements and frame a project to develop and deliver a solution implementing a Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC). Ensure the project design addresses the business problem and related environmental constraints. 
  7. Communicate Requirements: Represent requirements in appropriate design formats to confirm understanding of customer requirements (e.g. flow chart) and to depict the requirements for technical developers (e.g. pseudocode).
  8. Model Solutions: Develop an application solution based on visual modeling techniques that applies basic database concepts and appropriate programming principles.
  9. Develop Solutions: Develop hardware and/or software designs to provide working solutions, including use of appropriate programming languages, web-based systems and tools, design methodologies, and database systems. Develop and deliver an application solution or prototype for a business case using appropriate programming language, development framework, and device platform. Learn to persist even when facing constraints and difficulties.

[icon]This program is a part of the Michael J. Coles College of Business .

[linked graphic] Double Owl Pathway

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Admissions, Enrollment, and Graduation Criteria

Admissions Criteria

Admission to Coles B.B.A programs is separate from Admissions  to Kennesaw State University. Students must meet the program requirements, outlined below. In order to be able to take upper-division courses in Information Systems and graduate with an Information Systems B.B.A., students must successfully:

  • Complete BUSA 2150: Professionalism I: Clarifying My Major and Career 
  • Meet the Coles College Sophomore GPA Requirement.
  • Be admitted to the Coles Undergraduate Professional Program. Additionally, all business majors must earn a grade of “C” or better in all business courses counted toward their degree.

View the special admission, progression, and graduation requirements of the Coles College of Business.   

Enrollment Criteria

This program does not have specific enrollment requirements. 

Graduation Criteria

Each student is expected to meet the requirements outlined in Academic Policy 5.0 PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS & GRADUATION .

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Program Course Requirements

Core IMPACTS Curriculum (42 Credit Hours)


KSU’s General Education Core IMPACTS Curriculum  

Major Requirements (51 Credit Hours)


Students must earn a “C” or better in these courses.

Major Field Required Courses (18 Credit Hours)


Data and Development Requirement (6 Credit Hours)


Systems Analysis and Design Requirement (3 Credit Hours)


Strategic IS Management Requirement (6 Credit Hours)


Experiential Learning Requirement (0 Credit Hours)


IS students must complete an approved experiential learning experience. This is fulfilled by completing an experience in the IS field and reflecting on it. Qualifying experiences must involve at least 40 hours of experiential activity. The experience can be completed by justifying your current job experience and taking IS 3397 for 0 credit hours, or taking a course for-credit such as IS 3397 or coop of 150+ field hours. Students can also take FTA 3890: Experiential Learning  , any KSU-Approved study abroad program, IS 4000: IS Project Lab , or IS 4400: Directed Study  for credit and enroll in IS 3397: Experiential Learning in Information Systems  for 0 credit hours to complete the reflection component. If a course is selected for-credit it will apply to the Business Elective hours in your program of study. All experiences must be approved prior to enrolling in IS 3397. In this course you will complete the required reflection assignments.

Capstone Project Requirement (3 Credit Hours)


IS students must complete a capstone project with a client. By default, IS 4880 fills this requirement. FinTech career path students can petition to have the FTA 3890 course count as their capstone requirement once they complete the three FinTech career path courses.

Major Electives (18 Credit Hours)


Students must earn a “C” or better in these courses.

Applied Development Elective Course (3 Credit Hours)


Select 3 credit hours from the following list of courses:

Major Field Elective Courses (6 Credit Hours)


Select 6 credit hours from any upper-division (3000-4000 level) courses with the IS, ISA, or FTA prefixes or any KSU-approved study abroad course. If choosing to take a course to fulfill the Experiential Learning requirement see the following options:

FTA 3890: Experiential Learning  

• any KSU-approved study abroad program

• IS research or honors project in a IS 4000: IS Project Lab   or IS 4400: Directed Study  

Design and Development General Track


The IS degree prepares all IS students to participate in the design and development of new information systems solutions. Students in this track may focus as they wish. Some may prefer more technical or more managerial options. Students are encouraged to complete internships and co-ops as well as to partner with faculty on research projects for applied learning. Honors students can honorize most courses by contacting the faculty member and making arrangements.

Financial Technology “FinTech” Track


This track enables students to focus on the FinTech sector and its related needs. These students take IS 3815 as their Applied Development option and the FTA 3810 and FTA 3860 as their major electives. Students who have successfully completed IS 3815, FTA 3810, and FTA 3860 or who can show they will have successfully completed these courses by the end of a current semester may petition the IS Program Coordinator to substitute FTA 3890: Experiential Learning  instead of the IS 4880: IS Capstone Project  required major course.

Related Studies (9 Credit Hours)


Select 9 credit hours of 3000-4000 level coursework from the following prefixes: ACCT, BLAW, BUSA, ECON, ENTR, FIN, FTA, HMGT, INS, IS, ISA, MGT, MKTG, RE.

See a Coles Staff Advisor before taking MGT courses - some MGT courses cannot be used in Related Studies.

Program Total (120 Credit Hours)