What is an Information Systems Degree?

Florida Tech’s BS in Information Systems program integrates business concepts and technology skills for developing information systems for a competitive advantage in the global market. The program focuses on practical applications of current and emerging technologies for the strategic support of an organization’s technical goals, and offers areas of emphasis in database management and information assurance.

Whether you want to be a data manager, customer technology specialist, or the developer of the next new business intelligence system, an information systems degree from Florida Tech gives you hands-on experience in business and management.

Gain Practical Experience

From cybersecurity to usability analysis to database management, opportunities for information systems professionals are vast and expanding.

As an information systems degree student, courses such as Global Business Perspectives and Computer Applications for Business start off your first year. Guided by highly qualified faculty who care about your success, you’ll begin specializing as early as sophomore year. The information systems degree curriculum includes the practicum in business—a professional internship course in which you apply your information systems skills and savvy within a dynamic local company. As a result, you gain practical experience, an expanded professional network, and perhaps even a pre-graduation job offer.

When a computer network is down, a company’s capacity to function effectively is compromised. That is why organizations look to knowledgeable information systems experts to meet the challenges that a complex field of information technology presents. If you have the desire to enter this field as a critical member of any company’s IT department or support team, choose Florida Tech, one of the best information systems colleges.

Curriculum That Reflects the Prevailing Trends and Best Practices

Florida Tech is considered one of the best information systems colleges because it understands that the field is ever changing. As new technological advances are developed and companies seek team members with new knowledge, Florida Tech consistently updates degree programs to give students relevant curriculum that reflects prevailing trends, theoretical applications, and best practices in the industry.

Another factor that makes Florida Tech one of the best information systems colleges is the Academic Information Technology Committee (ACITC). This committee includes university faculty and staff ambassadors that provide a forum for faculty and students to communicate on topics related to information technology support for instruction and research.

An Intimate Learning Environment—Low Student-Faculty Ratio

One of the reasons why students choose the Nathan M. Bisk College of Business at Florida Tech as one of the best information systems colleges is because the learning environment is a tight-knit department with small class sizes, something not often found in larger institutions. With small class sizes, applying Florida Tech’s “human touch” approach to student learning allows for a personalized interaction with faculty mentors. With student success of utmost importance at Florida Tech, professors make sure that information systems students are privy to valuable industry knowledge and expertise.

As an information systems student, you will have:

• Award-winning faculty who are experienced in both teaching and research
• An indispensable information systems laboratory in the Nathan M. Bisk College of Business that can run a medium-sized company
• Access to valuable leaders from local industry such as Leonardo DRS, Harris Corporation, General Electric, Northrop Grumman, and Rockwell Collins
• Opportunities to volunteer with the Space Coast Project Management Institute local chapter

Located in the Heart of Florida’s High-tech Corridor

Florida Tech is the perfect place for a BS in Information Systems. The 130-acre campus is located on the Space Coast (so named because of the presence of NASA and the Kennedy Space Center on Cape Canaveral just north of us), minutes away from the Indian River Lagoon, the most diverse estuary in North America.

The area has the fifth largest high-tech workforce in the country, with more than 5,000 high-tech corporations and government and military organizations located nearby. This workforce also provides an abundance of internship and employment opportunities.

Florida Tech is just over the causeway from the Atlantic Ocean with its 72 miles of beautiful beaches, and a short trip to the Florida Keys or the Orlando theme parks. We also have a rich campus life that includes a wide range of intramural and collegiate sports, clubs, and social activities.

Build Lasting Professional Relationships through Campus Organizations

Beyond the classroom, information systems degree majors build leadership experience through exciting internships and participation in academic organizations like the Society for Advancement of Management, student government, and over 100 other campus-wide student organizations.

Florida Tech’s chapter of Delta Mu Delta, a business honor society, serves to recognize outstanding Nathan M. Bisk College of Business students. It also serves as a networking opportunity to connect members with information systems internships and careers around the nation and the world.

The Florida Tech Entrepreneurs Club regularly holds meetings for members to discuss business ventures and ideas, and to interact with local entrepreneurs. Internships, research and networking in clubs and organizations are all a great way for students to find career opportunities and information systems internships.

