Management Information Systems Major

Undergraduate Management Information Systems Major

Pursue a major that will take you everywhere business is headed.

Learn to lead amid profound shifts in technology, society and the economy.

A source of pride and impact at Eller since its founding, our Management Information Systems major is where technology meets the foundational principles of business. You can change the way the business world works, from the inside out—and chart a career course with limitless potential. 

Management Information Systems Major Overview

The field of management information systems (MIS) involves applying computer technology, quantitative techniques and administrative skills to the information processing requirements of organizations. MIS combines computer technology with management decision-making methods to analyze, design, implement and manage computerized information systems in an organizational environment. A bachelor's degree is generally adequate for entry-level jobs; graduate training is necessary for research and teaching positions.

The undergraduate MIS program at the Eller College has placed in the top five nationally in U.S. News & World Report since the rankings' inception in 1989. Currently the MIS program ranks No. 4; No. 2 among public programs.

MIS Advising

Every Eller student has an assigned advisor to help with the academic questions that come up as you study here. Get to know the MIS advisor. 

Meet fatma khalaf, the MIS Advisor

Department of Management Information Systems

The Eller MIS Department is a recognized powerhouse that scores among the nation’s top programs every year, with expertise in areas like cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, big data analytics and IT strategies.

Explore the MIS Department

MIS Sample Coursework Plan

How your Eller MIS experience can play out:

This sample plan is based on 14-17 credits per semester, but each student and their academic plan is unique. Please meet with your Academic Advisor to create a custom plan for you.  Please note that your General Education requirements, including second language, are determined by when you were admitted to the university.  Your Academic Advisor can help you navigate the requirements relevant for you. For a full list of official degree requirements, check out the University General Catalog. 

First Year

1st Semester
CourseUnits
ENGL 101* First Year Composition  
MIS 111* Computers and Internetworked Society 
MIS 112* Computers and Internetworked Society Lab  
MATH 112 College Algebra Concepts and Applications  
General Education and/or Second Language  
    
Attend Eller Career Expo and UA Fall Career Days		3
3
1
3
3-7
Total13-17    
2nd Semester
CourseUnits
ENGL 102* First Year Composition  
MATH 116* Calculus Concepts for Business Majors
General Education  
General Education and/or Second Language 
BNAD 100 Language and Context of Business  
   
Attend Career Showcase and UA Spring Career Days 		3
3
3
3-7
1
Total13-17
Summer
Use summer to catch up on math if behind in sequencing based on placement results prior to your first year.

Sophomore Year

1st Semester
CourseUnits
BNAN 276* Statistical Inference in Management 
ACCT 200* Introduction to Financial Accounting  
ECON 200* Basic Economic Issues  
General Education  
General Education
BNAD 200 Career Management in Business  
    
Attend Eller Career Expo and UA Fall Career Days		3
3
3
3
3
1
Total16
2nd Semester
CourseUnits
ACCT 210* Introduction to Managerial Accounting  
BNAN 277* Analytical Methods for Business 
BCOM 214* Fundamentals of Business Communication  
General Education  
General Education or Ethics**  
   
Attend Career Showcase and apply for Professional Admissions in February, and attend UA Spring Career Days		3
4
3
3
3
Total16
Summer
We highly recommend that students participate in a study abroad and career-related experience.

In order to take the following upper-division courses, students must be admitted to the major through a competitive and selective Professional Admission process.  

Professional Phase

1st Semester
CourseUnits

MGMT 310A Organization Behavior and Management  
MKTG 361 Introduction to Marketing  
BCOM 314R Business Communication  
FIN 311 Introduction to Finance 
MIS 331 Database Management Systems
 

Attend Eller Career Expo and UA Fall Career Days

3
3
3
3
3
 
Total15
2nd Semester
CourseUnits
ECON 300 Microeconomic Analysis for Business Decisions
OSCM 373 Basic Operations Management  
MIS 304 Using and Managing Information Systems  
MIS 443 Business Data Communications 
MIS 301 Data Structures and Algorithms 
   
Attend Career Showcase and UA Spring Career Days		3
3
3
3
3
 
Total15
Summer
Use summer to gain career-related experience through internships, study abroad, or volunteering.

