Msc in Information System Mgt - Worthy?

Discussion in 'IT and Computer-Related Degrees' started by Annette, Jan 8, 2018.

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  1. Annette

    Annette New Member

    Hi everyone,


    I am in a situation now would love hearing others advice; I graduated from a university with an Arts (Psychology) degree, and after few years I pursued a Part-time distance MSc of Marketing and continue worked in marketing positions.


    I also recently earned the Project Management Professional qualification from PMI after working on marketing projects for the last 5 years. After being in the industry for couple years, I realized I soon reaching the ceiling of paid for my level of work (marketing project Manager) . And in order to advance, I feel like either could pursue a managerial position which I don’t feel ready (especially to mentor subordinates), or I am hoping to make a detour to more IT focus Project Management which I feel there’s more potential for growth, and also a field that a growing interest in. However, A lot of the IT project Management related job requires a technical academic background or some experience in the IT industry.


    When I did my research - I realized that a lot of the part-time computer science/IT programs require a technical background, and a lot of them are offered a full-time basis. I understand as a highly technical field that will be reasonable pre-req, but in my situation where I want to convert into managing IT project management but would like to maintain a source of income so I would not consider enrolling full-time.


    My question is, is a MSc of Information System Management would help in my situation, or should I enroll in a computer science program to get the technicality right? Essentially a ISM degree is still ‘business administrative’ focuses and I am not sure is it a sensible choice in a situation. I am 28 now and I am also afraid it’d be too late to convert my career path.


    Any feedback is greatly appreciated.
     
    Last edited: Jan 8, 2018
  2. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    If you already have the project management down, then take technical courses at your local community college. Since you already have a BA you won't have to do any of the general education courses, so you should be able to take a few IT courses at a time and build up a decent understanding of IT before too long, and parlay that into doing IT project management.

    Also, the bit about 28 being too late for anything made me chuckle.
     
  3. AsianStew

    AsianStew Moderator Staff Member

    Annette, where did you get your BA and have you finished your MS Marketing? Which school is the MS from? Are these RA or NA? You may want to take a look at Competency-Based degree programs for "IT/IS", it'll give you more hands-on and it'll be cheaper in the long run. Did you check out the Beginners Guide sticky?

    I have a list of competency-based degree providers, the two you may want to go with is WGU or Hodges at the Masters level. If you want undergrad, the list is even larger... Hodges/WGU, add Brandman to that list of non-profits, or state u's such as Northern Arizona U, U of Wisconsin. Competency-based education tuition is a bit different, you pay a lump sum for a term, all you can take courses, the faster you finish, the cheaper!
     
  4. Annette

    Annette New Member


    Thanks for your response; i have a BA from the University of British Columbia and a MSc of marketing distance program from University of Liverpool. Are the competency-based programs seen as creditable academies from employers' perspective?
     
  5. AsianStew

    AsianStew Moderator Staff Member

    Haha, interesting. My sister went to SFU for her BA Psychology and then a Masters in Education (Counselling Psychology) at UBC.
    My other sister went to SFU for her BA Human Geography. She's looking into a Masters now after a few years working and I recommended Competency Masters.

    To answer your question, the schools I recommended are Regionally Accredited in the USA, they're creditable, I usually recommend RA vs NA (i'm not going to get into the debate, you can look it up). As I mentioned, some are State Universities, it's recognized by academics and HR or employers alike.

    Competency Based degrees are now the "fad" vs testing out, at both the Masters and Undergraduate levels (Associates/Bachelors, or certs/diplomas).
    Some people have finished a Masters in one term of 6 months, it all depends on your time management and skill set.

    Just an FYI, only Athabasca U, Capilano University, SFU have Regional Accreditation. TRU is in candidacy state, but should be regionally accredited in about 3 years if all goes right. All others are only recognized Provincially and in Canada. With RA, it's internationally known.
     
  6. Michelle Carlos

    Michelle Carlos New Member

    You would be hard-pressed today to discover an industry that isn't gratified in some way by modern information systems. By the looks of things, that situation isn't going to change any time soon.

    But it wasn't always that way. The history and evolution of information systems as they concern to business, government, industry, and the sciences has been long and at times slow. But during the 1960s and 70s innovation really started heating up. With technological advances came the need for new skills and business credentials. Today, many students with an eye to the future are taking a close look at earning an Information Systems Master's degree.
     
  7. Elijah James

    Elijah James New Member

    Yes. As a matter of fact, there is so much specialization now that analysts and project managers are in demand even if they don't code at all.
     

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