Digital Sciences - M.D.S.
School of Digital Sciences
129 Taylor Hall
Kent Campus
330-672-9105
digital-sciences@kent.edu
www.kent.edu/dsci
Description
The Master of Digital Sciences degree in Digital Sciences is designed to augment a student's skill set, opening the door to new career opportunities for students from diverse undergraduate backgrounds. Due to the program's interdisciplinary nature, students have a unique opportunity to gain a graduate-level introduction to several areas aligned with digital sciences.
The Digital Sciences major comprises the following concentrations:
- The Data Science concentration focuses on the data analysis and modeling needed by an organization and the processing of structured, semi-structured and unstructured data using statistical and semantic analysis techniques to meet those needs.
- The Digital Systems Management concentration focuses on the technical leadership needed by an organization and the management of information services in a rapidly changing global economy.
- The Digital Systems Software Development concentration focuses on the software applications needed by an organization and the design and maintenance of software systems that are aligned with the goals of the business.
- The Digital Systems Telecommunication Networks concentration focuses on the communication infrastructure needed by an organization and the design and management of a telecommunication system and computer network to meet those needs.
- The Digital Systems Training Technology concentration focuses on the educational applications needed by an organization and the design and management of instructional systems to meet those needs.
- The Enterprise Architecture concentration focuses on the business goals, processes and technology infrastructure needed by an organization and the alignment of the processes and infrastructure with the goals of the business.
Fully Offered At:
- Online (Data Science, Digital Systems Training Technology, Enterprise Architecture concentrations only)
- Kent Campus
Admission Requirements
- Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university for unconditional admission
- Minimum 3.000 undergraduate GPA on a 4.000 point scale1 for unconditional admission
- Official transcript(s)
- GRE scores2
- Résumé
- Goal statement3
- Three letters of recommendation
- English language proficiency - all international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions) by earning one of the following:
- Minimum 550 TOEFL PBT score (paper-based version)
- Minimum 79 TOEFL IBT score (Internet-based version)
- Minimum 77 MELAB score
- Minimum 6.5 IELTS score
- Minimum 58 PTE score
For more information about graduate admissions, please visit the Graduate Studies website. For more information on international admission, visit the Office of Global Education website.
| 1 | Applicants with a lower GPA will be considered for conditional admission. |
| 2 | GRE scores will be one of the factors considered in the admission process. A GRE composite score of 290 and above is preferred. The GRE may be waived if the applicant has earned a master’s or higher degrees from an accredited U.S. institution or has three or more years of relevant, full-time work experience. |
| 3 | The goal statement should explain applicants' goals and objectives for pursuing this advanced degree. For example, applicants may want to better prepare for a particular career, to update knowledge in a specific area or to add expertise that will make them more valuable in a current career. In addition, applicants may submit a statement of plans for electives, which should explain how they plan to choose the digital sciences-related electives to complement their declared concentration and their undergraduate major. Applicants should explain how the electives will help to meet the goals and objectives listed in the their goal statement. |
Program Learning Outcomes
Graduates of this program will be able to:
- Augment their professional preparation with material from areas of digital sciences outside their former college and professional boundaries.
- Demonstrate increased breadth in digital sciences outside their former college and professional boundaries.
- Demonstrate basic familiarity with enterprise architecture, data science, software development, telecommunication networks, globalization and technology strategy and/or instructional design.
- Demonstrate increased depth in one area of digital sciences.
