With the exception of a small percentage of students who are full-time, the students served by the M.S.I.S. program are employees of area businesses, state and local governments, and not-for-profit organizations who study on a part-time basis. In order to accommodate both full- and part-time students, courses are primarily offered in the evening.

The two-fold nature of the program requires a manager to have competence both in information technology and in management theory; therefore, the curriculum combines the highly technical content of information science with the managerial emphasis of information systems. Unlike computer science programs, which tend to focus on computer hardware and architecture, this program is organized around applied computer-based activities, the development of communication skills, and managerial principles.