The ISST major studies the design and management of complex information systems. Rather than focusing on the computing and communication technologies that underlie digital information systems, the ISST major emphasizes information systems engineering in broad application contexts, where issues at the confluence of information science, technology, and management are the primary concerns.

The core courses in the field provide students with a grounding in operations research modeling techniques of probability, statistics, and optimization; computer science; economics; and the social and organizational contexts in which transformative information systems exist. Students then choose one of two specializations: Management Science (MS) or Information Science (IS).

The Management Science option educates students in methods for quantitative decision making and their application to Information Technology, as well as the broader role that Information Technology plays in making these methods effective. Management Science students take advanced courses in Mathematical Models in Management Science, Information Systems, Mathematical Modeling in IT, and Information Technology Management Solutions.

Courses of the Information Science option educate students in methods for the creation, representation, organization, access, and analysis of information in digital form. Students who choose the Information Science option take classes in Information Systems, Mathematical Modeling in IT, Human-Centered Systems, and Social Systems.