Professional Phase

3rd Semester
CourseUnits
MGMT 402 Integrating Business Fundamentals with Ethics and Law in Management  
ECON 330 Macroeconomic and Global Institutions and Policy  
ENTR 485 Innovating: Creating the Future  
MIS 441 Information Systems Analysis and Design 
MIS Major Elective Course 

Attend Eller Career Expo and UA Fall Career Days		3
3
3
3
3
 
Total15
4th Semester
CourseUnits

MIS Major Elective Course 
General Education
General Education
Minor, Electives, or remaining General Education requirements

Attend Career Showcase and UA Spring Career Days, and Graduation in May

3
3
3
3-6
Total12-15
Summer
Enjoy your summer and continue the job search if necessary!

Note: This is only a sample plan and requirements are subject to change and may vary based on catalog year, placement tests, AP/CLEP credit, transfer work, summer school, etc.

All students enter as Foundational Business Managements majors, and must go through a competitive and selective Professional Admission process to gain entry to the upper-division professional majors. The above plan is designed on the assumption that a student tests into College Algebra on the PPL Math Placement Exam; students who test lower than College Algebra should refer to the Five-Semester Plan and work with their academic advisor to learn how they can adjust their schedule to meet their educational goals.

* Eller Foundation Courses: You need to take these classes before you apply for admission into the professional program. Professional Admission is required before enrolling in 300- and 400-level core and major courses. Students transferring directly into the upper division who do not have a BCOM 214 equivalent completed will be required to take BCOM 315 before graduation instead.

** Business Emphasis Areas: You must take one ethics course to complete your degree. This class does not need to be completed before applying for Professional Admission.

Students can meet the Second Language requirement by demonstrating second semester proficiency through examination or taking any of a variety of second semester language courses. Each student needs to meet a minimum of 120 total credits. Students are strongly encouraged to take BNAD 100 and BNAD 200 to develop their professional knowledge and competencies required for success in the upper division. Please consult with your Advisement Report and your academic advisor.

MIS Cohort Schedules

View MIS major cohort schedules by semester:

Management Information Systems Sage Cohort

Sage CohortMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursday
8:00 - 9:15MGMT 310ABCOM 314R*MGMT 310ABCOM 314R*
9:30 - 10:45MKTG 361BCOM 314R*MKTG 361BCOM 314R*
11:00 - 12:15 FIN 311 FIN 311
12:30 - 1:45MIS 331 MIS 331 

Management Information Systems Copper Cohort

Copper CohortMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursday
8:00 - 9:15MIS 331 MIS 331 
9:30 - 10:45 BCOM 314R* BCOM 314R*
11:00 - 12:15MGMT 310AFIN 311MGMT 310AFIN 311
12:30 - 1:45MKTG 361 MKTG 361 
2:00-3:15 BCOM 314R* BCOM 314R*

 

Management Information Systems Silver Cohort

Silver CohortMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursday
9:30-10:45MIS 331 MIS 331 
11:00 - 12:15 FIN 311 FIN 311
2:00 - 3:15MGMT 310ABCOM 314R*MGMT 310ABCOM 314R*
3:30 - 4:45MKTG 361BCOM 314R*MKTG 361BCOM 314R*

 

Management Information Systems Sage Cohort

Sage CohortMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursday
8:00 - 9:15 OSCM 373 OSCM 373
9:30 - 10:45 MIS 304 MIS 304
11:00 - 12:15 ECON 300 ECON 300
12:30 - 1:45MIS 301 MIS 301 
2:00 - 3:15MIS 443 MIS 443 

Management Information Systems Silver Cohort

Silver CohortMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursday
11:00 - 12:15 ECON 300 ECON 300
12:30 - 1:45MIS 443 MIS 443 
2:00 - 3:15 OSCM 373 OSCM 373
3:30 - 4:45 MIS 301MIS 304 MIS 301MIS 304

*ECON 300 is pre-enrolled for all students.  

