Msc in Management Information System (MIS)

Rationale of the Program

The world has seen a remarkable expansion in Information Communication Technologies and services in the past three decades; and this has demanded that professionals in the field of computing, that includes Management Information Systems, can be well equipped with the knowledge the time demands. The fast pace growth seen in recent years in the field of Management Information Systems has now managed to have its impact felt across the fast developing nations, among which Ethiopia is a prominent.

The master’s program in Management Information Systems at Microlink Information Technology College Mekelle is tailored to address the human resource needs for MIS professionals, which countries with an expanding economy like that of ours demand. Opening a master’s level study in Management Information Systems should therefore be seen as an endeavor to support the various development programs of the nation through producing MIS professionals the economy demands; as there is no any nation on earth these days which could sustainably score remarkable growth and development without the use of ICT in general  and Management Information Systems in particular.

Some of the justifications that can be mentioned for opening a program at the level of MSc in the fields of MIS are:

  • The first and most important justification to launch the MSc program in the fields of MIS is the need to obtain highly qualified personnel in the fields of ICT and Management Skills. This will in its turn assist in alleviating the shortage of trained manpower in the country in general and promote the research endeavor of the fields in particular.
  • Another is, the request of the pressure the alumni are exerting time and again to further their career. The alumni, for they have strong attachment with the College, always appreciate the skills and knowledge they have gained in their undergraduate studies and insist the College to provide opportunities to upgrade their skills and knowledge further at a Masters level.
  • The program is supposed to be opened owing to the solid undergraduate foundation of the College, which has been established since 1998 and has acquired huge expertise in the academia. As a result, it has its own positive justification in supporting the opening of the postgraduate program in providing the fundamental courses, materials, and other valuable experiences.
  • Last but not least justification for launching this new program is that there is no any Higher Institution in the country which is currently engaged in combining the ICT and Managerial Skills of professionals in order to help the growth of the country by producing graduates in MIS.

Objectives of the Program

General Objective

The general objective of MIS postgraduate program is to train competent students who are well versed in knowledge, theories, skills, values, attitudes and methodologies in designing, implementing, deploying, managing and using Information Technology in the management of organizations. Researches done under this field can cover a wide range of topics related to all aspects, including business strategy and information systems, information systems planning and management, adoption of information technology in organizations, human factors in information systems, knowledge acquisition, expert systems, systems analysis and design methods, object-oriented enterprise modeling, knowledge based systems to support database design, automated mediation in group support systems, distributed information systems, electronic commerce, the effect of new media and networking on people and organizations.

Specific Objectives

The specific objectives of the Management Information Systems postgraduate program are to:

  • produce a highly qualified and competent professionals for various governmental and nongovernmental organizations;
  • train professionals who can be engaged in assessing and marketing technological enterprises;
  • train professionals who can predict a risk and make decisions under volatile business conditions;
  • create professionals who are be capable of using technology as a competitive advantage and understand how technology interacts with other key business areas;
  • train professionals who have IT related knowledge and skills with a particular empathize on managerial topics;
  • Stimulate learners to work individually and accept responsibility for their work.

Graduate and Professional Profile

Graduate Profile

Up on graduation, MIS professionals will demonstrate the following competencies:

  • apply the knowledge of Management Information Systems to produce effective designs and solutions for specific organizational, departmental, and sub divisional problems;
  • communicate Management Information System concepts, designs, and solutions effectively and professionally;
  • easily understand and grasp when exposed to distributed computing and to various systems analysis and design development strategies;
  • identify, analyze, and synthesize scholarly literature relating to the field of Management Information Systems;
  • explore the application of computerized Information Systems, including Web technologies, to run a modern technology-based business;
  • design a Web, via e-commerce, that creates a consumer-to-business and business-to-business transactions; and
  • Identify how Web-based technologies can be applied to solving existing and new problems and how to leverage technology to realize strategic opportunities.

Professional Profile

Graduates of MIS in the postgraduate program will have the following professional profiles. The thrust of this program is to provide an individual student with the knowledge to function in a management consultancy firm, as a part of a functional business unit, as an e-business entrepreneur or as part of a traditional information systems group.

Graduates of the program are expected to fall into one of the following professional paths:

  • information systems consultant/analyst with a large consulting firm;
  • systems analyst within a traditional information systems department or a systems analyst within a functional unit such as marketing;
  • human resources finance or operations;

Graduates of this program can anticipate the following types of careers:

  • management of information system development projects;
  • business and systems consultant for projects that include a substantial dependence on IT;
  • research and development of information technologies and related products and services;
  • designer in start-up internet companies;
  • instructor of college/university teaching information systems related courses;