North Dakota State University

Management Information Systems

MIS emphasizes the collection, organization, analysis and dissemination of information for the planning and control of business or organizational operations. The program prepares graduates to build information systems for the present and the future. The student learns how to handle the complex problems of building a bridge between the computer science professional, who has a technical orientation, and the managerial individual, who has a functional perspective. 

Another objective of the program is to provide students with both theoretical knowledge and hands-on experience. The program requires a practicum. Practical experience enables graduates to become productive in any setting more quickly. Further, hands-on experience provides excellent motivation and concrete models for advanced course work. Graduates of the program find employment in a wide variety of settings. 

North Dakota State University's MIS program is a unique collaborative effort by the faculty of two distinct disciplines: business administration and computer science. The Bachelor of Science degree provides sufficient background and skills to support a successful career in technical computing (e.g., as a programmer, systems analyst, systems designer, etc.), systems or network administration, database administration, information technology management, sales or technical sales support. 

Students enter the College of Business as a pre-major student. Admission into the professional program requires the completion of the following pre-College requirements with a grade of ‘C’ or higher: ENGL 120, MATH 144, ECON 201 or 202, SOC 110 or PSYC 111, and COMM 110 and an institutional cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.5. Once enrolled in the Business Professional Program, students are assessed a differential tuition rate. This differential tuition helps cover additional expenses associated with the professional program(s). 

The computer facilities at NDSU are among the best in the country. The Quentin Burdick Building (QBB) houses the academic host server for the North Dakota University System’s 11 colleges and universities and their 48,000 students. Faculty, staff and students may use a variety of computing systems ranging from multi-user host systems to microcomputers, all connected on a 100 MB, full-duplex, fiber-optic high-speed campus network, a high-speed statewide network and then onto the Internet. The campus network is the largest network in the state, consisting of over 6,500 data ports in 35 buildings. Wireless access is available in most campus buildings, including residence halls, and in two outdoor green spaces. 

Open access microcomputer clusters are located in 26 buildings on the campus. These clusters house 495 PCs and 65 Macintosh computers along with printers and scanners. Some of these clusters are open 24 hours a day. The computers are equipped with the most commonly used software, e.g., Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop, AutoCad, SPSS, etc. Students can use these computers as stand-alone workstations, to access host systems, or to communicate via the Internet with other students and professionals throughout the world. These clusters are open to all students at NDSU. All residence halls are wired to the campus network, making it easy for students with computers to access remote information for course work and various investigations. 

In addition to the open access microcomputer clusters, the MIS program and the computer science department maintain two special-purpose clusters housing approximately 170 computers for use by the students in their respective programs. These clusters include a computer structures and networking laboratory, and a network and server laboratory. 

NDSU has assumed a leadership role in computer networking as part of a six-state consortium for extremely high-level networking in the Upper Midwest and connectivity to the National Science Foundation supercomputer centers. NDSU is a charter member of Internet 2 and has connectivity with the national vBNS research network. 

NDSU also houses a Center for High Performance Computing (CHPC) that provides access to secure, advanced scientific computing resources. The CHPC is a member of the Coalition of Academic Scientific Computation, a nonprofit organization of supercomputing centers and research universities that offer leading edge hardware, software, and expertise in high performance computing resources. 

As an MIS specialist, one might choose a job in business, education, research, agriculture, or government. This work may be in areas such as systems analysis, management information processing, database, telecommunications/networks, software systems, simulation models, design and development of new computer systems or management. The Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics expects job opportunities in information systems to be a very attractive career path in the foreseeable future. 

It is recommended that high school students interested in studying MIS at the university level take the maximum number of math courses offered at the high school level. High school electives in the social sciences, English and communication also would be of benefit. Please speak with a professional advisor for more information. 

Accounting and Information Systems
NDSU Dept 2410
PO Box 6050
Fargo, ND 58108-6050
Phone: (701) 231-5845
Web: www.ndsu.edu/business/programs/undergraduate/majors/

Office of Admission
North Dakota State University
Ceres 114
Dept #5230, PO Box 6050
Fargo, ND 58108-6050
Tel: (701) 231-8643 / Fax: (701) 231-8802
Email: NDSU.Admission@ndsu.edu
Web: www.ndsu.edu/admission/

10/20