This document provides information about a new student orientation for MS in Digital Financial Technologies program at Kennesaw State University. It introduces the program director and assistant director. It outlines the 30-hour curriculum including core courses in payments processing, security, emerging technologies, compliance and two electives. It also describes two graduate certificate options in information security and assurance and business intelligence. It provides a sample course schedule and registration instructions. Important dates and contact information are included.

1. MS DIGITAL
FINANCIAL
TECHNOLOGIES
New Student Orientation
August 2022

2. WELCOME
Humayun Zafar, Ph.D.,
CEH, CISM, CRISC, PCIP
FinTech Program Director, Assistant
Chair of Department of Information
Systems and Security (ISS), and
Professor of Information Security
and Assurance.
Vickie Lee – Assistant
Director, ISS Graduate
Programs.
Email:
fintech@kennesaw.edu
URL:

3. CURRICULUM –
30 HOURS
Core Courses (21 credit hours)
FIS 6810: Payments Processing in FinTech
FIS 6850: FinTech Payments Security and Assurance
FIS 6860: Emerging FinTech Payments Technologies
FIS 6870: Compliance and Policies in FinTech Payments
FIS 6890: Experiential Learning in FinTech Payments
IT 6923: Blockchain Technology in Payments
IS 7935: Business Intelligence – Traditional and Big Data Analysis
Electives (9 credit hours)
Choose any three (3) courses for nine (9) total credit hours:
FIS 6815: Blockchain for Business
FIS 6880: FinTech Payments for the Unbanked
IS 7060: Information Systems Development Methods and Technologies
IS 7100: Advanced IT Project Management
IT 6933: Machine Learning Technology in FinTech
Any 6000, 7000, or 8000 level FIS course

4. GRADUATE CERTIFICATES
Information Security & Assurance Graduate Certificate:
Courses required for certificate: (12 credit Hours)
Security Management
• IS 7310: Governance, Risk Management, and Compliance*
OR
• IT 6823: Information Security Concepts & Administration
Security Technology
• IS 7320: Information Security Technologies*
Contingency Planning
• IS 7330: Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity Planning*
Elecitve
• IS 7200: Legal and Ethical Issues in Information Systems*
OR
• IS 8305: Foundations of Information Security
Business Intelligence Graduate Certificate:
Courses required for certificate: (15 credit hours)
• ECON 7710 - Statistics for Business Analysis
• ECON 7730 - Business Intelligence- Risk Management & Decision
Analysis
• ECON 7750 - Introduction to Business Intelligence Using
Simulation
• ECON 7770 - Operations Research in Business Intelligence
• IS 7935 - Business Intelligence - Traditional and Big Data Analytics
The only graduate certificate in Information Security and Assurance from a Georgia business school.
Ranked 4th among best online graduate certificates in cyber security.

5. YOU NEED TO KNOW
• Only a grade of “C” or higher is considered a passing grade to
meet graduation requirements
• All course grades are included in your GPA calculation, even if
repeated
• Your registration time ticket and payment due date are posted in
your Owl Express account
• Textbook information will be available on the the KSU Bookstore
website and/or D2L

6. PROPOSED
SCHEDULE
FALL
2022
SPRING
2023
SUMMER
2023 FALL 2023
FIS 6810
(F1)
FIS 6860
(S1)
IS 7935 Elective
2
FIS 6850
(F2)
FIS 6870
(S2)
Elective
3
IS 7100
(E-F2)
FIS 6890
(Full)
IT 6923

8. A QUICK DIY GUIDE FOR CREATING A KSU ACCOUNT &
CLASS REGISTRATION
-> Set up student accounts (KSU NetID and ID number, student email address, Owl Express)
-> Log into your Owl Express portal here, and click on the “Registration” tab. Next, click on “Class Registration
(Add or Drop Classes)." You'll want to select the desired term (i.e. “Fall Semester 2022”) and click "Submit." Next,
you'll want to scroll down to the bottom and click "Class Search," and then find the subject area for which you want to
search. For instance, if you used the projected class schedule to decide that you wanted to take FIS 6810, you can
click on “FIS- Financial Info. Services" in this window. For Course Level, select Graduate. Once you have the course
level highlighted, you can click "Course Search." You'll now want to scroll down to the 6000-level courses and find
the class for which you want to register. Then click "View Sections." You'll then be able to see the details of the
specific day/time options offered to you for that course in this semester and can check the box for the one you
prefer. Lastly, click "Register." You are now registered, and your schedule will be shown to you.
-> Roughly a day after your registration, you will be assessed the appropriate tuition and fee charges. The system will
generate an email to your KSU student email address indicating that charges have been applied to your account, and
you can see these in Owl Express under the "Registration" tab, by clicking "View Account or Pay Online." You are
welcome to add/drop courses between now and the semester starting, and charges will usually update a day after
schedule changes are made.

9. REGISTRATION & PAYMENT
• You register for courses and pay for tuition/fees online at: https://owlexpress.kennesaw.edu . There is an
option to pay at the Bursars office on the Kennesaw campus (check/cash only).
• Important Dates for Fall 2022 dates:
• https://registrar.kennesaw.edu/academic-calendars/fall-2022-academic-calendar.php
• There is an additional fee and payment is due immediately when a course is added during the add and drop
period.
• For other payment deadlines, please visit the academic calendar.

10. ACADEMIC CALENDAR

11. IMPORTANT BOOKMARKS & CONTACTS
• KSU Email: NetID@students.kennesaw.edu
The official communication to/from KSU & Students
• Coles Web Site: http://www.coles.kennesaw.edu/
• OWL Express: https://owlexpress.kennesaw.edu
• Registrar: https://kennesaw.edu/registrar
• D2L Brightspace: https://kennesaw.view.usg.edu/
• KSU Bookstore: http://bookstore.kennesaw.edu/home.aspx
• Graduate Catalog: https://catalog.Kennesaw.edu
• KSU Directory
• https://Directory.Kennesaw.edu
• 470-578-6000
• Bursar: Tuition & Fee Payments :
• https://Financialservices.Kennesaw.edu/bursar
• 470-578-6013
• Financial Aid: financialaid.kennesaw.edu/
• finaid@Kennesaw.edu
• 770-423-6074

12. THANK YOU
Questions?