IS 499 - IS Capstone (3 Credits)

Prerequisite: Senior status and permission from the program’s academic director.
Synthesizing complex information and applying that information in the context of a real-world scenario is a high-level ability that employers increasingly demand. In this course, students integrate the skills developed in previous classes into a comprehensive body of knowledge to provide tangible evidence of their competence. The Capstone has two components: 1.) submission of a portfolio that consists of work completed during the program presented in a holistic manner, and 2.) development of a final IS project with emphasis on one or two areas of the profession, and grounded in a particular real- world context. For the project, a problem is identified, then analyzed, designed, and implemented with a professional-quality information system that contributes to a solution. In addition, students must be able to articulate the value of and practical challenges associated with the IS solution. Students may work either independently or in a group (no larger than three, with the permission of the instructor), selecting a subject that is in line with the student’s career aspirations, and ideally builds on ideas and work that began in other classes. The work developed in the Capstone is presented to faculty and students, and the larger information systems community.