Management Information  System
                 BACKGROUND
           Due to the ever advancing technology,business innovations and effects of globalization,the way of doing  business has been transformed tremendously;and organizations,irrespective of their location chanched to digital enterprises.
 
        These digital enterprises have created a strong demand for individuals who understand business practices ,functional disciplines and the application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT)  ;so that the performance of the enterprises will be improved significantly through optimal utilization of the technology and organizational resources.
      The MIS program is designed to meet this existing demand by providing students with the educational background to articulate the economic value and role of ICT ,and develop,implement and manage information systems that support  decision making processes at all levels of management in profit/non profit organizations.
      The program,which was introduced in the 1999E.C  academical year,is the first of its kind to be launched in the history of state owned  colleges and universities. In fact it is being provided in many universities and colleges  abroad,and some privately owned colleges locally. It is one of the most respected programs in the developed world. The department is horned to run this highly demanded and  dynamic filed as a pioneer among government owned universities. The department has an ambitious plan to expand and offer  the programs at graduate levels , both  with masters and doctorate degrees in the medium and long-term respectively. Other universities across the country are expected to follow similar trend in the foreseeable future.
       Currently,the program is offered at both regular and extension  programs in partnership with the Department of Computer Science (with the Faculty of Informatics) and the Department of Management and Accounting of the Faculty of Business and Economics.
 
                BRIEF OVERVIEW OF MIS       
                            
       Information systems is a relatively young discipline,compared to more  traditional disciplines such as the natural sciences. The subject of the discipline is seen as the effective design,delivery and use of information systems in organizations. Many times ,the terms is interchangeable used with Management Information System (MIS) and its research focus in the systematic investigation of the development, operation,use and/or impact of an information system in an organizational environment. The subject matter also focuses the utilization of information and communication technologies,primarily in the context of business organization;and shortly it can be seen as relatively agreed upon information and communication systems in organizations. The relatively agreed upon definition goes as the complement of people,machines,and producers that develop the right information and communicates it to the right managers at the right time. The inclusion of people,machines(technology) ,producers(process) ,information,the complex ,interdisciplinary nature of MIS.
        It is one of the fields that have undergone substantial changes over time as information and communication technology has developed on a fast pace for the last 40 years. Fast technological changes have led to quick developments in the software industry and this has shaped the filed to to be highly practical oriented.           
        IS/MIS has several root disciplines contributing to its development. Many authors indicate that reference disciplines for information system include management,economics,accounting,finance,cognitive psychology computer science,system theory engineering,architecture ,social and behavioral science and management science,and anthropology .
         It is important to note that MIS also represents types of information system (together with Executive Support System (ESS),Decision Support System (DSS) ,Transaction Processing System(TPS)) that provide information about firm's performance to help managers that are in the management level (a level between the operational and strategic level) of an organization. And hence car should be taken in referring the term as a discipline/filed or just as a type information system . 

 MANAGEMWNT INFORMATION SYSTEM  (MIS) TRACK  

The MIS track builds technical skills with a theoretical, hands-on, and project-based curriculum.
 Students pursuing the MIS track master the latest technologies and understand system development
 basics. Students will be assets in the current business environment and will have skills that will
 enable them to master the latest technical trends. MIS graduates develop the following technical
 and business skills.

Technical Skill Development

·         How to program systems using Visual Basic.NET, C++, Data Structure and Java.

·         How to analyze a business, design a system to improve the business, and implement the
 system

·         How to manage an organization’s data. Including linking an organization’s database to
 the web and vice versa. Students use Oracle.

·         How to set-up and maintain networks.

·         How to protect systems from hackers, viruses, and unauthorized users.

·         How to develop web pages and electronic commerce applications that interface with client  
 server and mainframe systems.

Business Skill Development

·         Critical thinking

·         Problem solving

·         Written and oral communication

·         Project management including teamwork and conflict management

Careers

Students with an MIS degree have many career options including:

·         systems analyst

·         web designer

·         consultant

·         programmer

·         telecommunications specialist

·         security specialist

·         database coordinator

·         software engineer

·         project manager

·         technology coordinator

·         several MIS track graduates are now senior managers and chief executive officers.

Most graduates begin their careers as analysts. An analyst works with business users to
 understand their information technology needs. 
They then work with information technology programmers and vendors to design systems that
 meet the end users’ needs. 
             
                          OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAM 

         The general objective of the program is to equip students with the relevant and 
 contemporary business/MIS theory and concepts,ICT architecture and infrastructure,software
 and programing language skills ,and managerial skills. It is believed that students,upon 
graduation ,will obtain the basic knowledge and skill mix that is required in the filed of
 Management Information System (MIS) and are expected to adapt themselves comfortably to 
the highly changing business and technology environment. In general an MIS major prepares 
students for a future as information system professionals,innovations,and managers. The 
program is interdisciplinary in nature with special training in information system ,
information management,and information technology so that graduates can ultimately 
assume managerial positions and provide leadership in information system innovation.

                             CURRICULUM DESIGN       
  
          The MIS program is designed to prepare students to became managers and leaders
 using information systems for the benefit of organizations and society. This program of 
study focuses on educating the students about the development and use of information system
 as decision making and problem solving tools. The program also is intended to develop an
 understanding of the managerial issues encountered in 5the operation and introduction of 
information systems in organizations,particularly,how these tools can be used to gain a 
competitive edge and to re engineer an organization.   
           Both the technology and managerial areas are given adequate emphasis in terms 
of coverage and level of detail . Courses are are carefully selected and designed of better
 equip students with relevant and up to date knowledge and skill mix ;and cater the demands
 of the industry and other stakeholders. more