Master of Digital Sciences

The Master of Digital Sciences degree is a professional master’s degree for graduates from a variety of backgrounds.  A breadth requirement introduces students to digital technologies outside their undergraduate field of study, and five degree concentrations provide deeper knowledge in one or more domains.

The Master of Digital Sciences degree program requires 32 credits of coursework, including 9-10 credits of major program requirements, 9-10 credits of focused coursework for each concentration, and a capstone course or thesis.  These required courses are complemented by 7-8 credits of advisor-approved electives in Digital Sciences or related areas, allowing further customization of the degree to meet a student’s career goals.

Note that the required courses for the Enterprise Architecture and Digital Science Cognition and Communication concentrations are generally delivered in an in-classroom format, while the required courses for the Digital Systems Management and Consulting, Digital Systems Software Development, and Digital Systems Telecommunication Networks concentrations are generally delivered in an in-classroom format.

 

The major program requirements and concentration requirements are summarized informally below.  For the full formal descriptions, please see these sections in the Kent State University 2012 Catalog:

• Digital Sciences MDS (overview)
• MDS Program Requirements (detailed major and concentration requirements, including Advisor-Approved Electives)
  
• Academic Policies

Informal lists of course descriptions can be found in the Courses menu item on the left.  This menu contains three lists:

• DSCI Courses / Graduate DSCI has descriptions of all courses with the DSCI prefix
• Other Required Courses / Graduate Other has descriptions of required courses with a non-DSCI prefix
• Pre-Approved Electives / Graduate Electives has descriptions of courses that have been pre-approved as "Advisor-Approved Electives in Digital Sciences or Related Area".

 

MAJOR PROGRAM (BREADTH) REQUIREMENTS:

Students must choose and complete 3 of the 5 courses listed below:

Course		Title	Credits
CS	61002	Algorithms and Programming I	4
DSCI	61010	Enterprise Architecture	3
ITEC	67403	Instructional Design	3
MIS	64042	Management Information Systems	3
TECH	63411	Wireless and Telecommunication Systems Requirements Engineering	3

NOTE -- CS 61002 has a prerequisite of CS 61001, which is no longer offered by the Computer Science Department, but will prevent you from enrolling in CS 61002.  The Computer Science Department will drop this prerequisite during the coming academic year, but in the meantime, students who want to register for CS 61002 Algorithms and Programming I should contact Marcy Curtiss via email (curtiss@cs.kent.edu) or phone (330-672-9047) and request a permit to register for the course.

 

THESIS / NON-THESIS OPTION:

Both a Thesis and Non-Thesis option is available.  The Thesis option includes a 6-credit Thesis, while the Non-Thesis option includes a 3-credit Capstone course and 3 additional credits of advisor-approved electives.

Course		Title	Credits
DSCI	60910	Non-Thesis Option: Capstone in Digital Sciences(3) and Elective in Digital Sciences (3)	6
DSCI	69199	Thesis Option: Thesis I	6

 

ADVISOR-APPROVED ELECTIVES:

All students must take 7-8 credits in advisor-approved electives in Digital Sciences or a related area.

 

CONCENTRATION REQUIREMENTS:

The Enterprise Architecture concentration focuses on assisting organizations to review and improve their investments in technology and to ensure that their digital information, applications, and technology are fully aligned with business goals and objectives. Graduates will know how to develop detailed blueprints of an organization's current state, to work with the stakeholders to prepare a vision of a future architecture, to prepare an implementation roadmap, and to execute technology and business change.

The Enterprise Architecture concentration includes coursework on enterprise architecture, business architecture, data architecture, and application and technology architecture.  This concentration can assist graduates to prepare for a career as a computer system architect, enterprise architect, information architect, or solution architect.

The required courses for this concentration are delivered in an online format.

