Decision and Information Sciences

Chair: Basheer M. Khumawala

Professors:
Wynne Chin, Randolph B. Cooper, Everette S. Gardner, Jr., Blake Ives, Basheer M. Khumawala, Richard W. Scamell

Associate Professors:
Dennis Adams, Elizabeth A. Anderson-Fletcher, Robert Bregman, Joaquin Diaz-Saiz, Norman A. Johnson, Archer McWhorter, Jr., Michael S. Parks, Jaana Porra, Leiser Silva

Assistant Professors:
Kathy L. Cossick (Clinical), Iris A. Junglas, Michael Murray (Visiting), Philip D. Rogers (Clinical), Carl Scott (Clinical), Gordon Smith (Clinical), Staci Smith (Clinical), Victor Wayhan (Clinical)

The Department of Decision and Information Sciences (DISC) offers two majors: management information systems and supply chain management. The variety and depth of courses provide an excellent foundation for careers in information systems or business operations.

Decision and Information Sciences Requirements

Business majors must meet the business, nonbusiness, and elective requirements for a baccalaureate degree as well as the following for a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a major in one of the following options:

Management Information Systems Requirements (MIS)

Information systems are used in virtually every profession. Sales representatives use information systems to advertise products, communicate with customers, and analyze sales trends. Managers use them to make multimillion-dollar decisions, such as whether to build a manufacturing plant or research a cancer drug. Corporate lawyers use them to develop contracts and other legal documents. Automobile manufacturers use them to develop, test, and manufacture new cars. From a small music store to huge multinational corporations, organizations of all sizes could not survive without information systems to perform accounting and finance operations.

The MIS professional is involved in the identification, creation, and maintenance of the above information systems. He/she operates as an internal consultant to all functional areas of the organization, being knowledgeable about their strategic and operational needs as well as competent in bringing the power of information technology to support these needs. The MIS professional views issues through a global perspective that encompasses the entire organization and the broader industry and business environment in which it operates. As such, the MIS professional is tasked to help an organization thrive in a highly interconnected and highly competitive global environment. And though low-level programming jobs are being offshored to countries such as India, the need for MIS professionals described here are increasing greater than the average of all professions (see the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics website at http://www.bls.gov/oco/). The following are examples of the jobs the MIS graduates at the University of Houston take on:

• Business/Systems Analyst - is responsible for analyzing the business needs of clients to help identify business problems and propose solutions. The business analyst typically functions as a liaison between the business side of the enterprise and the providers of information technology services to the enterprise.
• Business Application/Systems Developer - is a person who uses a set of tools (e.g., programming languages, application generators, database package, etc.) and develops a software product.
• Business Intelligence Analyst - use computer tools to query data repositories and generate reports that help managers make business decisions by identifying trends and patterns in a company's data (concerning inventory, sales, customers, etc.) that are usually stored in companywide repositories called data warehouses.
• Database Administrator - manages the design and development and maintenance of organizational databases in order to guarantee the databases' performance, integrity, and quality.
• Database Analyst - designs, implements, and maintains organizational databases, thereby ensuring database performance and system integration.
• Information Systems Manager - directs IS operations including computer operations, technical support, systems analysis and programming, database management, telecommunications, IS training, and microcomputer technology.
• Information Systems Development Project Leader - plans, organizes, and controls the activities of business systems analysts and system developers to ensure that project goals, timelines, and budgets are met.
• Information Systems User Liaison - provides the link between user departments and the information technology group by answering and/or obtaining answers to technical questions, ensuring that user department hardware and applications are properly working, and providing guidance to business analysts and developers during new systems development and maintenance projects.
• Network Administrator - installs, configures, and maintains the organization's local area network (LAN) server and workstations. He/she sets up and monitors network systems, resolves network problems, and provides technical assistance to users.
• Web Developer - determines user strategies and goals and develops and maintains internal and external web pages that meet these needs.

Management Information Systems (MIS) students at the Bauer College learn how to identify and create the types of information systems and take on the jobs described above. Some characteristics that make successful MIS students and great MIS professionals include the following:

• You like to solve problems and to work with people
• You like to take on responsibility for developing and implementing your ideas
• You are good at managing your time and resources

If you are interested in business and would like to keep up with what is technologically hot but don't want to write programs all your life, then you should seriously consider majoring in MIS.

Management Information Systems (24 semester hours)

1. Complete MIS 3360, 3370, 3371, 3376,  4374, and 4478.
2. Select six hours from MIS 4371, 4372, 4376, 4379, 4477, 4380, or other approved MIS electives.

Supply Chain Management Requirements

Supply Chain Management (SCM) encompasses the planning and management of all the activities and resources that organizations use to produce goods and services that satisfy customer demands. There are five core processes common to all supply chains: planning how to satisfy customer demand, sourcing supply chains for raw materials and services, producing the product or service, delivering the product or service to the customer, and managing returned goods for recycle, repair or reuse. These core processes occur in both manufacturing enterprises and service organization, and apply as well to government agencies and non-profit institutions. Thus the challenges in making all these operations the most efficient and effective are the keys to the success of any organization. As a result the opportunities for initial employment in operations management field and career advancements are tremendous.

Supply Chain Management (SCM) students at the Bauer College learn how to analyze the supply chain core processes and develop recommendations that enable companies to reduce costs, improve productivity, and achieve greater customer satisfaction. Recent graduates of supply chain management have taken jobs as analysts and/or consultants in areas such as service operations, quality management, project management, purchasing, inventory management, manufacturing planning, transportation logistics management, Enterprise Resource Planing (ERP), and many other areas: These jobs include:

• Supply Chain Management Professional: Responsibilities include managing supplier relationships, sourcing goods and services globally, effectively planning for production and demand, managing inventory and product movements, and ensuring material quality. Collectively, these tasks can have a significant impact on the Company's profitability.
• Production Planner: Responsible for scheduling finished material and intermediate production to maintain inventory levels and satisfy customer demand. Also develops and implements solutions relating to the planning operations using enterprise resource planning systems and other software to improve efficiencies.
• Transportation Planner: Responsible for working effectively with carriers and customer service to coordinate various operations affecting outbound bulk and packaged shipments, including exports. Utilizing SAP and PC based systems, this professional will also develop and implement computerized solutions relating to the traffic operations.
• Buyer/Planner: Responsible for executing all aspects of daily planning and execution for assemble to order products. Sets up and tracks demand and supply of customer orders and forecasts. Works closely with Customer Service, Marketing, and Engineering to ensure on time delivery to quoted or committed deliveries.

Some characteristics that make successful Supply Chain Management students and highly respected Supply Chain Management professionals include the following:

• Excellent interpersonal skills and a desire to work with people at all levels in an organization
• Ability to think critically about a problem and develop creative solutions
• Strong analytical skills
• Self-motivation and intellectual curiosity

If you are interested in a challenging job with excellent career growth opportunities, then Supply Chain Management could be a great major for you.

Supply Chain Management (24 semester hours)

Prerequisite: SCM 3301: Service and Manufacturing Operations

1. Select six (6) advanced SCM electives from among the following courses: SCM 4361, 4362, 4363, 4364, 4365, 4366,4367, 4368, 4369, 4370, 4371, 4388, 4390, 4397, and 4398.
2. Select six semester hours of approved advanced electives in business.

Majors list
Required Hours

Catalog Publish Date: August 19, 2010
This Page Last Updated: July 1, 2010
Effective Date of Archive: January 13, 2011