Master’s students in the Center for Information and Communication Sciences (CICS) must take the following courses as part of the 38 credit hours required for the degree. All these courses are 3 credit hours unless otherwise noted.
- ICS 600, Survey of Management—General management principles and problems, including broad study of four primary functions of the manager—planning, organizing, motivating, and controlling. Emphasizes current management practices in a dynamic economy and ways that problem-solving techniques, communication, and coordination affect managerial success.
- ICS 601, Problems in Information and Communication Sciences and Lab—An overview of problems and issues concerning human needs, technological changes, and strategic opportunities in voice-, data-, and video-based business areas for solving information and communication problems. Includes performance-based, hands-on experience.
- ICS 602, Human Communication: Process and Theory—Fundamental principles associated with the ways people process communication. Emphasizes how barriers affect human communication processing and provides an understanding of models of human information processing and their application in real-world situations.
- ICS 620, Telecom Technologies, Standards, and Lab (4 credit hours)—Fundamentals of transport technologies emphasizing wireline information transmission, switching, technology choices, and the merits of each. Practical operating concerns, standards, and current and evolving media and options for transmitting voice, data, and video signals. Includes labs.
- ICS 621, Information Movement, Management, Storage Technologies, Standards, and Lab—Digital technologies for automating and managing information environment within the workplace. Function and connection of computing devices for distributing, storing, and sharing information locally and over networking choices. Considers standards and enterprise problem solving. Includes lab. Prerequisite: ICS 620.
- ICS 630, Research Methodologies and Problems Seminar (2 credit hours)—Concepts of research, including steps involved in a research project such as design; data collection, analysis, and presentation; statistical techniques; and research methodology. Prepares students for applied research in an information and communication environment.
- ICS 640, Information and Communication Industry (2 credit hours)—Overview of major areas in the industry; historic perspective of major companies and leaders; examination of cultures, markets, and needs being met. Includes such topics as print, broadcast, voice, data, video, software, satellite, and emerging special areas.
- ICS 642, Regulatory Research in Context/Problems in Information Communication—Overview of regulations from the early 20th century to the present. Emphasizes post-1982 Federal Communications Commission changes deregulating telephone, CATV, and broadcast industries. Includes research in the regulation of emerging services and technologies, freedom of speech, ownership and distribution of new information forms, and limitations and uses of technology.
- ICS 660, Human Factors, Needs-Assessment, and User-Driven Design—Examines problems of information and communication technologies from users’ perspectives. Includes development of project scoping devices, needs-assessment instruments in information and technology projects, and problems and opportunities involved with transparent systems and user-driven technology development.