U.S. News & World Report publishes annual rankings of the best colleges in the United States. In addition to ranking schools according to type (liberal arts colleges versus master’s universities, for example) and level (undergraduate versus graduate), U.S. News also ranks undergraduate and graduate business programs according to specialty based on surveys of business school deans and senior business faculty. According to these business school surveys, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of Texas at Austin are the best graduate schools in the country for students interested in pursuing a graduate degree in information systems.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Renowned for its programs in science and engineering, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology also ranks first in the nation (according to U.S. News surveys) as far as graduate study in business information systems. The Sloan School of Management at MIT offers Master’s and Ph.D. concentrations in Information Technologies (within the Management Science program) and Technological Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Strategic Management (within the Behavioral and Policy Sciences program).
The Master of Science in Management program is available to top MBA students (whether at Sloan or at schools throughout the country and internationally) and can be completed in two years. Students typically take five years to complete the Ph.D. program. Students also have the choice to pursue a joint information systems-related degree (the Master of Science in Engineering and Management) through Sloan and the MIT School of Engineering.
Carnegie Mellon University
According to U.S. News & World Report survey respondents, Carnegie Mellon University as having the second-best graduate information systems degree program in the nation. Students can pursue masters or doctoral level study through several programs offered at Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business.
Students can choose from a Technology Leadership track within Tepper’s MBA program (offered jointly with the School of Computer Science) or can pursue a Ph.D. in Information Systems. Within the Tepper Ph.D. program in Information Systems, students can further specialize in such areas as the business value of Internet technologies, electronic commerce, and software productivity, among others.
University of Texas at Austin
Information systems-related graduate degrees at the University of Texas at Austin earned the third spot on U.S. News and World Report’s list of best information systems graduate degrees. Students enrolled in the McCombs School of Business can pursue MBA or Ph.D. concentrations in Information Management (MBA) or Information Systems (Ph.D.).
All Information Systems and Information Management courses are offered within the Department of Information, Risk, and Operations Management (IROM). The MBA in Information Management is also ranked highly by other publications, such as The Wall Street Journal and The Financial Times.
Students interested in pursuing graduate study in any business-related field should research programs by reviewing their websites, checking rankings of programs published in general and business-related publications, and talking with professionals in their field of interest and/or program alumni. Prospective graduate students will also want to prepare to take any standardized tests (such as the Graduate Record Examination or Graduate Management Admission Test) that may be required for admission to their program or programs of choice.
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Amy Martin - Amy Martin is a freelance writer who holds a Ph.D. in English Studies from Illinois State University. She taught literature and writing ...
