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Management Information Systems

Online Bachelor’s Degree Program

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40
Total Courses
$335
Cost per Credit
2.5 Years
Time to Completion With 2 Courses per Term
12-15 hours/week
Time Commitment
Upcoming Start Dates

Explore Management Information Systems

Today's organizations are seeking professionals who can bridge the gaps between business and information technology. Champlain’s online management information systems degree will help you advance your career in this growing field, more to the table than your valuable IT skills as both an experienced business and information technology professional.

Build Your Career Future

Graduates of Champlain's management information systems online degree will have the skills needed for project management for enterprise resource planning (ERP), database management systems, and information systems design. With a focus on both foundational business and information technology skills (including knowledge of 7+ key applications, platforms, and programming languages, listed below),in addition to key soft skills like problem-solving and critical-thinking, you'll emerge from the program as a well-rounded employee prepared to tackle today's emerging technologies challenges, and with a diverse skill set that can carry you through your career.

Program Curriculum

Learn more about Champlain's 100% online management information systems bachelor's degree, designed for working professionals.

Champlain's online management information systems courses encompass the top skills needed by today's IT professionals. Graduates of the program are required to complete the following courses.

IT Courses (33 credits)

Business Courses (27 credits)

Business Elective (6 Credits)

General Education Courses (42 credits)

General Electives (12 credits) 

Note: Some of the courses in this program are available in 15-week terms only. Please contact your advisor for details.  

This course provides students with an understanding of the many different devices and technologies, from historical to emerging, that are required to design and build networks. In a broad survey of concepts and terminology, students will learn about topology, communications, protocols, and security, and to diagram basic networks to specification.

From day one, students in this course are problem solving, first in terms of algorithmic design and then as early as week two via programming in the latest version of Python, using PyCharm. Students begin by writing a program to have a conversation, having strings and numbers as input, and advance, by week seven, to building a working password saver program, capable of looking up, adding (and encrypting), and storing passwords.

In this course, students must use previously acquired and new, advanced skills in SQL (Structured Query Language) to modify an existing database to the needs of a client. Students write stored procedures and common table expressions, and learn to debug, rollback and use system stored procedures.

Prerequisites

CMIT-200

In the first of two capstone courses for the Management Information Systems (MIS) degree, students explore the role, types, and planning and development of MIS. Individual and team assignments reinforce learning of key concepts related to strategic initiatives and global trends, supply chain management, and innovative organizations and e-business initiatives.

Prerequisites

NETW-330, CMIT-310

In the second of two capstone courses for the Management Information Systems (MIS) degree, students design, plan, and develop a project that addresses a contemporary computer information system industry challenge and management problem. Students must consider people, processes and technology, including ethics and security, and present their proposals and solutions to the class and instructor.

Prerequisites

CMIT-410

This course, through guided research and hands-on learning experiences, provides students with an understanding of operating systems, including their core fundamental principles and how they work. Students are introduced to the three most popular operating systems for personal computers (Windows, OSX and Linux), and mobile operating systems, and learn about standard functions such as memory, process/thread, input/output, storage and device management.

This course covers the fundamentals of systems analysis while emphasizing the role of communication and other soft skills needed in IT and in business overall to be successful. The topics are useful for anyone who is involved in developing software system requirements and architectures (e.g., users, technical managers, product managers, technical leads, programmers, other software project team members, and clients).

Prerequisites

CMIT-135, CMIT-200, MGMT-260

Examines the basic principles and methodologies used in the design of both local and wide area networks. Topics include network options, analysis, component and protocol selection, performance considerations and RFP development.

Prerequisites

NETW-250 or NETW-260

Learn the basics and more in this course on Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS) and SQL (Structured Query Language). Students propose a final project in the first module and then work, week-by-week, to design, create, and populate the database. Then, students learn to create queries and stored procedures.

Prerequisites

CMIT-135

Websites have three functions - to facilitate, enable and persuade - and are only useful if they can connect people and achieve definite goals. In this course, students learn to understand the concept of usability, and the roles of interaction, users, communication and collaboration as well as how to evaluate usability, and observe and test users.

