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IT and IS degrees (with management?)
#1
I'm seriously considering doing a Masters level IT/IS or MIS/ITM degree instead of the other Masters.

I've read pages on the difference between IS and IT degrees, and IS much more appealing to me. However, when I compare the two Competency-based ones I found, the Hodges MIS degree seems quite a bit harder than the WGU IT Mgmt degree. I think it's their particular choices for requirements. About 4-5 of the Hodges classes seem less interesting to me.

It seems like some jobs don't care if you have IT or IS, but many are specific? That makes sense because they can find plenty of applicants with the specific degree. They're not that similar! So I better go Hodges, right? It would be classes I don't really like and spending more time, to get the degree I want.

My second question is about the degree being management-related. Unfortunately I don't see any competency-based IT/IS degrees which aren't "management" degrees. Because of my background, I would find it easier and quicker to do an ITM or MIS degree (and I have a real interest in the business side of things), but I'm worried it will limit me in the future. Because I do not want a job where I manage other people at all. Would the Hodges MIS would make me a worse candidate than someone who had a non-management IS degree? (It seems like 1/3 of what I would learn at Hodges would be management-based.)

I would consider a non-Competency degree in pure IS. But I don't think I would do one that's so structured with weekly assignments. I would want to be able to complete it in 18 months or less for sure. Preferrably 12 months. And I'm not sure I would want to spend $9K, given that Hodges would be only like $4K! (I could do Hodges MIS, and then spend another $3K for a grad certificate.) However, I do want to look at programs in the $10-20K range. I'm sure there are certain programs that I would pay more for.

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#2
Hodges' Upower program is IS, not MIS. I don't know what the MIS in parentheses in the catalog is supposed to stand for (it could be Master of Information Systems or Management Information Systems), but the title is listed as Master of Science in Information Systems.

Looking at the catalog, they have acronyms for all their masters programs, so it looks like MIS stands of Masters of IS.
Graduate of Not VUL or ENEB
MS, MSS and Graduate Cert
AAS, AS, BA, and BS
CLEP
Intro Psych 70, US His I 64, Intro Soc 63, Intro Edu Psych 70, A&I Lit 64, Bio 68, Prin Man 69, Prin Mar 68
DSST
Life Dev Psych 62, Fund Coun 68, Intro Comp 469, Intro Astr 56, Env & Hum 70, HTYH 456, MIS 451, Prin Sup 453, HRM 62, Bus Eth 458
ALEKS
Int Alg, Coll Alg
TEEX
4 credits
TECEP
Fed Inc Tax, Sci of Nutr, Micro, Strat Man, Med Term, Pub Relations
CSU
Sys Analysis & Design, Programming, Cyber
SL
Intro to Comm, Microbio, Acc I
Uexcel
A&P
Davar
Macro, Intro to Fin, Man Acc
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#3
The enrollment counselor at WGU says the ITM is project management focused. That could just be because you need to take the CAPM as one of the classes.


I have been wondering the same thing. Is the WGU ITM degree worth it for someone who might not want to IT management.
TESU BSBA (Dual Degree)
Computer Information Systems
General Management

Completed June 2017

For those wondering:
CIS AOS-
TEEX- Bus for IT + IT Professional = 4 UL
Study.com- Digital Marketing = 3 UL
University- Hardware Support Esentials = 4 LL C
Ed4credit- MIS = 3 UL C
SL- C++ Programming 4 UL
CSU Global - System Analysis & Design = 3 C

Gen Man AOS-
Study.com- HRM, Digital Marketing,
SL - Cost Accounting, Managerial Accounting, Organzitional Behavior.
DAU- Contact Administration, Defense Procurement Management


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#4
IT management isn't designed to teach technical skills. I don't know why anyone would want to major in ITM if they don't want to work in management.
Graduate of Not VUL or ENEB
MS, MSS and Graduate Cert
AAS, AS, BA, and BS
CLEP
Intro Psych 70, US His I 64, Intro Soc 63, Intro Edu Psych 70, A&I Lit 64, Bio 68, Prin Man 69, Prin Mar 68
DSST
Life Dev Psych 62, Fund Coun 68, Intro Comp 469, Intro Astr 56, Env & Hum 70, HTYH 456, MIS 451, Prin Sup 453, HRM 62, Bus Eth 458
ALEKS
Int Alg, Coll Alg
TEEX
4 credits
TECEP
Fed Inc Tax, Sci of Nutr, Micro, Strat Man, Med Term, Pub Relations
CSU
Sys Analysis & Design, Programming, Cyber
SL
Intro to Comm, Microbio, Acc I
Uexcel
A&P
Davar
Macro, Intro to Fin, Man Acc
Reply
#5
(12-14-2017, 09:53 PM)sanantone Wrote: IT management isn't designed to teach technical skills. I don't know why anyone would want to major in ITM if they don't want to work in management.

They wouldn't if the matter was well explained.

I don't personally see the merit in an IT Management concentration. From research I've done, MBA IT concentrations pay less than the run-of-the-mill MBA will in the long run.
Master of Business Administration, Universidad Isabel I, 2021
Master in Management & Team Management, Universidad Isabel I, 2021
Master in International Trade, Universidad Isabel I, 2021
Master in Supply Chain Management, Universidad Isabel I, 2021
Master in Project Management, Universidad Isabel I, 2023

BS Information Technology, Western Governors University, 2017
AAS Cybersecurity, Community College, 2017
FEMA Emergency Management Certificate, 2017
Fundraising Specialization Certificate, Berkeley/Haas, 2020

Undergraduate Credits: 165 Semester Credits
Graduate Credits: 105 ECTS (52.5 Semester Credits)
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#6
(12-14-2017, 08:25 PM)sanantone Wrote: Hodges' Upower program is IS, not MIS. I don't know what the MIS in parentheses in the catalog is supposed to stand for (it could be Master of Information Systems or Management Information Systems), but the title is listed as Master of Science in Information Systems.

