About the Program

Digital enterprises have created a strong demand for individuals who understand business practices, functional disciplines and computer applications. The MIS program meets this demand by providing students with the educational background to articulate the economic value and the strategic role of IT and to develop and implement large-scale information systems.

The MIS program is one of the most highly respected programs in the country. Currently, the MIS program is ranked number three in the nation in the U.S. News and World report. As electronic business (e-business) transformation and rapid technological innovations continue to pervade the business environment, BBA-MIS students are prepared to face challenges to cope with new information technologies and business methods.

Our curriculum is motivated and structured to incorporate four essential components that are critical for future MIS careers:

1. Managerial skills (e.g., communication skills, project management, group work);
2. Business/MIS theory and concepts (e.g., database management, structured programming, object technology, networking, strategic IT management, systems analysis and design, electronic business, wireless);
3. IT architecture and infrastructure (e.g., object technology, distributed computing framework, wireless infrastructure);
4. Software and programming language skills (e.g., Access, Oracle, MS SQL Server, SQL, Java, Visual Basic, JavaScript, XML). Students graduate with strong analytical, conceptual and hands-on skills who immediately become members of a highly productivity workforce. They understand rapidly developing hardware and software capabilities and have the managerial talent needed to implement strategic information systems (e.g., customer and supplier relationship management, enterprise resource planning), and other web-based and non-web custom solutions.

MIS Student Organizations

• Management Information Systems Association
• TECH Connects

Sample Management Information Systems 4-Year Sequence

This is a sample schedule intended for planning purposes only. Please consult with an Academic Advisor for more details on required courses and scheduling.

Courses in bold are prerequisites for later courses.

Management Information Systems Courses Offered

Lower-Division Courses

301. Introduction to Information Technology Management. Restricted to students in the McCombs School of Business. Explores how information technology helps to achieve competitive advantage and improve decision making, business processes, operations, and organizational design. Uses a cross-functional perspective to recognize the role of technology across business activities of management, finance, marketing, human resources, and operations. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: A score of at least 79 on the Computer Proficiency Test.

302F. Introduction to Information Technology Management. Open only to nonbusiness majors. Explores how information technology helps to achieve competitive advantage and improve decision making, business processes, operations, and organizational design. Uses a cross-functional perspective to recognize the role of technology across business activities of management, finance, marketing, human resources, and operations. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. May not be counted toward the Bachelor of Business Administration degree. Management Information Systems 302F and 311F may not both be counted.

304. Introduction to Problem Solving and Programming. Restricted to students in the McCombs School of Business. Programming skills for creating easy-to-maintain systems for business applications. Object-oriented and structured methodologies with Visual Basic. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Offered on the letter-grade basis only.

310 (TCCN: BCIS 1305). Introduction to Management Information Systems. Basic computer terminology, hardware and software, communications technology, graphics, systems analysis and design, and issues arising out of the rapidly evolving field of information systems. Students are expected to achieve a working knowledge of personal computer software, including operating system software and environments, as well as spreadsheets, analytical graphics, databases, and presentation software. Hands-on experience with the Internet and use of electronic mail. Three lecture hours a week for one semester.

Upper-Division Courses

325. Introduction to Data Management. Restricted to students in the McCombs School of Business. Beginning and intermediate topics in data modeling for relational database management systems. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Offered on the letter-grade basis only.

333K. Web Application Development. Restricted to students in a business major. Concepts and practices of information systems. Advanced programming techniques used to generate menu-driven applications. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Offered on the letter-grade basis only. Prerequisite: Management Information Systems 304 and 325.

140S, 240S, 340S, 440S, 540S, 640S, 740S, 840S, 940S. Topics in Management Information Systems. This course is used to record credit the student earns while enrolled at another institution in a program administered by the University's Study Abroad Office or the school's BBA Exchange Programs. Credit is recorded as assigned by the study abroad adviser in the Department of Information, Risk, and Operations Management. University credit is awarded for work in an exchange program; it may be counted as coursework taken in residence. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary.

353. Internship in Management Information Systems. Restricted to students in a business major. Focuses on students' career goals through academic discussion and evaluations, while placing students in professional internships with public and private enterprises. Internship and discussion hours to be arranged. Offered on the pass/fail basis only. Only one of the following may be counted toward the Bachelor of Business Administration: Accounting 353J, Business Administration 353H, Finance 353, Management 353, Management Information Systems 353, Marketing 353, Operations Management 353. May not count toward the student's major requirement. Prerequisite: Completion of forty-five semester hours of college coursework and consent of the departmental internship coordinator.

