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Management Information Systems

Consider Why MIS majors Are ....

     ... Cool:

  • With ever-changing technology and business environment, careers in MIS are never dull! They provide an exciting opportunity for students to participate in the vibrant service-oriented economy of South Florida.
  • Starting salaries for MIS jobs are steadily increasing.
  • A huge growth potential in the varieties of positions to choose from including information security and business analytics.
  • MIS professionals do not get outsourced.
  • Social media and social connectivity technologies bring people together and help buisnesses.

     ... In Such High Demand:

  • Our graduates typically become managers and decision makers that play a vital role in the technological vision, direction, and process design in every organization.
  • 51% of CIOs (Chief Information Officers) say it’s difficult to find skilled IT professionals.
  • 64% indicate understaffing interferes with innovation.
  • IT jobs rank #6 among top 10 hardest to fill in US (source: Robert Hall Technology Survey, 2011, Manpower group talent shortage survey, 2011, see also here).
  • No organization today can survive without a strong IT group – MIS professionals are involved at every step, from constructing the business plan, to overseeing network and Internet operations, support to clients and employees.
  • US transition to Electronic Health records will not survive without centralized, secure information systems and people to run their database interchanges and data analytics.
  • Information Security jobs are in high demand.
    • the trend is that the demand would increase in the coming years. As companies face the emerging trend of information warfare and cyber terrorism, and tackle thousands of cyber-attacks on a daily basis, information security and protecting critical infrastructure, systems and data become strategically important for the companies’ and institutions’ survival.
    • A most recent New York Times article reports on the discovery of an unprecedented and comprehensive, prolonged cyber spying on US organizations “that lasted up to five years on a wide range of governments, American corporations and even United Nations groups.”
    • The Information Security track/minor/certificate educates and trains students in this strategically important and intensely growing field and is on the cutting edge of business school’s educational trajectory.
    • The College has a fully equipped Computer Forensics Lab where students learn hands-on training in key software tools and strategies.
  • Business Analytics (data mining and data analytics) becomes strategically important for every organization to maintain a competitive advantage.
    • According to a recent Wall Street Journal article (“Business Schools Plan Leap into Data”), companies, barraged with data from the Web and other sources, want employees who can both sift through the information and help solve business problems. As the use of analytics grows quickly, companies will need employees who understand the data.
    • A May study from McKinsey & Co. found that by 2018, the U.S. will face a shortage of 1.5 million managers who can use data to shape business decisions.
    • The Business Analytics track/minor/certificate educates and trains students in this very intensely growing field and is on the cutting edge of Business School’s educational trajectory.

Overall Career Outlook for MIS Graduates

  • Most new jobs in the modern economy will be heavily influenced by technology.
  • Highly skilled workers will be needed in large numbers to install, service, upgrade and use computer technology in sectors like energy and health care (NY Times).
  • According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, career opportunities for MIS professionals are expanding rapidly and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future due to the growth of the knowledge economy, data analytics, e-commerce, and telecommunications industries.
  • High starting salaries. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average starting salaries for high-level information technology managers ranged from $88,240 to $141,890.
  • Three of the fastest growing occupations are computer specialist occupations.
  • Employment in computer professionals category, including computer systems analysts, database administrators and other computer professionals is expected to increase up to 53.4 percent by 2018; Computer and information systems managers by 17% increase.
  • Five of the top 20 jobs “Best jobs in America” by CNN Money (Service by CNN, Fortune, and Money) are jobs that FAU ITOM graduates highly profecient and trained.

Newspaper and Magazine Articles About IT Jobs

Typical Career Paths

MIS majors are learning skills that will help them develop lucrative careers such as:

Executive Positions

  • Chief Information Officer (CIO), Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), Knowledge Management Officer

Management Positions

Information Systems/Information Technology Manager, Information Security Manager, Network Manager, Computer and Software Marketing Manager, Business Processes Engineering Manager, System Integration Manager, Enterprise Systems Manager, ERP Manager, Global Sourcing Manager, E-Commerce Manager, Help Desk/Support Systems Manager

Business/System Analyst Positions

  • Systems Analyst, System Integrator, Database Administrator, Business Analyst, Business Intelligence Analyst, Data Analyst

Network and Computer Professionals

  • Office Automation Specialist, IT Consultant, Network/System Administrator, Web developer, Computer Systems Auditor, Computer Forensics Specialist, Forensic Computer Examiner

The links below provide the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, BLS, Occupational Employment Statistics about IT and MIS positions:

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