Volume 12, Number 3, 2004
As a high school senior last year, Ryan Washall applied for admission to a number of universities, sometimes to computer engineering programs and other times as a prospective finance major. With an interest in both business and technology, he couldn't quite decide which field to choose.
Then, he learned about UD's new management information systems (MIS) major, and he says it seemed like just the right fit.
"I'm more interested in how to apply the technology to business than in the technology by itself. I don't especially want to work in programming or software development, for example," says Washall, BE '07, one of the first students to enroll in the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics' newest undergraduate major. "I wanted to learn how to use technology in a business environment, and that's exactly what this major offers."
Since 1982, students in the Lerner College have been able to minor in MIS, and interest in that program has increased dramatically--among both students and their future employers. The MIS minor, which began as a five-course program open to 20 students a year, has expanded to accommodate as many as 150 annually.
When the College first explored the idea of developing a major in MIS, faculty and administrators surveyed the business community, eventually conducting sessions with about 70 employer focus groups to find out what their needs were.
"They all said that what they need are employees who can 'meet in the middle,' understanding the technology as well as the business applications, and are able to communicate with people in both specialties," Diane Wright, instructor and MIS coordinator for the College, says. "They want managers who can bring the business strategy and the technology together."
As technology becomes more and more vital to business operations, it also is increasingly integrated into a company's daily operations and planning, according to Clinton "Skip" White, professor and the College's MIS area head.
"In a lot of companies today, MIS people are no longer a separate unit, writing software behind the scenes, but are much more involved in business processes and strategies," White says. "So, the ideal employee now is someone who knows both business and technology and has skill sets in both areas."
With those career opportunities in mind, the College designed the MIS major to emphasize the integration of information technology with upper-level business disciplines. It combines courses in MIS and those in computer and information systems taught through the College of Arts and Sciences with a concentration each student selects in a traditional area of business such as accounting, finance, management, operations or economics. MIS and computer science courses cover such topics as programming, data management, networks and network security, information system analysis and design and project management. Seniors majoring in MIS will take a capstone course in which they serve as consultants to a local company and design a technological solution to a real business problem.
"Our program is very interdisciplinary. It includes computer science courses, and it covers a lot of technical areas that business students, even MIS students, traditionally don't get in many other programs," Jack Baroudi, professor of MIS and associate dean of the College, says. "And, that strong technical background combined with a strong business focus is what's
in demand."
The program expects to expand gradually, adding students each year through transfers from other majors and new freshman classes. Wright says high school students who attended the University's Discovery Days programs this year have shown a great deal of interest in the major. Most have a working knowledge of computers and are savvy enough about the business world to see a wealth of career choices for those with technological skills, she says.
"Based on the kinds of jobs our MIS minors have been getting, we think we know what to expect in career opportunities for students majoring in MIS," White says. "They'll be in demand in a lot of areas, including consulting firms, accounting firms, major banks and other financial institutions."
Baroudi says graduates in the new major also will be prepared for some highly technical careers, such as database managers in financial services. The Delaware state economy, he says, is especially dependent on information technology and
in need of employees trained in MIS.
"It's that demand that made our graduates with MIS minors so marketable," Baroudi says. "That's why the minor was so popular, and that's why we see a great future for the major as well."
For more information about the MIS major, contact Wright at [wrightd@lerner.udel.edu].
--Ann Manser, AS '73, CHEP '73