Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Work and Employment
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
 
Old 03-04-2014, 03:24 PM
 
166 posts, read 445,274 times
Reputation: 89

Advertisements

Is a Masters in Management Information Systems worth it? I'm thinking about going back to school for this. Does anyone know if this is a pretty marketable degree?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 03-04-2014, 03:50 PM
 
Location: Midwest
238 posts, read 695,163 times
Reputation: 180
The answer to that question varies wildly...

Some additional information you might want to provide to the group so folks can give you more targeted opinions:

1. Universities/Colleges you are researching
2. Amount of money you'll sink into the degree (Will you be financing? If so, are you looking at federal vs. private and what percentage interest rate?)
3. What's your background, including how long you've been working and in what profession?
4. Why are you considering this degree? More money, needed for management-level positions that you want to obtain, career switch, etc?
5. How long will it take you to complete this degree? Will you quit work and do this full-time? Will you work full-time and take classes on the side? Etc.
6. At the schools you are researching, is this a MS or MA?

I'm asking these questions as I have both a BS and MS in Information Systems and this will help me in providing you with a well thought-out opinion.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-04-2014, 04:55 PM
 
166 posts, read 445,274 times
Reputation: 89
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pequeño_Bonsai View Post
The answer to that question varies wildly...

Some additional information you might want to provide to the group so folks can give you more targeted opinions:

1. Universities/Colleges you are researching
2. Amount of money you'll sink into the degree (Will you be financing? If so, are you looking at federal vs. private and what percentage interest rate?)
3. What's your background, including how long you've been working and in what profession?
4. Why are you considering this degree? More money, needed for management-level positions that you want to obtain, career switch, etc?
5. How long will it take you to complete this degree? Will you quit work and do this full-time? Will you work full-time and take classes on the side? Etc.
6. At the schools you are researching, is this a MS or MA?

I'm asking these questions as I have both a BS and MS in Information Systems and this will help me in providing you with a well thought-out opinion.
Thanks for your reply.

1. I'm looking at University of Houston at Clear Lake
2. The tuition alone will cost around 24,000. I'll be paying as I go, no loans. I don't have any loan debt.
3. I've been working as a paralegal for the past 5 years.
4. I'd like to switch to a corporate career--I'd really like to get something that would allow me to become a business analyst or business systems analyst.
5. It would take me over 4 years. I would work fulltime while obtaining the degree. I would try to get a corporate job next year-not really an option this year.
6. This will be an MS

Is it ok if I ask if you feel your degrees have been worthwhile and also what kind of work do you do?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-04-2014, 05:36 PM
 
Location: Midwest
238 posts, read 695,163 times
Reputation: 180
Ok - that certainly helps.

I'd say you are taking all of the right steps (steady income, gainfully employed, and no student loan debt) to make this worthwhile for you.


Regarding the University:

I briefly researched UoH - CL and it's not listed as a top school in Forbes or U.S. News. (To be clear, it's listed as "unranked" at U.S. News.) This is not to say it isn't a good school but what I would suggest you to be mindful of is:
  • Retention
  • Percentage of grad students who had one or more job offers either at time of graduation or 6 months after (It would be great if you narrow down the statistics to this particular department or degree program.)
  • Caliber of employers that hire from this university from this department
  • Prestige within the IT community
  • Etc.
IT can be a very competitive market and you'll want to make sure you attend a university that can get you in the door. Some employers will not even review your resume if you do not graduate from a particular school - others don't even care if you have a degree as long as you can do the work. (Make sure the list of employers that you'd like to work for aren't on the former list. If they are, adjust appropriately.)


Regarding the Degree Program:

Information Systems is an interesting degree program because the meaning of it and the career opportunities varies depending on what you're studying. (It's not like Comp Sci where everyone knows you're there to learn how to develop software in a general sense.) My program was a mix of heavy tech, economics, and business which prepared me for certain positions. I would suggest...
  • Talking to the career services center to see what types of positions folks got hired for upon graduation.
  • Make sure this degree program prepares you for what you want to do in this field
  • Can you take a MS in IS without a BS in an IT field or will you have to take additional courses? (Meaning, will they teach you from the ground up or are they expecting some pre-req knowledge?)
  • Etc
My Overall Thoughts:

I think this could be a positive move for you if you go through your due diligence. I did massive amounts of research before receiving either degree and it paid off - I'm doing something that I love for a very large, prestigious company. (I cannot say the same for my peers who graduated with me - some are just not happy in their careers or the salaries they make by accepting certain positions.) A person who designs web sites **typically** is not going to make as much as a software developer. A person who accepts a consulting gig will be traveling a lot whether they like it or not. Just really dig in and talk to folks at your Career Services Center and people in the field you are interested in.

Personally, I received my BS from a public state school and took a full-time job. Then, about 6 months later, I went back part-time for my MS. After a couple of years I graduated and just stuck my feelers out there - received job offers for more money due to the advanced degree and job experience in addition to a better position working for a larger company.

Best of luck to you!



Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris1917 View Post
Thanks for your reply.

1. I'm looking at University of Houston at Clear Lake
2. The tuition alone will cost around 24,000. I'll be paying as I go, no loans. I don't have any loan debt.
3. I've been working as a paralegal for the past 5 years.
4. I'd like to switch to a corporate career--I'd really like to get something that would allow me to become a business analyst or business systems analyst.
5. It would take me over 4 years. I would work fulltime while obtaining the degree. I would try to get a corporate job next year-not really an option this year.
6. This will be an MS

Is it ok if I ask if you feel your degrees have been worthwhile and also what kind of work do you do?

Last edited by Pequeño_Bonsai; 03-04-2014 at 05:46 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-04-2014, 06:33 PM
 
166 posts, read 445,274 times
Reputation: 89
Hi Pequeño_Bonsai,
Thank you so much for taking the time to consider my scenario and to offer me advice. I really appreciate it! This is very encouraging and helpful. I'm going to research the particular school's track record with employment after graduation and also will ask them when I meet with them in person to discuss their program.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:

Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Work and Employment
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 07:03 AM.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top