BUS119h Practicum

Course Objectives

BUS119h is an advanced course on the Practice of MIS, particularly the implementation of information systems. Its purpose is to provide you with real world experience working on an application project and learning about all the issues associated with the successful completion of the project.

As a practicum, BUS119h provides the opportunity to learn a number of skills directly related to being successful in the workplace.

BUS119h provides an opportunity to:

  • Participate in a team to complete a significant IT project for an organization in the community.
  • Develop and practice the following key skills:
    • using industry-standard project management tools and methods
    • applying technical skills to a business need
    • teamwork
    • leadership
    • communication
    • flexibility and adaptability

Specifically, you will learn to:

  • Act professionally as a team-member to plan, design, implement and deliver a real-world application project that is accepted by the sponsor
  • Identify issues associated with the development and management of MIS projects and formulate appropriate strategies for handling them

  • Create and use project management plans and updates in accordance with industry standards

How is this different from a regular 119a class?

  • The two-semester format allows bigger, more important and more interesting projects
    • Learn new technical skills
    • Learn deeper project management skills than in 119a
    • Gain a great addition to your resume
  • The small class size allows a level of coaching and personal attention that is impossible in regular classes.
  • The two-semester format allows use of class time for bonus activities such as
    • Guest speakers
    • Personal resume / career coaching
  • Only honors students are in the class
    • Everyone is smart, interested and motivated
    • No freeloading is tolerated
  • As a participant in the honors program, you have access to other honors-only opportunities
    • Honors-only study travel abroad
    • Special networking opportunities
    • Honors-only field trips to participating companies

What does it take to graduate with honors?

  • To graduate with Honors from the College of Business and have it listed on your transcript, you must:
    • Have an overall SJSU GPA of 3.0
    • Have a major GPA of 3.5. Your major is Business (MIS is your concentration), so this includes all Bus 100 and above courses, including Business Ethics.
    • Complete one individual scholarly paper
    • Have honors faculty recommendation
  • To graduate from the Gary J. Sbona Honors Program and receive the completion certificate, you must:
    • Successfully complete 2 semesters of program with a "B" or better in both semesters
    • Have honors faculty recommendation