Prerequisites

WEBD-215 OR SDEV-230

Choose One of the following courses

This hands-on course will cover the fundamentals of current Windows server systems and network administration. Topics will include the basics of installing the operating system, adding and managing users and groups, installing and managing services, Windows security objects and permissions, disaster recovery, and migration from previous versions of the operating system.

Prerequisites

CMIT-140

A hands-on course covering key components of the Linux operating system. Through hands-on activities students will gain a working knowledge of the Linux operating system. Topics include installation and configuration of Linux, using common commands and graphical interfaces, installing common server applications, User and group account management, as well as performance monitoring and security systems.

Prerequisites

CMIT-140

Accounting is the language of business. This course introduces the student to accounting from the point of view of the user of financial reports and is appropriate for personal as well as business applications. Students explore the impact of transactions on the financial position and profitability of a business, and analyze financial reports of real-world corporations.

Managerial accounting focuses on the needs of management for accounting information to make informed decisions in the internal operations of a company. Topics include decision-making, accounting for planning and control, cost-volume-profit relationships, and budgeting.

Prerequisites

ACCT-130

Provides an overview of the entire legal system, with an emphasis on contract rights. Discusses the essential elements of a contract, the breach of contracts and the remedies for breach. Presents business and consumer laws, including white-collar crime, landlord-tenant rights, real property interests and administrative law.

At the very base, businesses organize resources to earn a return on investments. Students are introduced to this concept from a process-based and integrative perspective; i.e. understanding how assets and people come together to accomplish their goal. They also learn about factors that can impact a business's success including socially responsible factors, globalization, innovative thinking and technology. Students use current articles and discussions to develop informed opinions about the place of their organizations and their leaders in the global economy.

Students will learn about the application of positive individual and group strengths and capacities that can be recognized, evaluated, and expanded to advance organizational well-being. This course encourages students to apply positive organizational behavior processes to everyday challenges organizations face to drive positive workplace behaviors and outcomes. This course also helps students to practice and gain skills, knowledge, and competencies to become positive and impactful leaders and change-makers from whatever position they hold.

All businesses have information systems, and the vast majority of them are computerized. Students will study the development and use of information systems to achieve organizational goals. From a management perspective, students will learn how information systems enhance business processes, how to use information systems as a competitive advantage and their usefulness in integrating across organizations. Other topics include IS security, ethical issues surrounding information systems and the consequences of its international reach.

Project Management is the formal application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project-based activities to meet organizational requirements. Project management is accomplished through the use of processes such as Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, and Closing. Project managers can divide projects into these phases to provide better management control with appropriate links to the ongoing operations of the organization. Collectively, these phases, known as the project life cycle, form the foundation for the practice of project management and are guided by the Body of Knowledge from the Project Management Institute (PMI).

Ensuring a positive experience and lasting customer/client relationships is crucial for business managers across employment sectors - public, private, and non-profit. Topics such as business process management, customer experience management, customer relationship management, customer service support, and related performance measurements and technologies are covered in this course. Assignments and discussions require application and synthesis of business knowledge and include global issues such as the generation of revenue through strong customer relationships and related outsourcing issues. Students also begin to view business as a group of integrated processes, rather than a group of functional silos.

Prerequisites

MKTG-200

The American Marketing Association defines Marketing as the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large. In this course, students will learn marketing terminology and principles including the marketing mix, marketing segmentation and how external forces impact marketing strategy as well as how marketing fits into the organization.The impact of ethical issues, diversity, globalization and social responsibility on marketing decisions will also be examined.

In addition to the following general education requirements, please fulfill a general education elective with any course from ARTS, COMM, CRIT, ENGL, HIST, MATH, PHIL, PSYC, SOCI, any CRIM except 225, or MKCM 120. 

