One of the top departments in MIS education, the ISQS department offers several comprehensive programs in the MIS area in order to meet the ever-changing needs of business. Housing one of the oldest MIS PhD programs in the nation, established in 1968, the department has graduated over 50 Ph.D. students in MIS. The first MIS Ph.D. student graduated in 1972. Graduates of our program have gone on to teach at Minnesota, Purdue, Indiana, Florida State, Texas, Texas A&M, Houston, UNLV, Virginia Tech, etc. Our graduates compete extremely well in the job market. Our graduates have been hired by a variety of companies such as IBM, Microsoft, Intel, Dell, CG&EY, Price Waterhouse Coopers, Exxon, and National Instruments. The ISQS department has in-house expertise in several areas such as electronic commerce, distance learning, telecommunications and network design, systems development, system requirement determination, adaptive knowledge-based systems, system integration, information economics, and statistics.

The Rawls Master of Science in Management Information Systems program is designed to prepare students as information technology professionals. Students study programming, systems analysis and design, telecommunications, and data management. The students will develop expertise in using state-of-the-art tools and methods for building, managing, and deploying the enterprise-wide computer applications that drive today’s businesses. For individuals interested in research, the MS prepares students for doctoral work in this area. Graduates from the Rawls College of Business Master of Science in MIS are prepared to excel in positions that involve providing Information Technology solutions, including the roles of project manager, systems architect, information architect, process analyst, and technology architect. Depending on the particular chosen concentration, students will master the following core competencies:

• Gain knowledge of distributed systems, telecommunications networks, and object-orientation and software technologies as the basis for implementing business-to customer or business-to-business commerce solutions.

• Understand the business models that define the context and shape the design and implementation of business solutions.

• Develop a visual sense of systems that incorporate a high degree of usability and user-friendliness.

• Master the fundamentals of computer data structures to enhance the robustness of systems enterprise integration.

• Complement a depth of technical expertise with a breadth of knowledge in project management, quality management, team building, business re-engineering and other key areas as they relate to software and IS work.

The program requires 21 hours of tool courses, 33 hours of core, required, and elective courses, and a 3-hour capstone course. Students with a recent BBA may waive all tool courses with a grade of B or better in comparable undergraduate courses.