Master of Applied Information Systems


Programme Overview

Master of Applied Information Systems (MAIS) programme is designed to enhance your knowledge and skills by providing you with a broad view of information systems, in addition to valuable hands-on experiences. If you are interested in developing new technologies and creating innovative applications, MAIS will be ideal for you. Infocomm industry has been a key contributor to economic development and the driving force behind the fast growing knowledge-based economy in Singapore. Infocomm technologies are the foundation for many applications in industry, government and other institutions. Singapore needs to have an infocomm-savvy workforce and globally competitive infocomm manpower to sustain national economic competitiveness.

This programme is distinctive in its emphasis on industrial strength projects as an essential component of the curriculum. You will not only acquire knowledge in the classroom but also be expected to confidently and innovatively apply what you have learned.


While working with our partner centers/institutes, you will be challenged with real problems faced by today's industries, gaining highly sought-after application development and research experiences. The programme will provide students with hands-on research/application experience through strong collaboration with aligned institutes, centers and labs, e.g. the Living Analytics Research Centre and Institute of Innovation & Entrepreneurship (IIE).


The MAIS programme is available in either part-time (2 years) or full-time (1 year) mode.

The programme currently has the following tracks:
Data Management & Analytics and IT-Enabled Innovation & Entrepreneurship.

Beyond these two tracks, this is also an excellent programme for candidate who wish to pursue projects with any of our Research Centres and Testbeds.



MASTER OF APPLIED INFORMATION SYSTEMS
(Data Management & Analytics Track)
OVERVIEW OF TRACK

We encourage individuals interested in the management and analysis of big data to apply for the Data Management & Analytics Track of our Master of Applied Information Systems degree program.

In particular, students in the Data Management & Analytics Track will learn and develop scalable and secure solutions to store and retrieve large datasets of diverse types (e.g. spatial, multimedia, text, etc.), as well as analytics methods for mining and understanding collections of evolving data and social networks.

EXECUTE YOUR CAPSTONE PROJECT IN THE
STIMULATING ENVIRONMENT AT SMU, INCLUDING:

Living Analytics Research Centre

A joint five-year collaboration between SMU and Carnegie Mellon University that is funded to the tune of S$25 million by the Singapore government.

LiveLabs Urban Lifestyle Innovation Platform

A S$10 million effort funded by the Singapore government.


BENEFIT FROM THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMS BY
LIVING ANAYLTICS RESEARCH CENTRE

  • A. TALKS

     Free admission to the following talks.

    1. LARC Workshop Series
    2. LARC Research Seminar Series

  • B. CONFERENCES

     Waiver of admission fees for the conferences organized by LARC.

    Recent LARC conferences include:

    1. The Third International Conference on Social Informatics (SocInfo'11) 6 - 8 October, 2011, Singapore
    2. 21st Workshop on Information Technologies and Systems (WITS'11) December 3-4, 2011, Shanghai, China
    3. 14th Annual International Conference on Electronic Commerce (ICEC'11) August 7-8, 2012, Singapore

  • C. CONSULTATION

     Students will be able to consult with distinguished LARC visitors.

    Below are some of the past visitors.

    1. J. Stephen DOWNIE
      Professor and Associate Dean for Research, University of Illinois
    2. David DE ROURE
      Professor of e-Research, University of Oxford
    3. Venkat PADMANABHAN
      Principal Researcher and Research Manager, Microsoft Research India
    4. Michael MACY
      Goldwin Smith Professor of Sociology and Director of The Social Dynamics Laboratory, Cornell University

PROGRAM TRACK CORE MODULES

A minimum GPA of 2.5 is required for graduation.

Students are required to do 10 Course Units, including the compulsory core courses listed below:

Data Management Systems (0.5 CU)
Theory, design and implementation of data management systems

Information Retrieval (0.5 CU)
Theory, design and implementation of Information Retrieval Systems

Advanced Topics in Data Mining (0.5 CU)
Data mining methods and applications and learn how to apply those methods to real world business situations

Advanced Topics in Social Network Analysis (0.5 CU)
Social network analysis concepts and methodologies

Intellectual Property Management (1 CU)
Various forms of Intellectual Property (IP), IP strategy, licensing, contracts

Capstone Project (Data Management & Analytics)    (4 CUs)
Applying learnt methodologies to real-life problem

CURRICULUM STRUCTURE & SCHEDULING

MASTER OF APPLIED INFORMATION SYSTEMS
(IT-Enabled Innovation & Entrepreneurship Track)
OVERVIEW OF TRACK

We encourage entrepreneurial individuals to apply for the Technology Innovation Track of our Master of Applied Information Systems degree programme.

Students in the IT-Enabled Innovation & Entrepreneurship Track can use their capstone project to identify a technology innovation and work with SMU's Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IIE) to commercialize the innovation with the aid of grants and investments available in Singapore.


BENEFIT FROM THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMS BY
INSITUTE OF INNOVATION & ENTREPRENEURSHIP

  • A. TALKS

     Free admission to following talks.

    1. Distinguished Speaker Series - Listen to the best innovators and entrepreneurs in the world and learn from them.
    2. Lunch time entrepreneurship talks - Listen to local entrepreneurs
    3. Ad-Hoc talks on innovation and entrepreneurship

  • B. WORKSHOPS

     Waiver of admission fees (worth S$10,000 in total) for the following workshops, conducted by seasoned entrepreneurs / business leaders.

    1. Refining innovations
    2. Innovation development
    3. Building a new business
    4. Selling your innovations

  • C. NETWORKING

     Free attendance at the following networking sessions on level 6 of the SMU Admin building.
    1. Entrepreneurs' Corner
      - Every first Wednesday at 6:30 pm
    2. Affiliates' Corner
      - Every third Wednesday at 6:30 pm

  • D. RAISE GRANTS

     Work with IIE to raise grants for your project.
     Available grants include:

    1. S$50,000 grants from interactive Digital Media Jumpstart and Mentor (i.JAM)
    2. S$250,000 grants from NRF POC / Spring TECS POC / SMART Innovation Center POC
    3. S$500,000 grants from Spring TECS POV

  • E. INCUBATION

     Get the following incubation help from IIE.
    1. Strategy advice from the Entrepreneurs-in-residence
    2. Execution advice from one of 60 business mentors
    3. Incubation space, rent free for a limited amount of time
    4. Access to patent lawyers, accountants, industrial designers etc.

  • F. RAISE INVESTMENTS FOR YOUR START UP

     Get introduced to the following types of investors with the help of IIE.
    1. Angel investors
    2. Technology incubators
    3. Early Stage Venture Capitalists

  • G. SCALING THE COMPANY

     Work with IIE to scale your company beyond the shores of Singapore.

PROGRAM TRACK CORE MODULES & RECOMMENDATIONS

A minimum GPA of 2.5 is required for graduation.

Students are required to do 10 Course Units, including the compulsory core courses listed below:

IT and Business Innovation (1 CU) or Innovation Management (0.5 CU)
Learn innovation opportunity identification methods, and generate a technology innovation with commercial potential

Intellectual Property Management (1 CU)
Learn about Intellectual Property (IP) audit, IP valuation and IP strategy in order to design an IP strategy for your innovation

Capstone Project (Innovation & Entrepreneurship)    (5 CUs)
Project supervised by serial entrepreneurs / business advisors

The following are recommended modules to take:

Technopreneurship   (1 CU)
Learn how to build a company

Technopreneurship Study Mission (with subsidized travel)   (1 CU)
Understand the challenges in starting a technology company

CURRICULUM STRUCTURE & SCHEDULING


Last updated on 9 March, 2012 by School of Information Systems.