Looking at the catalog, they have acronyms for all their masters programs, so it looks like MIS stands of Masters of IS.

Oh, that explains a lot. Thanks for catching that! Very interested in that Hodges IS degree. 

Because of the cost, I would want to try to finish in 6 months, so I would not start until late 2018 or early 2019. I'm thinking I'll still do the MTS degree, but for 6 months in a row, do very little on the MTS... i.e. 1 class in 6 months, or not even 1 whole class. It would cost me more for the MTS because of those 6 months, but it seems like the best option to me.

(12-14-2017, 11:02 PM)Thorne Wrote: They wouldn't if the matter was well explained.

I don't personally see the merit in an IT Management concentration. From research I've done, MBA IT concentrations pay less than the run-of-the-mill MBA will in the long run.

I don't know a lot about it, but it seems like a degree in IT Management (it's not just a concentration) is better than MBA-IT.

Personally, my problem is solved since the Hodges degree is not Management Smile 

(Although I am still looking at some Information Science programs. My ideal is a cross between Information Systems and Information Science which I don't think anyone offers, because I guess they aren't that similar.)

Given that Hodges is only $3500 or $7000 for Information Systems, that is hard to beat. I expect that by the time I'm ready, Hodges might be up to $3900 or $3950, but maybe I can do it in 6 months.

I wonder if I could get an Information Science job with an Information Systems degree? And vice versa? I know there's a lot of difference between them, but also a lot of similarities. I wish I could have a custom degree where I learn the parts of each that I am most interested in. I believe I've seen some degrees that had more of the parts from one or the other, but most of them are expensive, not self-paced, not quick, etc. Hodges may be it.

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#7
Ideas, I need to ask....what exactly are you trying to accomplish here? Your sig mentions BSBA (Finance and Marketing) and a BA in Comp Sci/English, as well as a NA Masters in MTS. Now you're looking at another Masters in IT. What exactly is the end goal?
Up next:  WGU MSCSIA - Early 2023
Dropped:  WGU MSITM - Wasn't my cup of tea
Completed:  WGU BSCSIA (started 10/1/2018, finished 01/11/2019), Pierpont BOG AAS (5/2018)
Journey Thread (MSITM): https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...TM-Journey
Journey Thread (BS):  https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...ersecurity
Degree Spreadsheet (BS):  https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/attachm...p?aid=2602

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#8
(12-14-2017, 11:25 PM)quigongene Wrote: Ideas, I need to ask....what exactly are you trying to accomplish here? Your sig mentions BSBA (Finance and Marketing) and a BA in Comp Sci/English, as well as a NA Masters in MTS. Now you're looking at another Masters in IT. What exactly is the end goal?

Degree hoarding like a quarter of us here?
Graduate of Not VUL or ENEB
MS, MSS and Graduate Cert
AAS, AS, BA, and BS
CLEP
Intro Psych 70, US His I 64, Intro Soc 63, Intro Edu Psych 70, A&I Lit 64, Bio 68, Prin Man 69, Prin Mar 68
DSST
Life Dev Psych 62, Fund Coun 68, Intro Comp 469, Intro Astr 56, Env & Hum 70, HTYH 456, MIS 451, Prin Sup 453, HRM 62, Bus Eth 458
ALEKS
Int Alg, Coll Alg
TEEX
4 credits
TECEP
Fed Inc Tax, Sci of Nutr, Micro, Strat Man, Med Term, Pub Relations
CSU
Sys Analysis & Design, Programming, Cyber
SL
Intro to Comm, Microbio, Acc I
Uexcel
A&P
Davar
Macro, Intro to Fin, Man Acc
Reply
#9
(12-14-2017, 11:44 PM)sanantone Wrote: Degree hoarding like a quarter of us here?

And that's OK, unless this person ends up being my boss (I work in IT) somewhere down the road and their goals are all over the place...
Up next:  WGU MSCSIA - Early 2023
Dropped:  WGU MSITM - Wasn't my cup of tea
Completed:  WGU BSCSIA (started 10/1/2018, finished 01/11/2019), Pierpont BOG AAS (5/2018)
Journey Thread (MSITM): https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...TM-Journey
Journey Thread (BS):  https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...ersecurity
Degree Spreadsheet (BS):  https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/attachm...p?aid=2602

Reply
#10
(12-14-2017, 11:49 PM)quigongene Wrote:
(12-14-2017, 11:44 PM)sanantone Wrote: Degree hoarding like a quarter of us here?

And that's OK, unless this person ends up being my boss (I work in IT) somewhere down the road and their goals are all over the place...

They might be multitalented. LOL
Graduate of Not VUL or ENEB
MS, MSS and Graduate Cert
AAS, AS, BA, and BS
CLEP
Intro Psych 70, US His I 64, Intro Soc 63, Intro Edu Psych 70, A&I Lit 64, Bio 68, Prin Man 69, Prin Mar 68
DSST
Life Dev Psych 62, Fund Coun 68, Intro Comp 469, Intro Astr 56, Env & Hum 70, HTYH 456, MIS 451, Prin Sup 453, HRM 62, Bus Eth 458
ALEKS
Int Alg, Coll Alg
TEEX
4 credits
TECEP
Fed Inc Tax, Sci of Nutr, Micro, Strat Man, Med Term, Pub Relations
CSU
Sys Analysis & Design, Programming, Cyber
SL
Intro to Comm, Microbio, Acc I
Uexcel
A&P
Davar
Macro, Intro to Fin, Man Acc
Reply


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