What Is Information Systems Management?
It seems as if everyone is working in or with technology these days. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned in my three-decade career with startups and enterprises, it’s that Information Systems (IS) isn’t about technology. Instead, it’s about what technology can do for people and organizations.By: Mike Baca, Adjunct Professor, Program Coordinator, Information Systems, Graduate and Continuing Education Friday, December 2, 2022 04:01 PM
So, if you’ve ever looked at a piece of cool technology and asked yourself, “How can I make this even more useful,” then it’s time to find out what a degree in Information Systems Management (ISM) can do for you.
While information technology (IT) is about solutions, IS goes one step further. It’s about people, processes and technology. An ISM degree brings all three aspects together, teaching adult learners how to design, construct and maintain the right mix of people, processes and technology that can solve organizational and human problems.
Let’s take a closer look at who should pursue a career in ISM, what you can do with an ISM degree, why ISM professionals are in high demand today, and what you can learn when you pursue a Bachelor’s degree in ISM at the Muhlenberg College School of Continuing Studies.
Who should pursue an ISM degree?
If you use technology in your day job and have strong feelings about improving that technology, then ISM is for you. You don’t have to already work in IS or IT to pursue an ISM degree. At Muhlenberg College, roughly half of our incoming adult students are already working in IS, but the other half are not.
You also don’t need to be a tech or coding wizard to pursue an ISM degree. The most significant prerequisite is having a high amount of intellectual curiosity.
What can I do with an ISM degree?
An ISM degree will arm you with the skills to assess a business need and apply the right solution to fill that need. While ISM includes the term “management,” it’s not just for people who want to be managers. Adult learners who earn a bachelor’s degree in ISM will be well-positioned to work as project managers, technology managers, computer analysts or system analysts.
Why are ISM professionals in high demand today?
The soaring interest in ISM degrees matches the rising demand for ISM professionals. According to College Factual, computer information sciences (which includes ISM) is the ninth most popular major in the U.S. right now out of 384 college majors.
Graduates of ISM programs are getting hired, with bachelor’s degree holders reporting an 85% job placement rate in 2017. In addition, many ISM programs across the U.S. today say their job placement ratios are now approaching 100%.
A Dice Tech Job Report released in June 2022 explained why ISM talent is in such high demand: “Relative to in-demand skills, employers are taking a holistic approach, targeting talent who can guide projects from inception to completion.” The same report also notes businesses’ increasing need to find tech talent with management skills and infrastructure knowledge.
How will a bachelor’s in ISM set me up for success?
Attaining an ISM degree will help prepare you for a long and productive career in IS, regardless of how technology evolves in the future. That’s because the ISM curriculum teaches adult learners the foundations of the IS landscape and the real-life skills they can use to work effectively with people and organizations. As a result, job candidates who demonstrate proficiency in both areas will never lose their relevance.
What will I learn in the accelerated bachelor’s ISM program at Muhlenberg College?
The accelerated program allows adult students to earn their bachelor’s in ISM degree in 22 months. Along the way, students will learn how to integrate and work within popular and emerging innovations, including cloud technologies, AI, machine learning, mobile applications and pervasive computing. Students in the program will progress through four phases of learning:
Phase 1: Introduction – Students will begin their journey with introductory courses that teach them leadership, team dynamics and communication skills.
Phase 2: Foundational – The first foundational course covers multiple IS topics—hardware, software, networking, infrastructure, coding, databases, and project management—at a high level. The other foundational courses do a deeper dive into several of these areas. In addition, students will learn the basics of IS architecture, understand the pillars of cybersecurity, and learn how to plan, budget and finance IS projects.
Phase 3: Development – Phase 3 offers adult students hands-on work in analysis, design and programming. Students will learn how to build a database, elicit requirements around a program, and document and prepare those requirements in a way coders will understand. They’ll also learn to analyze and visualize data to drive business results.
Phase 4: Proficiency – The final phase lets students put all they learned together by creating an IS strategic plan for an organization.
What makes the ISM program at Muhlenberg College unique?
Our instructors work in IS and represent various disciplines and job functions. That means adult learners will get real-life, practical experiences throughout their educational journey. Our courses include guest speakers who discuss contemporary issues, including user interface, the user experience, DevOps and Agile software development.
In the capstone course, students will create a strategic plan for a community-based organization. For example, a recent cohort of students worked with Bike & Sol, a nonprofit that mentors underprivileged youth in bicycle mechanics, sales, inventory control and marketing. Our students helped the organization unpack the IT architecture and resources it would need to support its business model and expand its services to youth cycling enthusiasts in other municipalities.
We also believe that the key to success in the IS domain is the ability to work as a team. That’s why we’ve built our curriculum with a blend of individual work (60%) and teamwork (40%). And we embrace hybrid learning, which allows students to learn virtually for three weeks and on campus for two weeks during each module.
How can I learn more about getting an ISM bachelor’s degree?
Technology holds the incredible promise of improving organizations and the world around us. By earning your bachelor’s degree in ISM, you’ll learn lifelong skills you can use to help elevate companies and enrich lives.
Interested in learning more about the Muhlenberg College Division of Graduate and Continuing Education?
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About the Muhlenberg College School of Continuing Studies
For more than 100 years, Muhlenberg College’s School of Continuing Studies has provided lifelong learners the opportunity to continue and enhance their education in ways that recognize their experience, maturity, motivation, life circumstances and capacity for independent scholarship. Through a rich variety of certificates and baccalaureate degrees, the School of Continuing Studies aligns a rigorous, high-quality and student-centric curriculum with the needs and trends of our regional economy.