Information Systems, Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

The mission of the Bachelor of Science in Information Systems is to prepare students for successful careers as information systems professionals through a curriculum that combines technical computing knowledge, skills and techniques with relevant business knowledge.

Special requirements

The admission requirements for the School of Business detail the deadlines and other requirements for students to be admitted to one of these major programs of study. The following courses must be completed before the student may declare a specific business major: ACCT 203, ACCT 204, BUSN 201 or BUSN 205, BUSN 212 or MATH 200, BUSN 225, ECON 210, ECON 211, UNIV 111, UNIV 112, and UNIV 200.

The School of Business has special academic policies, including policies on transfer credits, that apply to all undergraduate degrees. 

All baccalaureate degree programs in the School of Business require successful completion of the business knowledge exam as administered in BUSN 499. 

Students may need to take additional mathematics courses as prerequisites to BUSN 212 or MATH 200. These credits will count as open electives in the degree program. 

A maximum of six credits in INFO 491 may be applied to the degree.

No more than six credits from the BUSN 16X Digital Literacy courses may be applied to the degree.

INTL 493 may not be counted toward a business degree.

Credit for SPCH 121 or SPCH 321 will substitute for BUSN 225, and no more than three credits of these courses may be applied toward a business degree. Students who earned a minimum grade of B in either ECON 203 or ECON 205 at VCU may substitute that credit for ECON 210.

The pass/fail grading policy may not be used for many course requirements. Students should check with their academic adviser before taking the pass/fail grading option.

Degree requirements for Information Systems, Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

The minimum number of credit hours required for this degree is 120.

Major electives

What follows is a sample plan that meets the prescribed requirements within a four-year course of study at VCU. Please contact your adviser before beginning course work toward a degree.

Freshman year
Fall semester		Hours
UNIV 111 Play course video for Focused Inquiry I	Focused Inquiry I (satisfies general education UNIV foundations)	3
General education course		3
General education course		3
General education course		3
Open elective (prerequisite to BUSN 212 suggested)		3
	Term Hours:	15
Spring semester
BUSN 212	Business Problem Solving and Analysis (satisfies general education quantitative foundations)	4
BUSN 225	Winning Presentations	3
UNIV 112 Play course video for Focused Inquiry II	Focused Inquiry II (satisfies general education UNIV foundations)	3
General education course		3
Open elective		3
	Term Hours:	16
Sophomore year
Fall semester
ACCT 203	Introduction to Accounting I	3
BUSN 201 or BUSN 205	Foundations of Business or Introduction to the World of Business	3
ECON 210	Principles of Microeconomics (satisfies general education BOK for social/behavioral sciences and/or AOI for global perspectives)	3
UNIV 200	Advanced Focused Inquiry: Literacies, Research and Communication (satisfies general education UNIV foundations)	3
General education course		3
	Term Hours:	15
Spring semester
ACCT 204	Introduction to Accounting II	3
BUSN 301	Career and Professional Development	1
ECON 211	Principles of Macroeconomics	3
INFO 202	Introduction to Information Systems Development Technologies	3
MATH 211	Mathematical Structures	3
MKTG 301	Marketing Principles	3
	Term Hours:	16
Junior year
Fall semester
INFO 300	Information Technology Infrastructure	3
INFO 360	Business Information Systems	3
INFO 361	Systems Analysis and Design	3
MGMT 310	Managing People in Organizations	3
SCMA 301	Business Statistics I	3
	Term Hours:	15
Spring semester
INFO 350	Programming	3
INFO 364	Database Systems	3
INFO 370	Fundamentals of Data Communications	3
SCMA 320	Production/Operations Management	3
Major elective		3
	Term Hours:	15
Senior year
Fall semester
BUSN 323 or FIRE 325 or FIRE 459	Legal Environment of Business or Real Estate Law or Insurance Law	3
FIRE 311	Financial Management	3
INFO 320	Business Intelligence and Data Mining	3
MGMT 303	Creativity and Ideation	3
Open elective		3
	Term Hours:	15
Spring semester
BUSN 499	Business Knowledge Exam	0
INFO 465	Projects in Information Systems	3
MGMT 434	Strategic Management	3
Major electives		6
Open elective		1
	Term Hours:	13
	Total Hours:	120

The minimum number of credit hours required for this degree is 120.

Accelerated B.S. and M.S.

The accelerated B.S. and M.S. program allows qualified students to earn both the B.S. and M.S. in Information Systems in a minimum of five years by completing approved graduate courses during the senior year of their undergraduate program. Students in the program may count up to 12 credit hours of graduate courses toward both the B.S. and M.S. degrees. Thus, the two degrees may be earned with a minimum of 139 credits rather than the 151 credits necessary if the two degrees are pursued separately.

Students holding these degrees are prepared for management-level positions in information systems and information technology. Students will focus on practical application of the knowledge gained in the classroom with an emphasis on creativity, innovation and leadership skills. 

Entrance to the accelerated program

Interested undergraduate students should consult with their adviser as early as possible to receive specific information about the accelerated program, determine academic eligibility and submit (no later than two semesters prior to graduating with a baccalaureate degree, that is, before the end of the spring semester of their junior year) an Accelerated Program Declaration Form to be approved by the graduate program director. Limited spaces may be available in the accelerated program. Academically qualified students may not receive approval if capacity has been reached.

Minimum qualifications for entrance to this accelerated program include completion of 85 undergraduate credit hours including INFO 350, INFO 361 and INFO 364 ; an overall GPA of 3.25; and a GPA of 3.25 in information systems course work. Students who do not meet the minimum GPA requirements may submit GRE scores to receive further consideration. 

Once enrolled in the accelerated program, students must meet the standards of performance applicable to graduate students as described in the “Satisfactory academic progress” section of the Graduate Bulletin, including maintaining a 3.0 GPA. Guidance to students admitted to the accelerated program is provided by both the undergraduate information systems adviser and the faculty adviser to the graduate program.

Admission to the graduate program

Entrance to the accelerated program enables the student to take the approved shared courses that will apply to the undergraduate and graduate degrees. However, entry into an accelerated program via an approved Accelerated Program Declaration Form does not constitute application or admission into the graduate program. Admission to the graduate program requires a separate step that occurs through a formal application to the master’s program, which is submitted through Graduate Admissions no later than a semester prior to graduation with the baccalaureate degree, that is, before the end of the fall semester of the senior year. In order to continue pursuing the master’s degree after the baccalaureate degree is conferred, accelerated students must follow the admission to graduate study requirements outlined in the VCU Bulletin.

Degree requirements

The Bachelor of Science in Information Systems degree will be awarded upon completion of a minimum of 121 credits and the satisfactory completion of all undergraduate degree requirements as stated in the Undergraduate Bulletin. This is one additional credit hour than required for the standalone Bachelor of Science in Information Systems due to the inclusion of INFO 493 which is required for accelerated B.S. to M.S. students.  

A maximum of 12 graduate credits may be taken prior to completion of the baccalaureate degree. These graduate credits substitute for required major elective courses or open elective credits for the undergraduate degree. These courses are shared credits with the graduate program, meaning that they will be applied to both undergraduate and graduate degree requirements.

The graduate information systems courses that may be taken as an undergraduate, once a student is admitted to the program, are:

Recommended course sequence/plan of study

What follows is the recommended plan of study for students interested in the accelerated program beginning in the fall of the junior year prior to admission to the accelerated program in the senior year.