Management Information Systems

Management information systems (MIS)  is a challenging field of study focused on integrating information technology solutions and business processes to meet the information needs of businesses and other enterprises. The perspective of MIS on information technology is to emphasize information and views technology as an instrument for generating, processing, and distributing information.

Students majoring in MIS receive a comprehensive education in the design, analysis, development and management of information systems, the functional business areas, and various managerial and analytical skills required in any organization. Our graduates have a combination of strong technical and business skills, including oral and written communication, that bridge the gap that often exists between business users of systems and technically-trained specialists. This combination of skills prepares our graduates to be leaders of the next generation of MIS professionals.

Demand for MIS professionals who are skilled in both technology and business is expected to grow rapidly in the next decade according to the United States Department of Labor.  Five of the top thirty fastest-growing occupations through 2016 are MIS-related, according to employment projections published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Features of our innovative program include interactive lectures, individual and team assignments, and experiential learning to help students build successful careers.  Under the direction of highly-qualified and experienced faculty, students work with local companies both individually and as team members to develop solutions for software and data management problems.

Alliances with Microsoft provide students access to a wide array of contemporary software tools.  Partnerships with information systems professional associations provide many opportunities for student interaction with the business community.  Guest lecturers from business and government are regularly featured.  Internships with well-known corporations are available to qualified students.

Topics of Study

• Principles of system theory and its application to MIS problems.
• Information systems analysis and design focused on integrating information technology solutions and business processes to solve business problems and exploit business opportunities.
• Planning process as it applies to the information systems development life cycle.
• Ethical and legal issues as they relate to information systems.
• Principles of error control, risk management, and problem avoidance.
• Database design and administration.
• Assessment of data communication needs of a firm and design of an appropriate plan for meeting those needs.
• Principles of object-oriented programming that formulate a solution to a business problem.
• Web programming concepts including client and server-side development.

Career and Graduate School Opportunities

The MIS program prepares students for careers in a wide-array of organizations as systems analysts, programmers, database developers, and Web site managers.  After several years of experience and with additional training, graduates can become senior systems analysts, project managers, database administrators, and directors of the information systems function within their organizations.

Through UT's partnerships with professional organizations, graduates are adequately prepared to pursue successful careers.  Graduates are also well prepared to pursue graduate degrees in many business fields.  To learn more about graduate programs offered at UT, visit our Graduate Business Programs page.

High School Preparation

No previous experience with computers is required.  However, any math and computer-oriented high school curriculum would be excellent preparation for the MIS major.

On-Campus Associations

Management Information Systems majors are encouraged to participate in the activities of local chapters of professional organizations.  Business knowledge can also be enhanced through participation in campus professional organizations including the UT Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Student Chapter.  In addition, some students are invited to join Alpha Iota Mu, a national Information Systems Honor Society and/or Beta Gamma Sigma, a national Business Honor Society.