College of Business evolving to meet increasing demand for students

It’s just one department tweaking its name, but the new name reflects deeper changes afoot in the Utah State University College of Business.

Business information systems has changed its name to management information systems. The name change is a natural evolution that better reflects what is already being taught in the department. The department, however, is facing some unusual challenges. The demand for the department’s graduates exceeds its supply.

The bust of the dot.com boom, the completion of Y2K work, the outsourcing of some routine IT work and industry downsizing lead to an exodus of talent now being felt in the industry, according to John Johnson, the department head. Johnson said the demand for qualified management information systems graduates is high.

The Conference Board Inc. , a business membership and research organization that puts out the Consumer Confidence Index, reported that about 4.37 million online job advertisements were placed in April, a 24 percent increase from the same time in 2005, according to “COMPUTERWORLD.”

“Project management and maintaining IT infrastructure are things that aren’t going to be off-shored,” Johnson said. “There are really a lot of job opportunities for students in information systems. I think we recognized that need, and that’s why we’ve been evolving into a major management information systems department.”

Earlier the department was called business information systems and education. Then the department focused on teaching typing and other office-related abilities.

Today students graduating from management information systems often end up designing and managing complex IT systems, directing the electronic commerce efforts of a corporation, helping corporations get the right information needed to make business decisions or dealing with Internet security.

Management information systems students are required to complete an IT internship before they graduate. The USU graduates are discovering they have a lot of options open to them because they are in demand, Johnson said. A recently completed College of Business survey shows that IT employers give USU graduates, on average, a 4.25 rating on a scale of 1 to 5.

“Our students come out of school ready to hit the ground running with technical skills,” he said. “They understand how a business works and they understand how to utilize technology to help solve real business problems.”

For more information, contact Johnson, 435-797-2341, John.Johnson@business.usu.edu.