As of 5.1.23, the MIS program is no longer accepting applications. All currently enrolled students will progress through the program to completion. Students interested in this program should explore our applied data science program and our business majors.

The MIS major prepares students to become critical thinkers and innovative designers of contemporary information systems in organizational settings. MIS majors develop both conceptual knowledge and hands-on skills in computing, relational databases, and web design. They will become competent in recognizing opportunities to improve business processes or areas, communicate with stakeholders, and implement and manage information systems projects.

Learning Outcomes

Graduates of bachelor’s–level programs in business will be able to demonstrate that they possess academic skills, professional attributes and broad-based and in-depth knowledge of business concepts and functions.

Graduates of bachelor’s–level programs in business will be able to:

1. Apply concepts within the core areas of business
2. Apply knowledge of ethical, legal, economic, and global environment to practical business situations and ascertain their impact
3. Apply decision-support tools & technology to make and defend business decisions
4. Demonstrate communication skills appropriate for business settings
5. Contribute to a team environment to achieve a planned goal
6. Analyze the role of motivation and influence in achieving a coordinated goal

In-depth Knowledge for specific majors

Management Information Systems graduates of bachelor’s level programs will be able to:

• Apply requirements gathering techniques for a proposed information system
• Design a systems development process that includes all the essential phases
• Depict an information system’s architecture and processes with industry-standard diagrams

Curriculum

+Core Requirements

Core Major Requirements for Accounting, Economics, International Business, Management, Management Information Systems, and Marketing:

ACT222	Financial Accounting Principles I This course represents an introduction to accounting principles including the accounting process, double-entry bookkeeping, adjusting entries, and the preparation of financial statements. The objectives of this course are to make students aware of the importance of accounting information in every type of organization (private business, not-for-profit, and governmental).	3
ACT223	Managerial Accounting Principles This course represents an introduction to managerial accounting concepts, including cost allocation and measurement, cost/volume profit analysis, budgeting, variance analysis, job and process costing, and capital budgeting. Pre-requisites Complete the following course: ACT222 Financial Accounting Principles I	3
BUS105	Foundations of Business This course introduces the theory and practice of business and fosters analytical thinking. Students build a foundation for learning by gaining an understanding of business organizations, their structure and functions, the increasingly dynamic and complex global setting in which they compete, and the fundamentals of sustainable business practices.	3
BUS110	Business Analytics I This course introduces analytical tools that are essential for deriving actionable data-driven solutions to real world business problems. Modules address descriptive statistics, inferential analysis, hypotheses testing, results interpretation, and presentation of key findings. Students utilize diverse sources of data from business cases, research studies, open access datasets, and secondary reports. Pre-requisites Complete the following course: BUS105 Foundations of Business	3
BUS171	Information Systems and Operations This course explores basic concepts of communication networks (e.g., the Internet), hardware, software, databases, and systems. Students apply information systems to decision making, communication, collaboration and coordination in the operations of contemporary organizations. Students gain skills in word processing, presentation software, data visualization, spreadsheets, and relational databases.	3
BUS230W	Organizational Behavior Organizational behavior is a field of study that seeks to understand, explain, and improve human behavior in organizations. Most organizations focus their efforts on improving job performance and organizational commitment. The purpose of this course is to provide a theoretical foundation and realistic understanding of how human behavior influences the effectiveness of the modern corporation. Pre-requisites Complete the following course: BUS105 Foundations of Business	3
BUS243	Principles of Marketing This course introduces students to the basic concepts of marketing strategy and management. Basic marketing concepts such as strategic segmentation, targeting, positioning, product design, pricing, promotions and distribution are covered. Environmental sustainability is analyzed from the consumer perspective.	3
BUS257	Business Law and Business Ethics This course introduces students to the introductory concepts of business law including employment law, social and environmental responsibility of corporations, and international business law. It also emphasizes frameworks for conducting ethical analysis and the analysis of ethical dilemmas.	3
BUS272	Principles of Finance This course enables students to apply fundamental ideas of financial economics to problems in corporate finance. Participants will gain an overview of valuation principles, learn basic principles of corporate finance from the perspective of a financial manager, and through case studies, analyze important financial decisions made within firms. Pre-requisites Complete the following course: ACT222 Financial Accounting Principles I	3
BUS310W	Business Analytics II This course builds upon the student’s foundational knowledge of business research and analytics. Students practice a disciplined approach to assessing real-world business problems and applying descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive techniques to solve them. Course activities include discussion forums, case studies, experiential projects, and constructive assessment. Pre-requisites Complete any 1 of the following courses: BUS110 Business Statistics BUS110 Business Analytics I MTH110 Elementary Statistics PSY213 Statistics and Research Design	3
BUS357	Strategy and Entrepreneurial Ventures This course illustrates the strategic management framework by taking students through the entrepreneurial process from start-up growth while exploring the personal and professional challenges. The student examines key issues in opportunity recognition, financing models, strategic choices, and sources of competitive advantage at different stages of the firm's development.	3
ECN101	Principles of Macroeconomics The concepts of national income and output are analyzed, and emphasis is placed on factors that influence the levels of economic activity, unemployment, and inflation, including fiscal and monetary policy and the role of international economics.	3
ECN102	Principles of Microeconomics Microeconomics is the study of how households and firms make decisions and how they interact in specific markets. Students are introduced to the basic concepts and tools that economists use to understand how the economy works. This course is designed to increase economic literacy through acquiring core knowledge about economics.	3
INTBUS303	Internship - Business The Chatham University Internship program provides students with the opportunity to acquire hands-on work experience in a professional setting. The student gains metacognitive insights, deep learning, and practical skills by reflecting on the internship experience under the supervision of an academic advisor.	3
BUS490	Integrative Capstone The integrative capstone, undertaken by the student during the senior year, is an extended project that helps the student complete their transition from an undergraduate student to a world-ready professional. The study usually centers on the student's major and may be conducted, at least in part, in the context of a group experience. Such programs are crafted to meet the unique needs of each major, and could include, for example, fieldwork, theater production, creative work in the arts, independent research, or independent readings. The integrative capstone in an interdisciplinary major must have the approval of both academic programs. Pre-requisites Complete any 1 of the following courses: BUS312W Marketing Research BUS310W Business Analytics: Research Methods	3

