MS Program in Informations Systems: FAQs

Q: What are the educational goals of the program?

Students who obtain an MSIS degree are qualified to do significant work in the computer industry or industries making use of computers to support their business.

Q: What are the basic requirements for the degree?

These are fully outlined in MSIS Degree Requirements Form. However, here are some of the basics:

  1. You must complete 39 credits.
  2. You must complete: 5 Computer Science courses (within the parameters of the degree requirements); 5 Stern courses (within the parameters of the degree requirements); the Information Technology Projects course and 6 additional credits from either Computer Science or Stern.
  3. You may not take more than 21 credits in Stern.
  4. You must maintain at least a 3.0 cumulative grade point average and successfully complete at least 66% of the courses attempted.
  5. You must complete your degree requirements within 5 years.

Q: How can I get involved in research?

The best way is to find a professor whose interests coincide with yours. Often this will be a professor whom you have gotten to know during a class. Contact that professor and see whether you can find a project of mutual interest. The project can be done for credit, as an independent study, if approved by the Director of Graduate Studies.

Q: Is there a recommended course of study?

Further course advice can be found in the MSIS Course Roadmap.

Q: How do I register for my Stern courses?

MSIS students register for Stern courses in a different way than MSCS students do. Please refer to the Stern Registration Procedures for MSIS Students for more information.

Q: I'm on a foreign student visa. What special conditions apply to me?

  1. Report to the OISS with immigration documents upon your arrival in the United States.
  2. Register on time. Students who fail to register or register late will be reported to the Immigration Service as not attending, which could result in revocation of the visa. If you will not be taking courses in the fall or spring semester, you must leave the country.
  3. Report any change in local address.
  4. Maintain full-time status (12 credits per semester is full-time; 9 credits per semester qualifies a student for full-time equivalency). See Obtaining Full-Time Equivalency for details on obtaining FTE when you are registering for 9 credits.
  5. If you have medical reasons for not taking a full-time course load, you must apply for approval from the OISS (see http://www.nyu.edu/oiss).

Q: I know there is no financial aid for master's students, but is there some way for me to earn some money to help pay the tuition as an international student on a student visa?

You are eligible for jobs within the university. To view such jobs, visit the The Wasserman Center for Career Development. These jobs include grading and other jobs, although they are by no means sufficient for funding your education or meeting your living expenses. It is also possible to take up to 2 paid internship courses while you are completing your master's degree. Please refer to Earning Credit for Internship for more information.

Q: For what companies have MSIS students interned?

  • Alcatel-Lucent
  • Bank of America
  • Barclays Capital
  • Bloomberg
  • Highbridge Capital Management, LLC
  • Goldman Sachs
  • JP Morgan Chase
  • Lehman Brothers
  • Liquidnet
  • Moore Capital Management, LLC
  • Morgan Stanley
  • Murex
  • Nab Capital
  • Swiss Re
  • RBC Capital Markets Corporation
  • UBS
  • Rabobank International
  • Towers Perrin

Q: How does obtaining a MSIS degree help my career?

The MSIS program is geared to provide students with the solid foundation of practical business and information technology knowledge that will help them succeed as they develop or interact with modern business solutions throughout their career.

Q: What types of jobs to MSIS graduates obtain and what companies do they end up working for?

Our graduates work in a myriad of fields in various positions. A sampling of the positions held by our MSIS graduates includes:

  • Analyst
  • Program Manager
  • Senior Technical Engineer
  • Solution Architect
  • AVP, Information Technology
  • Financial Software Developer


Our graduates are employed by some of the leading companies in the world. A sampling of the companies that our MSIS graduates work for includes:

  • Bloomberg
  • Credit Suisse
  • IBM
  • JP Morgan Chase
  • Morgan Stanley
  • Nomura Research Institute Ltd.

Q: Is there anything I can do to advertise my skills to potential employers?

Yes, you can subscribe to the mailing list opportunities@cs.nyu.edu. Directions are posted at http://cs.nyu.edu/mailman/listinfo/opportunities In addition, you can post your resume through the NYU Wasserman Center for Career Development and set up a resume that is accessed by many employers.

Q: How can I get into Ph.D. program?

MS students who wish to enter the Ph.D. program must submit a new complete application and are considered together with all the applicants to the Ph.D. program. High GPA will be essential. Research experience is a plus (often, obtained by prior independent study with faculty). There is no special mechanism for transferring from the MS to the Ph.D. program