休斯敦大學(xué)

Information systems are used in virtually every profession. Sales representatives use information systems to advertise products, communicate with customers, and analyze sales trends. Managers use them to make multimillion-dollar decisions, such as whether to build a manufacturing plant or research a cancer drug. Corporate lawyers use them to develop contracts and other legal documents. Automobile manufacturers use them to develop, test, and manufacture new cars. From a small music store to huge multinational corporations, organizations of all sizes could not survive without information systems to perform accounting and finance operations.

The MIS professional is involved in the identification, creation, and maintenance of the above information systems. He/she operates as an internal consultant to all functional areas of the organization, being knowledgeable about their strategic and operational needs as well as competent in bringing the power of information technology to support these needs. The MIS professional views issues through a global perspective that encompasses the entire organization and the broader industry and business environment in which it operates. As such, the MIS professional is tasked to help an organization thrive in a highly interconnected and highly competitive global environment.

The following are examples of the jobs the MIS graduates at the University of Houston take on:

• Business/Systems Analyst - is responsible for analyzing the business needs of clients to help identify business problems and propose solutions. The business analyst typically functions as a liaison between the business side of the enterprise and the providers of information technology services to the enterprise.
• Business Application/Systems Developer - is a person who uses a set of tools (e.g., programming languages, application generators, database package, etc.) and develops a software product.
• Business Intelligence Analyst - use computer tools to query data repositories and generate reports that help managers make business decisions by identifying trends and patterns in a company’s data (concerning inventory, sales, customers, etc.) that are usually stored in companywide repositories called data warehouses.
• Database Administrator - manages the design and development and maintenance of organizational databases in order to guarantee the databases’ performance, integrity, and quality.
• Database Analyst - designs, implements, and maintains organizational databases, thereby ensuring database performance and system integration.
• Information Systems Manager - directs IS operations including computer operations, technical support, systems analysis and programming, database management, telecommunications, IS training, and microcomputer technology.
• Information Systems Development Project Leader - plans, organizes, and controls the activities of business systems analysts and system developers to ensure that project goals, timelines, and budgets are met.
• Information Systems User Liaison - provides the link between user departments and the information technology group by answering and/or obtaining answers to technical questions, ensuring that user department hardware and applications are properly working, and providing guidance to business analysts and developers during new systems development and maintenance projects.
• Network Administrator - installs, configures, and maintains the organization’s local area network (LAN) server and workstations. He/she sets up and monitors network systems, resolves network problems, and provides technical assistance to users.
• Web Developer - determines user strategies and goals and develops and maintains internal and external web pages that meet these needs.