Studies & Degrees in Management Information Systems
Management Information Systems Study Programs
Management information systems (MIS) is the study of how organisations use computer systems and data to run their operations and make decisions. Wright State University describes its programme as focused on the computer-based systems that provide data and information to help businesses, organisations and institutions make better decisions. The subject sits between business and computing: graduates are expected to understand both how a company works and how its software, databases and networks are built.
Students take a business core of accounting, finance, marketing and management, and a technical core of programming, databases, systems analysis and design, networks and information security. Recent curricula add business analytics, data visualisation and machine learning. Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) says its students take courses in both management and computer science and learn to apply technology to tasks such as forecasting sales, analysing trends and selecting and installing hardware and software.
Qualifications and levels
- Bachelor's degree in a business school. In the United States, MIS is usually a major within a business degree. The University of Texas at Austin lists Management Information Systems as one of its Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degrees. Names vary: the major at Penn State's Smeal College of Business appears in the university bulletin as Business Analytics and Information Systems, and WPI names its degree Information Systems and Technologies.
- Bachelor's degree in an engineering school. In Spain the subject belongs to computer engineering, and a bachelor's degree (grado) has 240 ECTS credits over four years. The Universidad del País Vasco (EHU) teaches the Grado en Ingeniería Informática de Gestión y Sistemas de Información in Bilbao, in Spanish, Basque and English. Other universities offer information systems as a specialisation of the general Grado en Ingeniería Informática: at the Universidad de Murcia it is one of five specialisations of a 240-credit degree.
- Master's degree. A master's in information systems deepens the technical or the managerial side; Wright State University, for example, offers both a bachelor's and a master's programme. Official master's degrees in Spain have 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits.
- Minors and short courses. Several universities offer MIS as a minor for students of other business majors. Professional certificates in databases, enterprise software or project management complement a degree but do not replace it.
Where to study management information systems
The SpainExchange directory lists 86 active schools for this subject. The United States has by far the most, with 31, followed by Spain with six, Canada and Cyprus with four each, and the United Kingdom and Austria with three each. China, Belgium, Colombia, New Zealand and Germany have two each.
Examples in the United States include The University of Texas at Austin, The Pennsylvania State University, Wright State University in Dayton, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Florida Atlantic University, whose department of information technology and operations management says its graduates bridge business and technology. In Spain the Universidad de Murcia is among the schools listed.
Teaching is in English in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, and mainly in Spanish in Spain. When comparing programmes, check whether the degree is awarded by a business school or an engineering school, since that decides the balance between management and programming, and look at the options in analytics and the internships on offer.
Careers
Graduates work as systems analysts, business analysts, database administrators, IT consultants, project managers and, with experience, IT managers. The EHU lists company IT departments, IT consultancies and software service companies among the employers of its graduates.
In the United States, the Bureau of Labor Statistics describes computer systems analysts as professionals who study an organisation's current computer systems and design ways to improve efficiency, and projects their employment to grow 8 percent from 2025 to 2035. Computer and information systems managers plan, coordinate and direct computer-related activities in an organisation; their employment is projected to grow 16 percent over the same period. Both rates are much faster than the average for all occupations. Managers typically need a bachelor's degree in computer science or information technology plus related work experience.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between MIS and computer science?
Computer science concentrates on how software and computers work: algorithms, programming languages and systems. MIS concentrates on how organisations use them. An MIS student takes fewer theory and mathematics courses and more courses in management, databases, systems analysis and business processes.
How long does an MIS degree take?
In Spain the related bachelor's degrees have 240 ECTS credits and take four years, and an official master's adds 60 to 120 credits. In other countries the length depends on the national system and the university.
Do I need to know programming before I start?
No. Programming is taught from the first courses. An interest in technology and in how companies work, and a reasonable level in mathematics, are more important at the start.
What is the subject called in Spain?
Universities use Ingeniería Informática de Gestión y Sistemas de Información, as at the EHU, or teach it as the Sistemas de Información specialisation of the Grado en Ingeniería Informática, as at the Universidad de Murcia.