Management of Information Systems is a course which is pretty popular among a lot of foreign students in the US. We had the chance to meet an MIS graduate from CMU’s MISM program - Sudeep Agarwal. Sudeep works for Oracle now and has taken the time to talk with kaalEDGE.com and shares his experiences from the CMU program in MIS and his insights from the application process.

1. Can you tell us about your background in India - undergrad education, etc.?
Before MIS, I worked with Oracle India for 3 years. I did my undergrad in Chemical Engg from BITS Pilani.

2. Which program did you pursue and at which university in the US?

I got my masters in Information Systems Management (MISM) at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA.

3. Why did you chose this program?

I was looking for a more functional role and I soon realized that getting a higher degree was the best option. I went after MIS more than MBA because of the focus of this program on Information Systems. MIS builds upon a technical foundation, but teaches various management disciplines as well, including accounting, finance, economics, product management, organizational behaviour, marketing, business process management etc. The other aspect, which is technology is also very well covered - Java, Databases, Telecom, SOA, Data Warehousing, Data Mining, Human Computer Interaction - there are many choices available to MIS candidates. I picked MIS because both these aspects really appealed to me.

4. How would an MIS degree be beneficial or different from doing an MBA and on a third axis - an MS in CS?

It is very different from both MBA as well as MS in CS.

If you’re considering a MBA, your focus is probably non-technical. If its not and you’re doing a tech-MBA, then it makes for a fair comparison with MIS. If you pick MIS, you can choose a more technical path than if you were getting MBA with tech focus. Tech courses in MIS require programming. Many courses like Service Oriented Architecture, Middleware Technologies, Business Process Modeling are all very practical and the assignments need a fair bit of programming. If you pick MIS and decide to remain non-technical, even then most courses that focus on business processes, IT strategy, Product Management use case studies from IT and class discussions groom you for the IT industry. Also keep in mind that some of the tech courses are mandatory and require you to know programming.

A MS in CS is far more advanced in technology than MIS. MIS deals with current industrial technologies, whereas CS teaches you technology from the ground up and into the future. Algorithms, Data Structures and Statistics come to mind, although I’m sure there is much more. Most CS candidates also do research, which requires a focused deep dive into their primary area of interest.

5. Which universities have good MIS programs in the US?

CMU is touted as the best program. I know people who applied to one and only one university - CMU. Others are Texas AMU, Eller, Syracuse, UC Berkley etc.

6. Whats the profile required to get an admit from CMU for MIS?

There is no standard set of requirements, but typically a great GRE score, undergrad GPA, tech experience and extra curricular should get you through. Excellence in one aspect might offset weakness in another, but that is upto the admission committee. Write your essays well, I feel that can sway the committee’s decision one way or another.

7. What job opportunities are available to MIS graduates after their degree completion?

Job opportunities are plenty. I don’t know what affect the current credit crunch will have on this year’s recruitment, but overall people make jobs in all areas of the tech sector. Software Developers, Business Analysts, Product Managers, Program Managers, Business Associates, Associate Consultants, Architects, these are typically the job titles that MIS alumni have. If there are any I-bankers from MIS, its only owing to their smarts and their background. Management consulting jobs are harder to come by, although not unheard of.