+Management Information Systems Major

5 courses

4 required courses:
BUS317	Systems Analysis and Design This course introduces information systems analysis and design for contemporary organizations, with a focus on developing critical skills in communicating with people as users, analyzing processes, translating needs into information systems requirements, and testing of prototype ideas. Topics also include functional, structural, and behavioral modeling, and Unified Modeling Language (UML). Pre-requisites Complete the following course: CMP283 Database Management Systems	3
CMP120	Introduction to Programming An introduction to the theory and practice of computer programming with an emphasis on problem solving. No previous programming experience is required.	3
CMP283	Database Management Systems This course is a study of database management systems and their applications to a wide range of information processing needs. Students design and implement database management systems while being introduced to a conceptual model of a database environment comprised of five basic components: databases, database management systems, data dictionary/directory systems, database administration, and user-system interfaces. Pre-requisites Complete the following course: CMP120 Introduction to Programming	3
1 course from the following:
BUS416	Computer Networking & Telecommunication This course introduces students to the foundational network technologies for data encoding and transmission. Topics may include telephone network and internet architecture, communication protocols (e.g., HTTP, SMTP), transport protocols (e.g., UDP, TCP), and network protocols (IP), TCP/IP, LANs, WANs, circuit vs. packet switching, network security, and multimedia. Pre-requisites Complete the following course: BUS171 Information Systems and Operations	3
BUS421	Information and Cybersecurity This course introduces fundamental issues in information and cybersecurity, with an emphasis on vulnerabilities available to cyber attackers. Students develop conceptual tools for identifying vulnerabilities, assessing threats, analyzing risk, and selecting controls to mitigate risk, and practical skills in implementing security, responding to incidents, and designing systems that prevent cyberattacks. Pre-requisites Complete the following course: BUS171 Information Systems and Operations	3
BUS450	Advanced Database  This course examines advanced topics of database management, including system architecture, complex database objects, building database applications, designing data warehouses, and creating database infrastructure to support Big Data analytics. Students gain hands-on experience through the implementation of database systems, including storage management, query processing, transaction management, and security management. Pre-requisites Complete the following course: CMP283 Database Management Systems	3
CMP220	Computer Programming II In this course students learn to develop computer programs using a modern object-oriented language such as java, python, or C#. Topics covered include user-defined classes, inheritance, polymorphism, data structures such as linked lists, stacks, queues, and trees, sorting and searching algorithms, recursion, event-driven programming and exceptions. Pre-requisites Complete the following course: CMP120 Introduction to Programming	3

+Minor Requirements

6 courses, including:

BUS105	Foundations of Business This course introduces the theory and practice of business and fosters analytical thinking. Students build a foundation for learning by gaining an understanding of business organizations, their structure and functions, the increasingly dynamic and complex global setting in which they compete, and the fundamentals of sustainable business practices.	3
BUS171	Information Systems and Operations This course explores basic concepts of communication networks (e.g., the Internet), hardware, software, databases, and systems. Students apply information systems to decision making, communication, collaboration and coordination in the operations of contemporary organizations. Students gain skills in word processing, presentation software, data visualization, spreadsheets, and relational databases.	3
CMP120	Introduction to Programming An introduction to the theory and practice of computer programming with an emphasis on problem solving. No previous programming experience is required.	3
CMP283	Database Management Systems This course is a study of database management systems and their applications to a wide range of information processing needs. Students design and implement database management systems while being introduced to a conceptual model of a database environment comprised of five basic components: databases, database management systems, data dictionary/directory systems, database administration, and user-system interfaces. Pre-requisites Complete the following course: CMP120 Introduction to Programming	3
2 courses from the Management Information Systems major