CONCENTRATION REQUIREMENTS (9 credits)
Course		Title	Credits
DSCI	62010	Business Architecture	3
	64010	Data Architecture	3
	65010	Application and Technology Architecture	3
MINIMUM SUBTOTAL			9

 

The Digital Systems Management and Consulting concentration focuses on reviewing an organization’s business priorities, identifying and solving complex problems, and designing and re-engineering critical processes. Graduates will know how to oversee the technical operations of an organization, and will be able to create, re-engineer, and integrate technology-enabled solutions with an understanding of how users interact and communicate with technology. 

The Digital Systems Management and Consulting concentration includes coursework on management information systems, system development methodologies, database management systems, and information security.  This concentration can assist graduates to prepare for a career as a management analyst, information systems project manager, information technology coordinator, or technology consultant.

The required courses for this concentration are generally delivered in an in-classroom format, although some courses may also be delivered in an online format occasionally.

CONCENTRATION REQUIREMENTS (9 credits)
Course		Title	Credits
MIS	64045	Systems Development Methodologies	3
	64082	Database Management Systems	3
	64083	Information Security: A Managerial Perspective	3
MINIMUM SUBTOTAL			9

 

The Digital Systems Software Development concentration focuses on the software needs of an organization and the coordination of the design, maintenance, and expansion of a software system to meet those needs. Graduates will understand the role of software development in relation to information management and the technology infrastructure in an enterprise environment, and will be able to design software systems in support of business goals and work with software engineers as they build those systems. 

The Digital Systems Software Development concentration includes coursework on enterprise architecture, application and technology architecture, algorithms and programming, and software engineering methodologies.  This concentration can assist graduates to prepare for a career as an application architect, software project manager, scientific programmer, or web developer.

The required courses for this concentration are delivered in an in-classroom format.

CONCENTRATION REQUIREMENTS (10 credits)
Course		Title	Credits
CS	61003	Algorithms and Programming II	4
	63901	Software Engineering Methodologies	3
DSCI	65010	Application and Technology Architecture	3
MINIMUM SUBTOTAL			10

 

The Digital Systems Telecommunication Networks concentration focuses on the communication needs of an organization and the design of a telecommunication and network infrastructure to meet those needs. Graduates will understand how to design hardware systems and the supporting communication infrastructure to transport and store the converged voice, video and data traffic required by a modern multimedia system. 

The Digital Systems Telecommunication Networks concentration includes coursework on wireless telecommunication system and network technologies, fiber optics, and visual basic programming in engineering technology.  This concentration can assist graduates to prepare for a career as a technology architect, network system analyst, data communication analyst, or telecommunications specialist.

The required courses for this concentration are delivered in an in-classroom format.

CONCENTRATION REQUIREMENTS (9 credits)
Course		Title	Credits
TECH	63020	Fiber Optic Systems	3
	64312	Advanced Wireless Telecommunication System and Network Technologies	3
	65330	Advanced Visual Basic Programming in Engineering Technology	3
MINIMUM SUBTOTAL			9

 

The Digital Science Cognition and Communication concentration focuses on the learning, teaching, communication, and training needs of an organization and the hardware and software systems that must be designed to meet those needs. Graduates will know how to use the principles, theories, and research-based outcomes of how people interact with technology and communicate through technology to improve the usability of hardware, software, and training within an organization.

The Digital Science Cognition and Communication concentration includes coursework on instructional design, managing technology in education, virtual reality, and simulation games in education.  This concentration can assist graduates to prepare for a career as an instructional technologist, instructional coordinator, information technology trainer, or user interface specialist.

The required courses for this concentration are delivered in an in-classroom format.

CONCENTRATION REQUIREMENTS (9 credits)
Course		Title	Credits
ITEC	67410	Simulation-Games in Education	3
	67425	Managing Technological Change	3
	67435	Virtual Reality	3
MINIMUM SUBTOTAL			9

 

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS:

For information on the admission requirements for the Master of Digital Sciences, and the application process, please see the Graduate program web page.