Peerless Study and Internship Opportunities

An important way to gather real experience while studying at Florida Tech is through information systems internships. Our students find information systems internship opportunities with a wide range of companies, including:

• Brevard County Schools
• ndtArtemis
• NeuroSkeletal Imaging
• Clear Channel Outdoor
• General Electric
• ERA Real Estate

Information systems internships could be research-based, where students gather and analyze data to help their employers create better systems and software. It could also be hands-on, allowing students to design services and websites to suit companies’ needs.

Take Part in the Business Plan Resource Course or Business Practicum

In addition to information systems internships, Florida Tech students also complete interactive business practicums in their senior year. Working side-by-side with local companies, they gain valuable work experience while solving problems in the information systems field. Each student is matched with a host organization of interest where he or she learns how the organization functions and gains insight into problem-solving and decision-making processes.

The Business Plan Research Course is a critical thinking experience for students to create a business plan for a real or hypothetical business opportunity that tests the skills they’ve learned in their classes and any information systems internships. Select business plans may even be chosen as a Student Business Incubator project (see below).

These practicums are an opportunity for students to utilize and apply the skills they’ve learned at Florida Tech to better prepare for the career world. Some of the companies that provide these practicums to Florida Tech students are:

• Duracell
• Enterprise Rent-A-Car
• Northrop Grumman
• Harris
• GE

Campus-Based Research Opportunities

There are also many opportunities for hands-on learning, particularly through our Center for Entrepreneurship and New Business Development, which focuses on entrepreneurial education, global innovation, and practical research in pursuit of new venture creation, sustainability, social value creation, and venture acceleration; and our Center for Ethics and Leadership, which promotes the practice of ethical behavior and effective leadership by engaging in activities that provide a forum for research, discussion, and better understanding of ethics and leadership among all stakeholders in society. Key initiatives in the global management program include an ethics and leadership breakfast, intercollegiate ethics competition, leadership conference and projects about corporate social responsibility.

Join the Student Business Incubator

Students who develop innovative and creative business plans may be invited to join the Student Business Incubator—a living, breathing center for new venture creation. The incubator combines curriculum, facilities, and expertise to fully immerse students in a semester long Lean LaunchPad program. This business-launching “boot camp” pushes students to speak to customers, vendors, and strategic partners as they gather resources, develop business models, and launch their businesses. You are paired with highly skilled executive entrepreneurs who help you develop prototypes, raise venture capital, and become a successful entrepreneur.

Information systems (IS), in the broadest sense, is the means for understanding how information technology can be utilized to support businesses and their processes. In a narrow sense, it means to focus on different disciplines such as information security, databases, human-computer interaction, and technology management.

Careers in Information Systems solve security issues and usability issues with technology as well as create databases. Studying information systems is relevant to both society and to a student’s future, as every business uses technology, and constantly strives to be more effective and efficient in applying technology in their business environment.

Get Recruited Upon Graduation

Employers that have recruited Florida Tech information systems students for careers include:

• GE
• Duracell
• Enterprise Rent-A-Car
• Northrop Grumman
• Rockwell
• Local, state, and federal agencies

Career Outlook

Whether you want to be a data manager, customer technology specialist, or developer of the next new business intelligence system, a degree in information systems from Florida Tech prepares you for one of the exciting and rewarding careers in information systems.

Perhaps the most high-profile careers in information systems is that of Computer and Information Systems Manager (also known as IT/IS project manager or IT/IS manager). These professionals are responsible for the development, implementation, and administration of an organization’s computer-related activities, for oversight of the IS/IT goals of the organization and, ultimately, for ensuring that those goals are met.

The Occupational Outlook Handbook, published by the US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, provides detailed information about hundreds of occupations, including, entry-level education, overall working environment, and employment prospects. According to the Bureau, careers in information systems are projected to grow 18% through 2020, as companies continue to add personnel to attend to cyber-threats and the government’s requirements regarding electronic medical records.

Career Options

Careers in information systems include:

• Computer hardware engineer
• Computer systems analyst
• Information security analyst
• Network and computer systems administrator
• Computer programmer
• Database administrator
• Web developer
• Computer network architect
• Software developer
• Management consultant
• Operations research analyst
• Computer support specialist

Graduate and Doctoral Programs

After receiving their degree, many of our students go on to graduate school (often at Florida Tech) to pursue their MBA or other graduate degree.