Program Requirements
Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Major Requirements | ||
| Major Electives, choose from the following: | 9-10 | |
| ALGORITHMS AND PROGRAMMING I | ||
| ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURE | ||
| DATA SCIENCE | ||
| INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN | ||
| ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS MGMT | ||
| NETWORK MANAGEMENT AND DESIGN TECHNOLOGY | ||
| Culminating Requirement, choose from the following: 1 | 6 | |
| CAPSTONE PROJECT IN DIGITAL SCIENCES | ||
| THESIS I | ||
| Approved Electives, choose from the following: 2 | 6-8 | |
| COMMUNICATION IN AN INFORMATION SOCIETY | ||
| COMMUNICATION, UNCERTAINTY AND PRIVACY MANAGEMENT | ||
| COMMUNICATION AND COGNITION | ||
| ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION | ||
| SYSTEMS PROGRAMMING 3 | ||
| SECURE PROGRAMMING 3 | ||
| DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF ALGORITHMS 3 | ||
| INFORMATION SECURITY 3 | ||
| INTRODUCTION TO CRYPTOLOGY 3 | ||
| ALGORITHMS AND PROGRAMMING I | ||
| ALGORITHMS AND PROGRAMMING II | ||
| ADVANCED DATABASE SYSTEMS DESIGN 3 | ||
| ADVANCED OPERATING SYSTEMS 3 | ||
| PARALLEL AND DISTRIBUTED COMPUTING 3 | ||
| CLUSTER COMPUTING 3 | ||
| SOFTWARE ENGINEERING METHODOLOGIES | ||
| ADVANCED ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE 3 | ||
| IMAGE PROCESSING 3 | ||
| ADVANCED COMPUTER GRAPHICS 3 | ||
| SCIENTIFIC VISUALIZATION 3 | ||
| PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND TEAM DYNAMICS | ||
| DIGITAL SYSTEMS SECURITY | ||
| EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES IN DIGITAL SCIENCES | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS IN DIGITAL SCIENCES | ||
| CAPSTONE PROJECT IN DIGITAL SCIENCES | ||
| ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURE | ||
| ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURE: ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURE CENTER OF EXCELLENCE METHODOLOGY | ||
| PROJECT MANAGEMENT LEADERSHIP | ||
| BUSINESS ARCHITECTURE | ||
| WEB DEVELOPMENT IN DIGITAL SCIENCES | ||
| DATA ARCHITECTURE | ||
| DATA SCIENCE | ||
| APPLICATION AND TECHNOLOGY ARCHITECTURE | ||
| INTERNSHIP IN DIGITAL SCIENCES 4 | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS IN DIGITAL SCIENCES | ||
| INDIVIDUAL INVESTIGATION IN DIGITAL SCIENCES | ||
| STATISTICS I FOR EDUCATIONAL SERVICES | ||
| GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SCIENCE | ||
| SPATIAL PROGRAMMING | ||
| ADVANCED GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SCIENCE | ||
| WEB AND MOBILE GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SCIENCE | ||
| CARTOGRAPHY AND GEOVISUALIZATION | ||
| CARTOGRAPHY AND GEOVISUALIZATION LABORATORY | ||
| SPATIOTEMPORAL ANALYTICS | ||
| CYBERGIS | ||
| GEODATABASES | ||
| HEALTH INFORMATICS MANAGEMENT | ||
| LEGAL ISSUES IN HEALTH INFORMATICS | ||
| HEALTH INFORMATION SYSTEMS | ||
| HEALTH RECORDS MANAGEMENT | ||
| CLINICAL ANALYTICS | ||
| CLINICAL DECISION SUPPORT | ||
| TECHNOLOGY AND LEARNING | ||
| INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN | ||
| SIMULATIONS AND GAMES IN EDUCATION | ||
| MANAGING TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE | ||
| DESIGNING MULTIMEDIA FOR EDUCATION | ||
| VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY | ||
| DESIGNING ONLINE AND BLENDED COURSES | ||
| TEACHING ONLINE AND BLENDED COURSES | ||
| RESEARCH IN ONLINE AND BLENDED LEARNING | ||
| FOUNDATIONAL PRINCIPLES OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT | ||
| COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE | ||
| BUSINESS PROCESS MANAGEMENT | ||
| BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE-COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE | ||
| FOUNDATIONS OF DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT | ||
| ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE ASSESSMENT | ||
| SEMANTIC ANALYSIS METHODS AND TECHNOLOGIES | ||
| INFORMATION NEEDS, SEEKING AND USE | ||
| KNOWLEDGE ORGANIZATION STRUCTURES, SYSTEMS AND SERVICES | ||
| METADATA ARCHITECTURE AND IMPLEMENTATION | ||
| DIGITAL LIBRARIES | ||
| INFORMATION SCIENCE | ||
| DATABASE SYSTEMS | ||
| GLOBALIZATION AND TECHNOLOGY STRATEGY | ||
| ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS MGMT | ||
| EMERGING HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGIES | ||
| DATA COMMUNICATIONS AND NETWORKING IN BUSINESS | ||
| DATABASE MANAGEMENT AND DATABASE ANALYTICS | ||
| INFORMATION SECURITY: A MANAGERIAL PERSPECTIVE | ||
| LEADERSHIP AND MANAGERIAL ASSESSMENT | ||
| COMPUTER HARDWARE ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE | ||
| VISUAL BASIC PROGRAMMING IN ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY | ||
| NETWORK MANAGEMENT AND DESIGN TECHNOLOGY | ||
| REQUIREMENTS ENGINEERING AND ANALYSIS TECHNOLOGY | ||
| COMPUTER HARDWARE | ||
