Welcome to the Computer Information Systems Department!
Former Wal-Mart CEO and Missouri State Alumnus David Glass visits with Dr. Jerry Chin, CIS Department Head, about the well trained Information Systems professionals the CIS program puts in the workplace.
The College of Business Administration (COBA) at Missouri State University is the largest college of business in Missouri, USA. The Computer Information Systems Department is maintaining its reputation as one of Missouri's best. As enrollment on the Springfield campus hovers at the 18,000 mark, nearly 300 majors and 100 minors have chosen to study in the CIS department.
Offering both innovative and state-of-the-industry undergraduate and graduate programs, the CIS department is committed to producing the next generation of IT professionals through its association with local, regional and national industries such as IBM, Microsoft, Oracle and the Association of Information Technology Professionals. Why is the CIS major such a success?
It's the advisement all business majors receive through a dedicated Business Advisement Center in Glass Hall 106. Registration and counseling appointments are accepted throughout the year. Each of the master advisors in the Center holds an MBA degree.
It's an award winning CIS curriculum: COBOL, Java, Visual Basic, Dreamweaver, Web Page Development, Networks and Communications, Analysis and Design, Database (Oracle), and Operating Systems.
It's the new major (Fall 2007) Information Technology Service Management (ITSM) as inspired and supported by IBM.
It's a professional relationship with private industry that spans 25 years. On our annual Computer Day we expect to see our corporate partners such as Anheuser-Busch, Boeing, FedEx, Yellow Technologies, Sprint, Cerner, SBC, Edward Jones, and Wal-Mart. Local Springfield area companies such as O'Reilly Auto parts, Jack Henry and Bass Pro have taken the lead in supporting Missouri State students with donations, internships and permanent positions.
It's the close relationship among the other departments within COBA. My fellow department heads in accounting, marketing, management, finance and general business are also committed to CIS majors. The CIS major is a 125-hour comprehensive major that requires no minor and also includes a minimum of 27 hours in the other business disciplines along with 35 hours of CIS.
It's the commitment from the administration to provide a competent CIS faculty and state-of-the-art facilities necessary for the CIS major. Glass Hall computer labs, home to COBA, are stocked with Dell computers. Missouri State University is a Microsoft campus as well as being an Oracle Alliance member, IBM Scholars iSeries Program participant, and a MSDN Alliance member, which provides Microsoft course software to CIS students.
Our graduate faculty and programs have also made their own mark. The internet-based Masters in CIS program continues to attract talented information professionals from the nation and abroad. The MBA program has grown international in scope with a techno-MBA exchange program starting in India. Plans are in the works to include China and South America.
All of this makes CIS at Missouri State one of the best educational investments in the region. The demand for highly educated, technically competent business graduates has created a strong market for the CIS graduates from Missouri State. Juniors are receiving summer internships from some of the best IT companies in the country. Some top seniors receive offers by Thanksgiving. What a problem to have!
I hope to see you soon on the Springfield campus. Drop by Glass Hall. That glow at night from Glass Hall means that faculty, staff, and students are hard at work preparing for all tomorrow's opportunities. It's a privilege to be a BEAR in 2007! The Computer Information Systems Department looks toward a great academic year.
If anyone viewing these pages has any questions or comments regarding any of the material presented here, please call me at 417-836-4131. You could also e-mail me at JerryChin@missouristate.edu. I look forward to hearing from you. --Jerry Chin