BS in Information and Decision Sciences

Degree Requirements

To earn a Bachelor of Science in Information and Decision Sciences degree from UIC, students need to complete university, college, and department degree requirements. The Department of Information and Decision Sciences degree requirements are outlined below. Students should consult the College of Business Administration section for additional degree requirements and college academic policies.

Summary of Requirements
General and Basic Course Requirements48
Business Core42
Major Requirements18
Business Electives12
Total Hours120

General and Basic Course Requirements

See General and Basic Course Requirements in the College of Business Administration section for the list of courses needed to meet this requirement.

Business Core

See Business Course Requirements in the College of Business Administration section for the list of courses needed to meet this requirement.

Major Requirements

Required Courses
IDS 201Introduction to Business Programming3
or IDS 331 Business Analysis Using Spreadsheets
IDS 410Business Database Technology3
12 additional hours of 300- or 400-level courses from the IDS department. IDS 201 may also be applied toward the degree’s major electives. Students may choose to focus their 12 elective hours within a concentration. Students may also choose to complete the degree without a concentration. In this case, students may fulfill their 12-hour elective requirement by choosing any combination of IDS electives from within the Department of Information and Decision Sciences. See lists below for concentration path suggestions. 12
Total Hours18

Business Electives

Courses
12 hours at the 200, 300, or 400 level chosen from courses in the College of Business Administration or courses offered in the Economics department with a maximum of 6 hours at the 200 level. Students may use their business electives to complete a second concentration within their major, if applicable, or a minor with the college. Students should work with their advisor in choosing appropriate business electives.12
Total Hours12

Concentrations

Students may choose to focus their IDS and CBA elective courses within one or more of the following concentrations. The same course cannot be counted towards more than one concentration. Students may also choose to complete the major in IDS without any concentration. For this, students may choose any combination of IDS electives to fulfill the requirements for the major.

Concentration in Business Analytics

Required Courses
IDS 472Business Data Mining3
IDS 400Programming for Data Science in Business3
Select two of the following:6
IDS 201
Introduction to Business Programming
IDS 422
Text Mining for Business Applications
IDS 435
Optimization for Analytics
IDS 460
Causal Inference
IDS 462
Statistical Software for Business Applications
IDS 470
Multivariate Analysis
IDS 476
Business Forecasting Using Time Series Methods
Recommended Business Electives
It is recommended that students take additional business analytics electives as part of their 12 hours of business elective courses. Other recommended business electives are listed below. A course can be used to satisfy only one area of required or elective courses.
IDS 312
Business Project Management
IDS 313
Internet Applications in Business
IDS 331
Business Analysis Using Spreadsheets
IDS 406
IDS Consulting Practicum
IDS 420
Business Model Simulation
IDS 454
Introduction to Supply Chain Management
IDS 473
Risk Management and Insurance
FIN 310
Investments
FIN 416
Options and Futures Markets
FIN 480
Securities Markets and High-Frequency Trading
MKTG 460
Marketing Analytics
MKTG 462
Marketing Research
MKTG 479
Digital and Social Media Marketing

Concentration in Management Information Systems

Required Courses
Prerequisite: IDS 201, as part of the IDS major requirement.
IDS 401Business Object Programming using Java3
IDS 405Business Systems Analysis and Design3
Select any two of the following:6
IDS 313
Internet Applications in Business
IDS 400
Programming for Data Science in Business
IDS 403
Information Security
IDS 406
IDS Consulting Practicum
IDS 413
Internet Technology and Management
IDS 422
Text Mining for Business Applications
IDS 472
Business Data Mining
IDS 494
Topics in Information and Decision Sciences
Recommended Business Electives
It is recommended that students take additional management information systems electives as part of their 12 hours of business electives courses Other recommended business electives are on the list below. A course can be used to satisfy only one area of required or elective courses.
IDS 312
Business Project Management
IDS 331
Business Analysis Using Spreadsheets
IDS 406
IDS Consulting Practicum
IDS 451
Enterprise Operations and Supply Chain Systems
IDS 454
Introduction to Supply Chain Management
IDS 462
Statistical Software for Business Applications

Concentration in Supply Chain and Operations Management

Required Courses
IDS 450Supply Chain Planning and Logistics3
IDS 454Introduction to Supply Chain Management3
Select two of the following:6
IDS 420
Business Model Simulation
IDS 435
Optimization for Analytics
IDS 451
Enterprise Operations and Supply Chain Systems
IDS 453
Supply Chain Management: Sourcing and Procurement
IDS 472
Business Data Mining
IDS 476
Business Forecasting Using Time Series Methods
Recommended Business Electives
It is recommended that students take additional supply chain and operations management electives as part of their 12 hours of business elective courses. Other recommended business electives are in the list below. A course can be used to satisfy only one area of required or elective course.
IDS 201
Introduction to Business Programming
IDS 312
Business Project Management
IDS 313
Internet Applications in Business
IDS 400
Programming for Data Science in Business
IDS 405
Business Systems Analysis and Design
IDS 406
IDS Consulting Practicum
IDS 462
Statistical Software for Business Applications
IDS 470
Multivariate Analysis
IDS 479
Enterprise Risk Management
ACTG 326
Cost Accounting
ACTG 355
Business Law I: Commercial Transactions
MGMT 481
Managerial Logistics
MKTG 463
Marketing and Sales Channels

Sample Business Major Curriculum

See Sample Business Major Curriculum in the College of Business Administration section. See your academic advisor for an individualized major map in your field of study.