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The Best Career Options for an MIS Major GENERAL OVERVIEW EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS CAREER OPTIONS Prepared for Mr. Edwin Hord By Norma Cazares December 1, 2003 INTRODUCTION Information technology has become a major factor in almost every aspect of our society today. Most homes and all businesses have a personal computer, which has become a powerful tool for gathering, manipulating, and delivering information. Not only has the computer become a great educational tool, but also access to the World Wide Web has allowed us to shop and communicate with people and companies all around the world. Sophisticated databases allow us to collect, store, and access data, while networks and telecommunications technology allow us to deliver and retrieve information to and from anywhere in the world. Understanding and learning about information technology, its components, language, and potential, has become a requirement for personal and professional growth and success (Center 1). Management Information Systems (MIS) is a rapidly growing field, offering many employment opportunities and a wide variety of career options. Within companies and large organizations, the department responsible for the computer systems is called the MIS Department. It has become necessary to have MIS departments for their technical support and expertise to ensure that computer networking systems run smoothly in day-to-day business. The purpose of this project is to investigate what MIS jobs involve, if whether the course requirements in the business school serve to prepare MIS majors for the kinds of on-the-job writing they will do. And also offer recommendations to fellow students after researching and analyzing these issues. GENERAL OVERVIEW What is Management Information Systems (MIS)? MIS is a general term for the computer systems in a corporation that provide information about the corporation’s operations. It is also used to refer to the people who manage these systems. Typically, in a large corporation, “MIS” or the “MIS Department” refers to a central or centrally coordinated system of computer expertise and management, often including mainframe systems but also including by extension the corporation’s entire network of computer resources (Search 1): In the beginning, business computers were used for the practical business of computing the payroll and keeping track of accounts payable and receivable. As applications were developed that provided managers with information about sales, inventories, and other data that would help in managing the enterprise, the term “MIS” arose to describe these kinds of applications. Today, the term is used broadly in a number of contexts and includes (but is not limited to): decision support systems, resource and people management applications, project management, and database retrieval applications. The Management Information Systems Department aims to do the following (Information 1): Enhance, support and upgrade the organization’s management information systems so that the organization is positioned for excellence in achieving its goals. Demonstrate the highest standards of customer service, technical expertise, procedural efficiency and attention to user and staff requirements. The primary role of the Management Information Systems Group is to do the following: Support and enhance management information systems and their underlying databases in accordance with business needs, enabling users to access and process information easily. MIS also has key roles in administrative system projects: Implementing, selecting, developing or customizing software for projects such as upgrades, interfaces, web enablement of applications and new applications.
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