How Does Management Information Systems (MIS) Differ From Computer Science?

If business operations are on one end of the organizational model and technology on the other, data-literal professionals in Management Information Systems (MIS) bridge the gap.

As companies of all sizes increasingly depend on data to power everything from recruiting and retention to production, supply chain optimization and marketing, they are placing a premium on computer scientists.

Graduates from Master of Business Administration (MBA) in MIS program with advanced knowledge in best business practices and strategic technology can build and manage complex networks that provide competitive advantages. Expertise in both areas enables mid-level management to make decisions faster and more accurately, reducing costs, limiting risks and improving organization-wide collaboration and efficiency.

“This is why businesses can’t ignore the significance of MIS,” asserts DexLab Solutions;, a data analytics training provider.

How Do Companies Use MIS

In today’s hyper-dynamic business environment where organizations are continuously pushing technology’s capacity to collect, sort and store data, MIS networks are evolving as well. A primary function of MIS is managing data generated by day-to-day transactional data — including contracts, customer service and human resources — so non-technical users can access it and create visualizations that explain what the data is telling them.

Emeritus describes other types of information systems:

• Office automation, which comprises a network of information systems that supports internal reporting and communication

• Knowledge management,; which provides intuitive access to training resources, organizational and business-unit policies and procedures, competition insights and customer service operations

• Decision support, a system that processes large, complex data sets and summarizes them so managers can assess progress toward strategic goals

• ;Executive support>/em> enriches C-suite decision-makers’ ability to set strategic goals and policies that drive competitive advantage

Information systems have many benefits to an organization, such as providing a means to collect, organize and analyze essential data. As ComodoOne notes, “An effective information system can entitle an organization with better planning, decision-making and hence desired results.”

How Is Computer Science (CS) Different From MIS?&lt

Where MIS is the bridge between business and data technology, computer science involves the mathematics, algorithms and programming that drive the machines managing data.

Computer systems include everything from laptops to supercomputers, and quantum computers are on the verge of dominating the ranks of the most sophisticated machines in widespread use. For instance, Medium reported that Google’s R&D quantum computer completed a calculation 158 million times faster than the world’s most powerful supercomputer — four minutes compared to an estimated 10,000 years.

“MIS and CS are wrongly considered to be the same [because] both are correlated to technology, but they are quite different from each other,” according to , a computer-science educational platform.

While the computer science and information systems fields are related, professionals must understand their differences to best leverage both.

How Do Professionals Gain MIS Expertise?

An MBA in MIS, such as the one offered online by Lamar University, equips graduates with the dual business and technical expertise required for MIS positions such as systems administrator, information security analyst and information technology management.

In addition to MBA core courses — including those in managerial accounting, decision making and economics, strategic management and ERP overview — Lamar’s AACSB-accredited online program offers MIS electives in these areas:

• Database management, including design and implementation

• IT Project management, an increasingly high-demand area as computer and information systems continue to evolve

• Programming for business solutions in which participants gain expertise in high-level computing language to create programs that solve business problems>/li>

• Information assurance and security, another high-demand area as hackers are finding more ways to compromise computers, networks and data

• Cybersecurity management,; which includes a deep dive into policy and governance, frameworks, asset management and incident response and business continuity management

• Healthcare information systems, which involves the advance of IT-enabled healthcare, including data analytics that support clinical decision making

The program will teach the differences between computer science and information systems and equip graduates to enter any number of information technology roles with a well-rounded foundation of knowledge.