Description
The Master of Science in Business and Technology Management (BTM) equips students with the skills and knowledge required to help organizations achieve a competitive advantage in an increasingly global, technology-driven, and information-rich marketplace. The degree program provide students not only with knowledge about a wide variety of technologies and their architectures but also with an understanding of how to obtain the integration of the full range of information technologies within an organization, from both strategic and operational perspectives. It is designed either for students interested in furthering their knowledge of the use and deployment of technology or for the business professional looking to improve management skills along with a practical working knowledge of today's information technologies.
Graduates of Stevenson's BTM degree program will be able to interpret hardware and software standards, manipulate the architecture of current and emerging technologies, and interpret and evaluate the impact of these technologies on competition, organizational structure and workflow processes. They will have the knowledge and ability to communicate effectively on business and technical concerns with all levels of personnel both internal and external to the organization.
The master's degree addresses this need on three levels: the organization, the individual, and the technology. The program core begins by providing an overview of the organization's processes and the systems that support them to achieve the corporation's goals. This is followed by courses dealing with the concepts of human cognition and creativity that address why IT systems frequently fail to meet the requirements of customers. Armed with this knowledge, the IT systems professional can be creative and innovative in more accurately solving the organization's problems and meeting the needs of the customer. The intent is to emphasize the need for information systems professionals to be creative in problem solving and innovative in finding opportunities within the organization.
The degree program has two tracks: both emerging technology and innovative leadership. Tracks focus on the business and management of internal and external information systems essential for support of the organization's connection to its partners and customers.
The capstone courses provide for the integration of practice and theory across the two tracks.
All courses can be completed entirely online. Some 8-week courses are offered in a hybrid format which meet one night per week.
Objectives
Upon completion of the Master of Science in BTM, graduates will be able to:
- Defend the importance of technology as the underlying foundation of an organization.
- Analyze the management processes and technology needed to support an organization.
- Assess the architectural design of current and emerging technologies.
- Design organizational systems necessary to create effective solutions.
- Appraise the policy, technical, security, and legal issues that affect an organization.
- Compose effective communication with all levels of personnel, both orally and in writing, within and external to the organization.
Emerging Technology Track Outcomes
Upon completion of the emerging technology track, graduates will be able to:
- Evaluate various technologies available to organizations in order to determine their usefulness and what impact, negative or positive, these technologies might have if implemented within these organizations.
- Understand various IT architectural designs and how they assist organizations.
- Analyze various software solutions in determining their effectiveness on developing and maintaining customer relationships.
- Evaluate the software and hardware requirements of network security and assess vulnerabilities that may exist in corporate infrastructures.
- Determine the importance of having organizational data properly secured and why contingency plans are required by every organization.
Innovative Leadership Track Outcomes
Upon completion of the innovative leadership track, graduates will be able to:
- Determine the importance of information technology as integrative to the effective functioning and success of organizations.
- Evaluate the behaviors and practices associated with effective leadership within various organizations with special attention to leadership and management within IT units.
- Design effective supply chain management strategies using appropriate software systems.
- Analyze current customer relationship management practices, issues, best practices, and solutions to create competitive advantage for business and industry.
- Design appropriate tools and processes in business and industry focusing on key issues in strategic leadership and management of IT and incorporating innovative strategies in order to maintain competitive advantage in the marketplace.
Policies
The grade of "C" is the lowest acceptable grade, and only one can be awarded during the program. A student may repeat one course in a graduate program one time. Once a student has repeated a course, the student will not be permitted to repeat any other courses. If a student repeats a course, only the latter grade is used in computing the grade point average. However, all courses taken become a part of the student's academic record. Further, a student may withdraw from each graduate course one time only. A minimum cumulative 3.00 grade point average on all graduate work attempted is required for graduation. Only one grade of "C" may be applied toward the GPA requirement. Degree requirements must be completed within seven years after the first course applied to the degree was completed.
Requirements
The curriculum for the M.S. in BTM consists of three components: core courses, track elective courses, and capstone courses.
Core Courses (15 credits):
| BTM 601 | Information Technologies and the Organization | 3 credits |
| BTM 604 | Cognitive Science for Requirements Analysis | 3 credits |
| BTM 606 | Creativity in Information Systems | 3 credits |
| BTM 644/HCM 644 | Project Management | 3 credits |
| BTM 663 | Information Technology Law & Enforcement Activities | 3 credits |
Capstone Courses (6 credits):
Students select one of the following tracks (15 credits)
Track One: Emerging Technology Management
Students select five courses from the following (15 credits):
| BTM 618 | Network Technologies | 3 credits |
| BTM 634 | Enterprise Data Management | 3 credits |
| BTM 640 | Operating Environments: Architecture and Infrastructure | 3 credits |
| BTM 642 | Enterprise Application Process Analysis | 3 credits |
| BTM 643 | Electronic Commerce | 3 credits |
| BTM 646 | Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity | 3 credits |
| BTM 661/CYBF 661 | E-Systems Security | 3 credits |
| BTM 662 | Business to Business Applications | 3 credits |
Track Two: Innovative Leadership
Students select five courses from the following (15 credits):
Course Descriptions
See BTM - Business and Technology Management Courses