Career Preparation      

Computer Information System offers opportunities for students looking for careers in technology and business. Y2K is over, DOT-COMS are retrenching, and the CIS Department at Missouri State University is changing as well. The economy of the United States is technology-driven and there will be a place for the computer technology and information system professional. The question now becomes how does the student position his/herself for the future?

The emphasis has always been on the programmer/analyst and that focus will remain. You can find Visual Studio.NET, Java as well as classes and objects in the ever-evolving CIS curriculum. Partnerships such as Microsoft's MSDN Alliance, Oracle Alliance, and IBM Scholars Program exist to give the CIS major every opportunity to become prepared to step into the world of corporate information systems. These programs open the door to software and hardware such as the IBM I-Series machine and Oracle database.

You will find a faculty researching and teaching the current information technology that often fills the technology and front page headlines. Where is Missouri State University heading? We believe that students who have basic foundations in business areas such as accounting, finance, marketing, management and technology are tomorrow's next wave of business analysts. These new IT specialists find the needs of a company and then create the blueprints for the new computer solutions. We hope that these young professionals will be our next project managers and system architects.

 

Corporate Connections

The CIS Department continues to develop its connections to regional corporate partners and in some cases, the national IT scene. The annual fall Computer Day provides companies and CIS students an opportunity to meet and discuss internships and full-time positions in St. Louis, Kansas City, Memphis, and the local Springfield area. Internships may range from January to August or as short as a semester.

 

Graduate Opportunities

The Masters in Computer Information Systems (MS- CIS) is a distance-learning program incorporating a semester model of an intensive week of campus classes and distance component of Internet, email, and professor directed class papers and projects. The typical MS-CIS student has ten years of corporate IT experience and desires an update to his/her managerial information technology education. Please visit www.mscis.missouristate.edu web site for further information. Dr. Dave Meinert, Director of MS-CIS program, can be contacted at 417-836-4178.

The Masters in Business Administration (MBA) program continues to be an opportunity for non-business or non-CIS students to gain credentials for an entry-level CIS position. The "Techno-MBA", a combination of the MBA with a concentration in CIS and selected courses from the undergraduate CIS curriculum, prepares the student for a career in information systems.