365. Business Data Communications and Networking. Restricted to students in a business major. Introduces the foundations of data communications and information security in a networked economy. Provides tools for analyzing strategic, economic, organizational, and social implications of emerging data communications technologies. Explores the use of data communications technologies to increase returns and decrease risks of organizations. Two lecture hours and two laboratory hours a week for one semester. Offered on the letter-grade basis only. Prerequisite: Management Information Systems 304 and 325.

366P. Management Information Systems Practicum. Restricted to students in a business major. Students apply skills in their major area and focus on additional project management skills through group projects conducted in a professional setting. Students may work with a private or a public enterprise. The equivalent of three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Forty-five semester hours of college coursework and consent of instructor.

373. Topics in Management Information Systems. Restricted to students in a business major. Provides in-depth treatment of business data processing concerns such as database management, telecommunications, and development of commercial systems. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Offered on the letter-grade basis only. Prerequisite: Varies with the topic and is given in the Course Schedule.

• Topic 6: Advanced Application of Software Development. Prerequisite: Management Information Systems 333K and consent of instructor.
• Topic 8: Advanced Data Communication Systems. Development issues for intranet- and internet-based systems. Prerequisite: Management Information Systems 365.
• Topic 9: Health Care Management. Prerequisite: Management Information Systems 325.
• Topic 12: Technical Consulting. Prerequisite: Management Information Systems 304 and consent of instructor.
• Topic 13: Supply-Chain Management. Prerequisite: Management Information Systems 325 with a grade of at least C.
• Topic 14: Web Systems Development. Concepts underlying Web development tools, page and site design, and building Web-based business sites. Prerequisite: Management Information Systems 304 and 325.
• Topic 15: Systems Analysis for E-Business. Applications of technology for creating e-business systems and process redesign. Prerequisite: Management Information Systems 325.
• Topic 16: Information Technology Security, Privacy, and Survivability. Prerequisite: For business majors, Management Information Systems 333K or the equivalent; for others, consent of instructor.
• Topic 17: Data Mining for Business Intelligence. Introduces the data mining process and primary data mining techniques employed to extract intelligence from data and evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of data mining techniques applied to challenges in various business domains. Prerequisite: Statistics 309 or 309H.
• Topic 18: Business Process Excellence. Provides in-depth coverage of business process change and management with information technology (IT) in today's organizations. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
• Topic 19: Enterprise Application Integration. Prerequisite: Management Information Systems 333K.
• Topic 20: Managing the Future. Addresses the management of uncertainty. Introduces managerial concepts and methods for structuring decisions about the uncertainties in the future of industries, products, markets, and technologies. Includes scenario analysis, technology roadmaps, and dynamic innovation models. Students work in teams and undertake hands-on exercises aimed at developing a set of alternative futures for industries and technologies. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.

374. Business System Development. Restricted to students in a business major. Provides background in business system analysis, evaluations, design, and implementation, using basic business knowledge and computer skills. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Offered on the letter-grade basis only. Prerequisite: Management Information Systems 333K and credit or registration for Management Information Systems 365.

375. Strategic Information Technology Management. Designed to develop an understanding and appreciation for the role of information technology in the context of a firm's strategy. Explores the impact of information technology on the economy and business performance, the emergence of electronic business applications and organizational and market transformation, and the nature of technology-driven business models and strategies. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing, and a major in management information systems or consent of instructor.

179, 379. Problems in Management Information Systems. Restricted to students in a business major. Conference course. Only two of the following may be counted toward the Bachelor of Business Administration: Accounting 179C, 379C, Finance 179C, 379C, International Business 179C, 379C, Legal Environment of Business 179, 379, Management 179C, 379C, Management Information Systems 179, 379, Marketing 179C, 379C, Operations Management 179, 379, Real Estate 179C, 379C, Risk Management 179, 379. Prerequisite: Management Information Systems 304 and 325 with a grade of at least B in each, and consent of instructor. A student registering for this course must have written approval from the department chair's office, on forms provided for that purpose, before the first meeting of the course.

Student Videos About the Management Information Systems Program

These videos were submitted via the McCombs Next Top Major contest, which pitted student-produced films about all McCombs School majors against each other to voted on by students, family and friends. Watch all of the McCombs Next Top major films here.