Earning your Master of Science in Management Information Systems degree is a fantastic way to catapult your career in technology and can give you the tools needed to be an effective leader, innovator, and communicator in your industry. An important part of information systems is a sound knowledge of business best practices, as well as how technology, information, and data fit into an organization.
At the intersection of MIS and business, lie opportunities to grow, innovate, and lead the industry. However, here also lie risks and threats, like criminals who know how to bypass protective measures and mistakes due to a lack of knowledge about best practices when using certain types of technologies.
Students who are pursuing their MIS graduate degree through the Collat School of Business’s online master’s program will learn about these opportunities and risks so they can be effective leaders in their jobs and keep safe the organizations with which they work. Here are six business MIS courses that are ingrained into the MS MIS curriculum and will give students a deeper knowledge about how information systems and businesses coincide:
IS 607: Introduction to Cyber Security
Knowledge of cyber security is of the utmost importance in today’s business community. Students combining MIS and business must have a solid understanding of how to keep their networks secure and their valuable information protected.
This course will cover the basics of cyber security and include discussions about ethical decisions and legal considerations when creating cyber security strategies. It will also teach students what it means to use technical, physical, and administrative controls as means to reduce vulnerabilities and lessen the risk of infiltration from malicious bodies.
IS 611: Information Technology & Business Strategy
Every decision made within a business should have a positive effect on the organization. From each new hire to moving to a new building to adopting a new technology, it’s critical that leadership agrees on selections that, in the end, will improve the company. As the world of business becomes more tech-centric, the importance of making strategic decisions regarding information technology initiatives, tools, and methods is only growing.
In this course, students will learn about information technology decisions for a business, explore how to create a sound strategy for IT, and discover when and where innovation will benefit the organization. Another goal of this course is to give students a sound idea of how to leverage information technology to lend their businesses a competitive advantage over other organizations in the same or adjacent sectors.
IS 615: Social Media & Virtual Communities
Many of the courses students will take through their business MIS studies will discuss the dangers of the online, connected world, from cyber attacks to poor data management. However, the internet and all that comes with it has brought plenty of positives to the business world.
This course will dive into how social media and virtual communities online have changed business dynamics, goals, and outcomes. Students will learn how to use social media to their organizations’ advantage, as well as how to review and utilize new social media tools.
Social media is an ever-changing innovation in terms of what topics users are discussing and which platforms a business’s target audience prefers. As such, it’s critical that business professionals understand the changes as they happen. This course will explain how to use filters to keep up with conversations and collect the most relevant news and information for the organization. The class will also explore social media reporting, including how to create reports, present them to demonstrate business benefits, and utilize the information gathered to make strategic business decisions.
IS 617: Data Science for Business
In a world filled with data, it’s critical that businesses know how to collect, refine, and interpret incoming information. This course will focus on in-depth concepts like the nature of knowledge and how to manage it. Further, the course will talk about how to discover, generate, and capture knowledge; transfer and share it; and finally, apply information to give the organization an advantage.
IS 621: Incident Response & Business Continuity
The Incident Response & Business Continuity course is required for the Cyber Security Management and Business Analytics within the MS MIS curriculum. Knowing how to prevent, identify and recover from disasters is essential for any business and concerns both cyber security professionals as well as IT experts. In today’s ultra-connected world, where criminals can attack companies and individuals from far-away corners of the globe, it’s crucial for businesses to have someone on their side to block, detect, and respond to incidents appropriately.
This course will cover topics like maintenance and preparation to prevent or lessen the effects of a cyber attack. It’ll also give students the knowledge they need to swiftly react to and recover from these types of events. Finally, students earning their MIS graduate degree who take this course will learn how to move on as a business after recovering from a computer-related disaster.
IS 640: Technology Planning & Capital Budgeting
The Technology Planning & Capital Budgeting course teaches students how to evaluate IT investments, such as knowing the different categories and determining exactly how the proposed resources will benefit the business.
Students will also learn best practices in measuring return on investment and managing IT investment portfolios. Additionally, this course will give students the knowledge to appropriately budget for expenditures.
University of Alabama at Birmingham combines business and MIS for a well-rounded curriculum
Understanding the many nuances in the world of data analytics, social media, cyber security, and more is becoming essential to be a successful business in today’s world. Earning a Master of Science in Management Information Systems can teach students about these trends and developments in technology. To learn more about UAB’s completely online MIS graduate degree program, reach out to an enrollment advisor today.
Recommended Readings:
7 Reasons the MS MIS Degree is Right For You
IT Security And Why Businesses Need To Know The Risks
Sources:
https://businessdegrees.uab.edu/mis-degree-masters/