A word about MS CIS
Joe Aschenbrenner
Senior Manager
Verizon Business
"One of the best parts of the program for me was the time I saved by not having to commute to campus 2-3 times a week. The demands of a husband, father and full-time job keep me busy enough."
Most distance learning programs (and their students) sacrifice the benefits associated with traditional courses, including networking opportunities, guest speakers, and interactive lectures/discussions. By combining limited on-campus residency sessions and distance learning the MS CIS program offers the best of both worlds. Students immerse themselves in their coursework the first week of each semester during an on-campus residency. With this concentrated format the weekly time commitment for the remainder of the semester is reduced. The distance learning component of each course then offers IS professionals’ significant flexibility to complete course requirements.
Missouri State University (Missouri State) is the state’s second largest university with over 20,000 students. The university offers programs through 40 academic departments organized in six colleges. More than 150 academic programs are offered at the undergraduate level with an additional 43 at the graduate level. The university is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association to offer these programs.
The University is located in Springfield, Missouri, a metropolitan area with more than 330,000, the third largest population center in the state. As the third largest population center in the state, Springfield has direct air service from Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Kansas City, Memphis and St. Louis.
College of Business Administration (COBA), home of the CIS Department, is one of the strongest business schools in the country. With approximately 4,000 students majoring in business (25% CIS), COBA offers the largest undergraduate business program in Missouri and one of the largest programs in the Midwest. In addition to the MS CIS Program, COBA offers a traditional Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Accountancy (MAcc), Master of Health Administration (MHA), and Master of Administrative Studies - Project Management.
COBA holds the distinction of being among the top 10 percent of schools in the nation having achieved business and accounting accreditation by the elite Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB International). All of COBA's degree programs, including the MS CIS Program, are fully accredited by the AACSB. For business and employers, AACSB accreditation identifies Missouri State as an outstanding institution that prepares students for professional success
Computer Information Systems (CIS) Department is one of the largest in the U.S. with over 24 full-time, terminally (Ph.D.) qualified faculty and over 700 undergraduate and graduate students. The CIS Department is widely recognized for the quality of its programs and graduates.
Both the undergraduate and graduate CIS programs have received national recognition. In the late 90’s the Department received national recognition when it was selected as the sole recipient of the Data Processing Management Association (DPMA) Education Foundation's Four Year Institution Award for successfully implementing and maintaining the highest curriculum standards within its undergraduate program. Building on this tradition of excellence, the MS CIS Program was ranked 8th in Computerworld's 1999 Survey of Top Techno-MBA Programs. This quality has not gone unnoticed as over 60 organizations annually recruit CIS majors at Missouri State.