SAM AND IRENE BLACK SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
Management Information Systems Major (MISBD)
The Curriculum
The curriculum for the Management Information Systems major offered by Penn State Erie is divided into four components: General Education, Business courses, MIS courses, and Non-business Supporting courses. MISBD emphasizes Information Technology and Business, both of which are critical to an information systems professional. The business component results in a graduate who can not only bring technical skills to the systems development process, but also communicate effectively with users and upper-level management.
Curriculum Diagram:
Fall 2009
A minimum of 120 credits is required for a Bachelor of Science degree in Management Information Systems. Students must earn a grade of C or better in each 300- and 400-level course in the major field, as well as in ACCTG 211, B A 243, ECON 002 (GS), ECON 004 (GS), MIS 204, and SCM 200 GQ. Students may also choose to pursue a minor in MISBD.
A typical schedule for a first-semester MIS major includes Rhetoric and Composition or Honors Freshman Composition; Techniques of Calculus or Calculus with Analytical Geometry I; one general education course each in the humanities, natural sciences, and arts; and a 1-credit First Year Seminar. Second semester courses generally include arts, humanities and natural science general education requirements; Principles of Programming with Business Applications; and health or kinesiology.
General Education
General education is split into a Skills component (Writing/Speaking: 9 credits, Quantification: 6 credits, Health Education: 1 credit and Physical Activity: 3 credits) and a Distribution component (Natural Sciences: 9 credits, Arts: 6 credits, Humanities: 6 credits, Social and Behavioral Sciences: 6 credits).
Business
Business courses are introduced in the sophomore year and include courses in Financial and Managerial Accounting (ACCTG 211); Social, Legal and Ethical Environment of Business (B A 243), Micro- and Macro-Economics (ECON 002 and 004), Business Statistics (SCM 200), and Introduction to Business Information Systems (MIS 204). In the junior and senior years, students also take at least one course in Management, Finance, Marketing, Operations Management, Business Policy (a writing-intensive course) and an international business course such as Global Marketing or International Trade and Finance.
Management Information Systems
Students typically begin work on MIS courses in the sophomore year. Building on the foundation provided in MIS 204, the MISBD major is required to take all of the following:
- 3 Programming Courses from two programming languages. Typically, two levels of VB.net and one level of C++. However, other languages such as Java and COBOL are acceptable.
- MIS 336 Database Management Systems (3 credits): Includes E-R diagrams, data normalization and SQL, Access, and CASE
- MIS 430 Systems Analysis (3 credits): Introduction to feasibility studies and requirements specification using structured analysis techniques and CASE tools. Students are divided into small teams charged with finding and conducting a 'live' analysis project at a local organization.
- MIS 435 Systems Design and Implementation (3 credits): Students continue using the tools from MISBD 430, adding additional skills in input/output and file design, structure charting, systems and document flowcharting, structured testing methods, quality assurance techniques, and documentation writing. This is the capstone MIS course, and student teams (two to three students per team) design, code and implement a multi-user systems project. This is usually done in a DBMS environment using a 4GL.
- MIS 495 Internship (3-6 credits): All MISBD majors are required to complete an internship, co-op, or other professional field experience prior to graduation. The internship is limited to 6 credits since it is designed to enhance a student's coursework, not replace it.
MISBD Supporting Courses
Students must complete at least 6 credits of junior or senior level courses, selecting from MIS, CMPSC, or MIS-related electives.
Business Support Courses
Students select 9-10 credits from 300- or 400-level MIS or other business supporting course areas.
Non-Business Supporting Courses
Students select 6-7 credits (depending on how many credits were completed under Business Support) in international studies, foreign languages, study abroad, psychology, communication skills, or quantitative/computer science areas. This last area is popular with MISBD students, as they have the opportunity to take additional courses in information science.
Graduates of this rigorous, yet broad-based program have much to offer. They have a solid technical and business education that prepared them to apply information technology to business problems in a sound and competent manner. MISBD majors start strong and stay strong; most graduates easily move into positions of increasing responsibility and value to their organizations.