Management Information Systems Sage Cohort

Sage CohortMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursday
9:30 - 10:45 MIS 441 MIS 441
12:30 - 1:45 ECON 330 ECON 330

Management Information Systems Silver Cohort

Silver CohortMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursday
11:00 - 12:15 MIS 441 MIS 441
12:30 - 1:45 ECON 330 ECON 330

 ** All third semester students will be required to take a ENTR 485 course that will be held one day a week either Mon, Tue, Wed, or Thursday at 8 a.m., or 3:30 p.m. for 2 hours and 30 minutes, or limited space in online section of ENTR 485. Additionally, students will need to take MGMT 402, which will be held fully online. 

MIS Elective Course Options

This course introduces students to the concepts and practices of healthcare information systems. Topics include: 1. introduction to the health IT discipline; 2. major applications and commercial vendors; 3. decision support methods and technologies; 4. information systems design and engineering; and 5. new opportunities and emerging trends.

Units: 3
Usually offered: Spring

Broad survey of the individual, organizational, cultural, social and ethical issues provoked by current and projected uses of networked computers on the Internet.

Units: 3
Usually offered: Spring

This course exposes the student to a broad range of computer systems and information security topics.  It is designed to provide a general knowledge of measures to insure confidentiality, availability, and integrity of information systems.

Units: 3
Usually offered: Fall, Spring

The objective of this course is to provide our University of Arizona students with a thorough and operational knowledge of information security so that this critical area is recognized as a management issue and not an I.T. issue.

Units: 3
Usually offered: Fall, Spring

The information security arena contains a broad array of multi-level models for assessing, planning, implementing and monitoring the mitigation of security risks. At the very core of this information security spectrum are the actual system and network devices which store, manage, transmit and secure information.

Units: 3
Usually offered: Fall, Spring

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems represents integrated strategy for management of information among organizations, suppliers and customers.

Units: 3
Usually offered: Fall

With the increased challenges from terrorism, the need to protect against security threats is even greater today. Thus, it is becoming increasingly necessary to find innovative and better ways to protect ourselves from these security threats. Finding less invasive techniques of detection suggests analyzing people's behavior or the ways/patterns in which they talk/write and identify cues to detect deception and the intent of deception.

Units: 3
Usually offered: Spring (when offered)

This undergraduate senior-level course (elective) will cover the important concepts and techniques relating to data analytics, including: statistical foundation, data mining methods, data visualization, and web mining techniques that are applicable to emerging e-commerce, government, health and security applications. The course contains lectures, readings, lab sessions, and hands-on projects. Most business school seniors are welcome. The course will require some basic computing and database background. The course will prepare students to become a data scientist or a data-savvy manager for different businesses.

Units: 3
Usually offered: Spring

Operational aspect of quality improvement. Topics include statistical process control, quality management programs.

Units: 3
Usually offered: Spring

Organization, management and control of material flow processes; logistical strategies and relationships of procurement, handling, warehousing, transportation and inventory control.

Units: 3
Usually offered: Spring

Project Management is the application of knowledge, analytical skills, scheduling software tools and techniques related to various project activities in order to meet project requirements.

Units: 3
Usually offered: Fall, Spring

The development and exchange of scholarly information, usually in a small group setting. The scope of work shall consist of research by course registrants, with the exchange of the results of such research through discussion, reports and/or papers.

Units: 3
Usually offered: Spring (not offered regularly)

An honors thesis is required of all the students graduating with honors. Students ordinarily sign up for this course as a two-semester sequence. The first semester the student performs research under the supervision of a faculty member; the second semester the student writes an honors thesis.

This course can only be used for 3 units of MIS elective, despite being 2 semesters and 6 honors units.

Units: 3
Usually offered: Fall, Spring

View all Undergraduate MIS Courses

MIS Major Career Resources

MIS Careers

Your MIS degree translates to in-demand careers in programming, software development, applications development, database management and network administration.

View MIS Career Possibilities

Meet the MIS Career Coach

Eller students have a world of options in front of them—which is why a dedicated career coach is so valuable. Get professional coaching on internship and job opportunities awaiting you. 

Meet the ELLER Career CoacHES