Information and Software Systems Engineering Courses (INFS)

Related Catalog Entry: School of Information Technology and Engineering / Information and Software Engineering

Related Mason Website: School of Information Technology and Engineering (http://ite.gmu.edu/), Information and Software Engineering (http://isse.gmu.edu/)

310 Program Structure and Design Using COBOL (3:3:0). Primarily for business students. The course teaches programming using the COBOL language to focus on fundamental concepts of software design and software development methodologies for database management. A computing lab is included. f,s

311 Database Management (3:3:0).Prerequisite: INFS 310 or CS 211. A study of the logical and physical characteristics of data and their organization in computer processing. The course emphasizes data as a resource in computer applications, and examines database management system (DBMS) software and its design, implementation, and use. A computing lab is included. Lab exercises use one or more DBMSs for business applications. f,s

312 Computer Architecture and Operating Systems (3:3:0).Prerequisite: INFS 310 or CS 211. An introduction to computing system hardware components, architecture, organization, and operating system software concepts. The course provides basic experience in assembly language programming for modern microprocessors and examines techniques for system evaluation and selection. Computing lab. s

315 High-Level Programming Languages (3:3:0).Prerequisite: INFS 310 or CS 211. A study of the structure and application of high-level languages by stressing the design and implementation of data types, data structures, and algorithms. A computing lab is included. Credit for this course does not count toward the requirements for a major in computer science.

316 Software Systems Engineering (3:3:0).Prerequisite: INFS 310 or CS 211. A study of programming environments, including software tools and control of software development for large information systems engineering projects. A computing lab is included.

491 Seminar in Information Systems (3:3:0).Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. An in-depth analysis of selected topics that highlight the latest developments in information systems, including contemporary research findings and case studies of information systems.

492 Special Topics in Group Project Implementation (3:3:0).Prerequisite: Six credits of INFS or CS programming courses including INFS 312 or equivalent. An examination of computer system design practices and project management concepts that gives students practical experience working on an information systems engineering project. With faculty guidance, students participate in a team design and implementation project. Typical projects are an office automation system, a student records information system, or a software design and management effort.

498 Independent Study in Information Systems Engineering (1-3:0:0).Prerequisite: 60 credits; must be arranged with an instructor and approved by the department chair before registering. A directed self-study of special topics of current interest in INFS. May be repeated for a maximum of six credits if the topics are substantially different.

499 Special Topics in Information Systems Engineering (3:3:0).Prerequisites: 60 credits and permission of instructor. Topics of special interest to undergraduates. May be repeated for a maximum of six credits if the topics are substantially different.

501 Discrete and Logical Structures for Information Systems (3:3:0).Prerequisite: Six credits of undergraduate mathematics. A study of discrete and logical structures for information systems analysis and design including basic set theory and proof techniques, propositional and predicate logic, trees and graphs, finite state machines, formal languages and their relation to automata, computability, and computational complexity. Credit cannot be applied toward any graduate degree in School of Information Technology and Engineering.

513 Introduction to Telecommunication Systems (3:3:0).Prerequisites: Admission to M.A. in Telecommunications program, or permission of instructor. Study of essential technologies underlying modern telecommunications systems, and their integration into information systems. Transmission and transmission media, communication techniques, widearea networks, local area networks, integrated service digital networks, personal communication systems. Open-systems interconnection, and distributed systems. Network management and security. Credit is not applicable toward any M.S. in School of Information Technology and Engineering.

515 Computer Organization (3:3:0).Prerequisite: Undergraduate courses or equivalent knowledge in structured programming in a high-level language. Computer hardware organization: arithmetic and logical operations; combinational and sequential logic; machine representation of numbers, characters, and instructions; addressing techniques; microprogramming; reduced instruction set computers. Symbolic assembly language, and interrupts and input/output organization, are also covered. Credit cannot be applied toward any graduate degree in School of Information Technology and Engineering.

590 Program Design and Data Structures (3:3:0).Prerequisite: Undergraduate courses or equivalent knowledge in structured programming in a high-level language. A study of the fundamentals of data structures and algorithms applied in programming solutions to application problems. The course stresses structured programming in a modern high-level language. A laboratory is required. Credit cannot be applied toward any graduate degree in School of Information Technology and Engineering.

601 Operating Systems Theory and Practice (3:3:0).Prerequisites: INFS 501, 515, and 590; or equivalent. Fundamental concepts including process synchronization and scheduling, interprocess communication, memory management, virtual memory, deadlocks, security and access control, file and disk management, performance analysis, and distributed systems. The impact of computer architecture on operating systems is examined. Case studies and comparative analysis of operating systems are presented.

612 Data Communications and Distributed Processing (3:3:0).Prerequisites: INFS 501, 515, and 590; or equivalent. Concepts and applications of telecommunications technologies, networks, and distributed information systems. Topics include regulatory issues, network pricing, and management. Case studies are presented.

614 Database Management (3:3:0).Prerequisites: INFS 501, 515, and 590; or equivalent. Introduction to database systems, emphasizing the study of database models and languages and the practice of database design and programming. Topics include the Entity-Relationship model, the relational model and its formal query languages, SQL, the theory of relational database design, and object-oriented and logic-based databases. A computing lab is included.

622 Information Systems Analysis and Design (3:3:0).Prerequisites: INFS 501, 515, and 590; or equivalent. Integration of computing technologies, systems analysis, system design practices, and management criteria in the design of large-scale information management and decision support systems. Cases and a computing lab are included.

623 Information Retrieval (3:3:0).Prerequisites: INFS 501, 515, and 590; or equivalent. Study of models and methods for storage and retrieval of unstructured information, such as documents. Topics include information retrieval models, automatic indexing, document clustering, statistical thesauri, search techniques, performance measurement, answer visualization, and search engines for retrieval from the World Wide Web.

