MIS careers on the rise
November 11, 2010
If you’re searching for a major that will practically guarantee you a job out of college, look no further than Management Informational Systems (MIS) at Bradley University.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the number of MIS jobs will increase by about 16 percent through 2016, a rate that is faster than the average for all occupations.
This high demand for MIS students is evident at Bradley.
“Historically, we’ve had very good placement in terms of people finding jobs,” said Matthew McGowan, associate professor of management information services.
MIS majors blend technology and business. They develop computer applications to collect, process, store, and circulate business data.
At Bradley, students conduct hands-on applications in nearly all their MIS courses. For example, in ecommerce classes and capstone courses students do consultant projects for actual businesses and meet with clients.
MIS majors – along with chemical engineer majors – also have the highest percentage of job satisfaction, according to a study done by the Wall Street Journal.
McGowan thinks that MIS majors are happier with their careers because they get to apply the knowledge they gained in class.
“They get employment in the area of their degree and they get to use their skills right away out of college,” McGowan said.
Bradley MIS alum, Steven Bergstrom, now the senior engineering project team leader within the Connected Worksite Division of Caterpillar, is among the satisfied.
“I have been fortunate to work on a lot of interesting projects throughout my career,” Bergstrom said. “I am quite pleased with my career to date, mostly because it has been one ‘adventure’ after another.”
Bergstrom leads a team of internal and external technology workers.
“Since my major is essentially a business management degree concentrating on technology, it is a perfect fit,” Bergstrom said.
He thinks Bradley prepared him well for the real world.
“The MIS program taught me the fundamental concepts of information technology, which enabled me to quickly become a contributor at work,” Bergstrom said.
