MSMIS PROGRAM MEETS NEEDS OF STUDENT WITH DRIVE.

Angie Mathews travels. A lot. Her job with Cerner Corporation, a consulting firm that provides healthcare software, takes her to different hospitals in South Florida every day. So when Mathews decided that she wanted a Master of Science in Management Information Systems (MSMIS), she looked for a program that would be flexible enough to enable her to continue to work.


Angie Mathews
Her busy schedule turned out to be one of the primary reasons she chose the College's program. It was the only such program in the area that wasn't online and that still allowed her to travel.

Mathews goes to different hospitals from Monday through Thursday and then works from home on Fridays, doing administrative tasks and preparing for her courses, all of which take place on Saturdays. It's a heavy load but worth it, she said.

"I have always wanted to get more technically trained because my bachelor's degree didn't allow me to do that as much," she said. "The MSMIS program in the Chapman Graduate School of Business fulfills that need and also has provided me with more project management skills."

Her courses have included a number of technical offerings such as database management, Java, and web management. Mathews also takes managerial courses such as ones on project management and another about e-commerce. Students in the program use a variety of software programs, including Oracle, Cold Fusion, Rational Rose, Java, and .NET.

"No one class is too technical or too managerial. It is a good mix of both," she said. "Nearly every course requires a lot of group work, so we've done a number of projects outside of class."

Cerner has been very supportive of her decision to enroll in the program. If Mathews does well, the company will help her financially as well. Though getting the degree doesn't mean she'll automatically get a promotion or raise, it will provide her with more options.

Currently, for example, she's working as an analyst, but the degree has helped her realize that if she wants to become a project manager or engage in higher-end technical jobs, she'll be able to do so.

"I feel I'm better equipped to make a decision about where I'd want to go," she said.

The only downside, she said is that her personal life has suffered a bit. She said that balancing school and work is easy but balancing work, school, and a personal life is very difficult. That's part of why she's pleased that Chapman's MSMIS takes only twelve months.

"I want to put in the hard work now and complete it now," she said.