[Clubber]

MIS is like programming + business. You take regular business classes (accounting, marketing, finance, management) but also programming related classes like database design, programming, project management, etc. It skips the 3 semesters of Calc and 3 semesters of Physics and replaces it with statistics and business calc. It's more practical and less theoretical than CS. It's a nice balance IMO. You could just minor in Business if you are too deep into CS.

MIS more prepares you for building IT in regular business. It's broad but shallow; you learn about database design, project management, application development, networking, the whole gamut (depending on your school). You learn the real stuff on "the street" anyway. Companies typically treat it as equivalent to a CS degree. You can get into whatever industry that interests you.

*I switched from CS to MIS and glad I did, but this info is 20+ years old, things might have changed since.

[apohn]

It's been a long time for me too, but I went to a school with a well regarded MIS program and I interacted with a lot of MIS people.

I'm saying this wery lightheartedly - I felt like 80% of the people in MIS programs where people who needed (because society dictates you have to get a degree) to go to college and didn't care really care about tech or business, but they need a degree so why not both? 10% were people who should have majored in CS or Business, but for some reason didn't realize it early enough in their college journey and they didn't want to redo 1-2 years of coursework. The other 10% were destined to become the a$$hole VPs/SVPs who everybody hates, and the MIS degree was just another step to world domination and them self-justifying that they have a "technical" background.

>Companies typically treat it as equivalent to a CS degree.

I don't think this is true at all unless the company is one of those who hires SWEs who don't really do any actual software engineering.

[Clubber]

In my experience, you could get a lot out of it if you were really into it like I was. You could also coast by and not obtain any desirable skills for employers and still pass. I suspect most degrees are like that though.

I really enjoyed it though. I learned so much that my first job utilized everything I learned. At a small growing company that needed in-house expertise. I did the network, the switches, the workstation builds, the servers, built the database and applications on top of it all. I did project cost/time estimates and carried them out. After about a year we hired a full time network/client guy and I stuck to applications / database. It was a lot of work but I really enjoyed it and got a lot out of it. I don't think I would have been able to cover that much ground with just a CS degree.

>I don't think this is true at all unless the company is one of those who hires SWEs who don't really do any actual software engineering.

I don't know if it's still true, but when jobs would require "CS degree or equivalent," they meant MIS/CIS, at least 20+ years ago.

[apohn]

> I did the network, the switches, the workstation builds, the servers, built the database and applications on top of it all.

You are most certainly an exception to most people I knew in the MIS program at my school. :)

>I don't know if it's still true, but when jobs would require "CS degree or equivalent," they meant MIS/CIS, at least 20+ years ago.

I'm old enough to remember when people I know would graduate with "MIS" or "IT" degrees and get a $55K job building and installing Windows NT 4.0 servers with a bunch of other stuff (e.g. networking) on the side. It was a great starting salary at the time. Then the dot-com bust happened.

I definitely think software engineering now is at the point where CS or STEM degree really means that. Programming has just become a lot more specialized than back then. Well, at least hiring managers seem to think so...

[johntdaly]

I agree with Clubber, stick with CS and a minor in business. MIS sounds nice if you want to go IT.

The minor in business can take you in some of the management positions in IT, experience can take you into others. But the minor in business can also take you out of IT.

Nothing speaks against finding a job you “like” (love is asking much of a job) and turn tech into a hobby and going more into electronics instead of software. To be honest technology makes a nice and exiting hobby but often a less exiting Job. As soon as a cool idea meats up with customers things can get ugly for stupid reasons.