| FIBER OPTIC SYSTEMS | ||
| PROGRAMMABLE LOGIC CONTROLLERS | ||
| ADVANCED PROGRAMMABLE LOGIC CONTROLLERS | ||
| TRIZ-THEORY OF INVENTIVE PROBLEM SOLVING | ||
| ADVANCED WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATION SYSTEM AND NETWORK TECHNOLOGIES | ||
| ADVCANCED VISUAL BASIC PROGRAMMING IN ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY | ||
| ADVANCED NETWORKING | ||
| GRAPHIC DESIGN PERSPECTIVES | ||
| USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN IN PRACTICE | ||
| USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN PRINCIPLES AND CONCEPTS | ||
| USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN IN PRACTICE | ||
| INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE I | ||
| RESEARCHING THE USER EXPERIENCE I | ||
| USABILITY I | ||
| RESEARCHING USER EXPERIENCE II | ||
| USABILITY II | ||
| Concentrations | ||
| Choose from the following: | 9-10 | |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 32 | |
| 1 | Whether selecting the capstone project or thesis, students must complete minimum 6 credit hours. Students selecting the capstone project must select additional Digital Sciences electives to fulfill the 6 credit hours. |
| 2 | Requests for consideration of other courses as approved electives should be submitted to the student's advisor in the School of Digital Sciences. |
| 3 | This course is recommended only for students from a computer science background. |
| 4 | No more than 3 credit hours of DSCI 69992 may be applied toward approved electives in the M.D.S. degree. |
Data Science Concentration Requirements
[MDS-DS-DATA]
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Concentration Requirements | ||
| DSCI 64010 | DATA ARCHITECTURE | 3 |
| KM 60370 | SEMANTIC ANALYSIS METHODS AND TECHNOLOGIES | 3 |
| LIS 60636 | KNOWLEDGE ORGANIZATION STRUCTURES, SYSTEMS AND SERVICES | 3 |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 9 | |
Digital Systems Management Concentration Requirements
[MDS-DS-DSMT]
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Concentration Requirements | ||
| DSCI 51510 | PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND TEAM DYNAMICS | 3 |
| or DSCI 51610 | DIGITAL SYSTEMS SECURITY | |
| or MIS 64083 | INFORMATION SECURITY: A MANAGERIAL PERSPECTIVE | |
| MIS 64042 | GLOBALIZATION AND TECHNOLOGY STRATEGY | 2 |
| MIS 64080 | EMERGING HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGIES | 3 |
| MIS 64158 | LEADERSHIP AND MANAGERIAL ASSESSMENT | 2 |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 10 | |
Digital Systems Software Development Concentration Requirements
[MDS-DS-DSSD]
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Concentration Requirements | ||
| CS 61003 | ALGORITHMS AND PROGRAMMING II 1 | 4 |
| CS 63901 | SOFTWARE ENGINEERING METHODOLOGIES 2 | 3 |
| or DSCI 51510 | PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND TEAM DYNAMICS | |
| or MIS 64082 | DATABASE MANAGEMENT AND DATABASE ANALYTICS | |
| DSCI 65010 | APPLICATION AND TECHNOLOGY ARCHITECTURE | 3 |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 10 | |
| 1 | CS 61003 May be replaced by another Computer Science (CS) course on the Approved Elective list for students with an undergraduate degree in computer science. |
| 2 | CS 63901 or DSCI 51510 is recommended for students from a computer science background. MIS 64082 is recommended for students from a non-computer science background. |
Digital Systems Telecommunication Networks Concentration Requirements
[MDS-DS-DSTN]
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Concentration Requirements | ||
| TECH 56411 | REQUIREMENTS ENGINEERING AND ANALYSIS TECHNOLOGY | 3 |
| TECH 64312 | ADVANCED WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATION SYSTEM AND NETWORK TECHNOLOGIES | 3 |
| TECH 66380 | ADVANCED NETWORKING | 3 |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 9 | |
Digital Systems Training Technology Concentration Requirements
[MDS-DS-DSTT]
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Concentration Requirements | ||
| ETEC 67410 | SIMULATIONS AND GAMES IN EDUCATION | 3 |
| or ETEC 67435 | VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY | |
| ETEC 67425 | MANAGING TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE | 3 |
| ETEC 67432 | DESIGNING MULTIMEDIA FOR EDUCATION | 3 |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 9 | |
Enterprise Architecture Concentration Requirements
[MDS-DS-ENAR]
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Concentration Requirements | ||
| DSCI 62010 | BUSINESS ARCHITECTURE | 3 |
| DSCI 64010 | DATA ARCHITECTURE | 3 |
| DSCI 65010 | APPLICATION AND TECHNOLOGY ARCHITECTURE | 3 |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 9 | |
Graduation Requirements
No more than 18 credits may be taken from any one subject area other than Digital Sciences to apply toward the M.D.S. degree.