640 Introduction to Electronic Commerce (3:3:0).Prerequisites: INFS 501, 515, and 590; or equivalent. Electronic commerce in its broadest sense; information technology support; business support (financial, marketing, resource planning, etc.); ethical, cultural, and policy issues; national and international legal issues; telemedicine, medical, and industrial applications; evaluation of quality of service.

650 Object-Oriented Applications for Information Systems (3:3:0).Prerequisites: INFS 501, 515, and 590; or equivalent. Principles and applications of object-oriented methods in information systems. The study of a variety of languages and design methods is used for class construction. Higher level tools for system construction are considered. Applications are investigated through program construction and case studies in varied settings, such as database systems, graphical user interfaces, knowledge-based systems, simulations, and prototyping. Programming projects are required.

680 Technical and Administrative Issues in Office Automation (3:3:0).Prerequisite: INFS 590 (may be taken concurrently). An examination of office automation as an issue in applying the concepts of MIS in an organization. The course focuses on technical issues of hardware and software selection as well as administrative problems associated with successful integration of the appropriate technologies. A lecture and a major class project are included.

697 Topics in Information Systems (1-6:1-6:0).Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. Special topics in information systems not occurring in the regular INFS sequence are presented. May be repeated for credit when distinct offerings of the course differ in subject.

750 Application Frameworks for Windowed Information Systems (3:3:0).Prerequisite: INFS 601 and INFS 650. Studies the use of object-oriented visual application frameworks in building event-driven windowed systems. Topics include windowed systems as event-driven systems; central architecture of windowed systems and the encapsulation of windowed architectures by object-oriented frameworks; and analysis and design of windowed applications. The various features of visual application frameworks are illustrated using a variety of information systems applications. Programming projects.

760 Advanced Database Management (3:3:0).Prerequisite: INFS 614. A study of advanced database models and languages, database design theory, transaction processing, recovery, concurrency, distributed database, security, and integrity. Recent developments and research directions are discussed.

762 Information Systems Security (3:3:0).Prerequisites: INFS 601, 612, and 614; or permission of instructor. A study of security policies, models, and mechanisms for secrecy, integrity, and availability. Topics include operating system models and mechanisms for mandatory and discretionary controls; data models, concepts, and mechanisms for database security; basic cryptography and its applications; security in computer networks and distributed systems; and control and prevention of viruses and other rogue programs.

763 Applied Cryptography (3:3:0).Prerequisite: INFS 762 or permission of instructor. Review of classical and modern cryptography: secret key systems, public key systems, digital signatures, message digests; cryptographic protocols: objectives, design and analysis techniques, pitfalls and failures; cryptographic algorithms and cryptanalysis; secret sharing schemes; zero-knowledge protocols; key escrow; case studies.

764 Object-Oriented Database Systems (3:3:0).Prerequisite: INFS 614 or CS 650. The knowledge of an object-oriented programming language such as C++ is highly desirable, or permission of instructor. A study of concepts and systems of object-oriented (OO) databases. Topics include OO design, data models, query languages, new data types, and implementation. Also included are a detailed case study and a project performed on a OO-DBMS. Various prototypes, commercially available systems, and emerging standards are surveyed.

765 Database Security (3:3:0).Prerequisite: INFS 762 or permission of instructor. Science and study of methods of protecting data: discretionary and mandatory access controls, secure database design, data integrity, secure architectures, secure transaction processing, information flow controls, inference controls, and auditing. Security models for relational and object-oriented databases. Security of databases in a distributed environment. Statistical database security. Survey of commercial systems and research prototypes.

766 Network and Distributed Systems Security (3:3:0).Prerequisite: INFS 762 or permission of instructor. Study of network and distributed systems security. Review of basic cryptography, and threats and vulnerabilities in distributed systems. Security services: confidentiality, authentication, integrity, access control, nonrepudiation; and their integration in network protocols. Key management, cryptographic protocols and their analysis. Access control, delegation, and revocation in distributed systems. Security architectures, multilevel systems, and security management and monitoring.

770 Methods for Information Systems Engineering (3:3:0).Prerequisite: INFS 622. A study of the information systems engineering life cycle. Topics include methodologies and methods for data, knowledge, and information engineering; information systems planning including strategic information, critical success factors and enterprise models; object modeling including data semantics, entity/relationship models, and knowledge acquisition; and process modeling including hierarchical function and process decomposition. Case studies are included and a semester group project is required.

790 Information Systems Policy and Administration (3:3:0).Prerequisite: Completion of all core courses, preferably taken in final semester before graduation. A capstone course that integrates the technical and executive policy issues of information systems. Critical executive issues are examined through case studies and a comprehensive individual project.

796 Directed Readings (3:3:0).Prerequisite: Graduate standing in information systems with at least 12 credits in the M.S. program. Research and analysis of a contemporary problem in information system development. Prior approval is required by a faculty sponsor who supervises the student's work. A written report or thesis proposal is required. A maximum of six credits may be earned.

797 Advanced Topics in Information Systems (3:3:0).Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. Special advanced topics not occurring in the regular INFS sequence. May be repeated for credit when distinct offerings of the course differ in subject.

798 Research Project (3:3:0).Prerequisite: 18 credits applicable toward M.S. A research project chosen under the guidance of a full-time graduate faculty member, resulting in a written technical report. Prior approval is required by a faculty sponsor who supervises the student's work.

799 Thesis (1-6:0:0).Prerequisite: 18 credits applicable toward M.S. Original or compilary work evaluated by a committee of three faculty members.