Written Communication
Complete the following two courses:

This course introduces students to the foundational concepts needed to communicate effectively in writing for academic study and professional development. Students will also learn to read critically to evaluate an author's message. Students will be introduced to rhetorical modes and their role in the development of written communication. Students will also learn how to use revision strategies to create written communication that meets its intended purpose for its intended audience

This course builds on students' proficiency in the writing process and rhetorical modes to introduce the use of sources in written communication. Students will practice information literacy as they learn to determine information needs from sources, develop effective search strategies, and incorporate sources in written communication, legally and ethically.

Prerequisites

Complete ENGL-100

Oral Communication

Starting with a frame of human communication as a dynamic system of interactions in which people make choices that impact their relationships, other people, and themselves, students will define theory-informed communication concepts and processes, and critically examine how they apply to everyday life across a variety of contexts. Students will reflect on how the theory, concepts and processes apply to their own lives in becoming competent communicators who are knowledgeable, skilled, and versatile.

Collaboration

This course draws on fundamental concepts of contemporary group communication research to help students identify and develop strategies to communicate effectively in small groups and teams for the cooperative purpose of advancing common goals. Students will draw on listening and responding strategies learned in COMM-130 Interpersonal Communication and apply them to communicating as a leader or member of a small group. They will also learn how to recognize and manage the types of conflicts that can arise in small groups. Prerequisite: COMM-130 Interpersonal Communication

Prerequisites

Complete COMM-130

Inquiry & Analysis

Students will learn and apply critical inquiry skills to analyze persuasive communication created by others and to develop persuasive communication/arguments of their own to solve problems in professional, civic, social, and personal contexts. Specifically, students will learn to recognize fallacies in logic; apply inductive and deductive reasoning strategies to the interpretation and development of persuasive communication; evaluate the validity of sources; and develop logically sound persuasive communication. Students will explore the roles of self-awareness, empathy, and ethics in the context of critical inquiry and the development of arguments.

Prerequisites

Complete ENGL-110.

Technology Literacy
Complete one of the following courses, unless your program requires a specific course.

This course is an historical overview, and examination of the evolution of digital, film, and print media, and their functions. Students will identify and analyze contemporary problems of the media such as the legal, social, economic and psychological implications of their relationships with society. They also will examine the ways in which marketing and PR professionals utilize the mass media channels to reach their intended target audiences.

This course explores the complex and evolving relationship between human beings and technology. Through a multi-disciplinary approach that draws on fields such as sociology, psychology, philosophy, and history, students will examine the ways in which technology has shaped human culture, identity, and values, as well as how humans have influenced and continue to influence the development, adoption and use of technology.

Quantitative Literacy
Complete one of the following courses:

Mathematical reasoning, when applied to everyday and professional lives, has two dimensions: logic for deterministic situations and probabilities for non-deterministic situations. This course aims to help students develop these mathematical reasoning skills.

This course introduces students to basic statistics for data literacy. With a focus on exploring real-world data, students will interpret numerical information and utilize the tools necessary to complete the entire statistical process: designing a study; gathering, organizing, and analyzing sample data; and making inferences about a population. Students will demonstrate data-driven decision-making and effective communication of numerical data.

This course covers the fundamental concepts of linear algebra and analytical geometry, including matrices, vectors, linear transformations, and systems of linear equations. Students will also explore the analytical geometry of Euclidean spaces, including lines, planes, circles, spheres, and conic sections. In this course, students will develop their mathematical reasoning skills and learn how to apply these principles to solve real-world problems.

Scientific Literacy: Natural Sciences
Complete one of the following courses, unless your program requires a specific course.

Introduces students to the biochemistry and physiology of nutrition and exercise. Emphasis will be placed on human body systems such as musculoskeletal, digestive, respiratory and circulatory, and their relationship to nutrition and fitness. Students will also study the biochemistry of energy conversion as it relates to exercise physiology. Laboratory sessions are designed to reinforce, by a hands-on approach, the principles discussed in lecture. Course includes two laboratory hours per week.

Students learn the biology, genetics, chemistry, and physics involved in the forensic investigation of crimes. A wide range of topics are studied including DNA, entomology, fingerprinting, trace evidence, serology (blood, saliva, and semen), blood spatter, and chemical analysis of drugs, alcohol, and other compounds. Students apply their new knowledge of forensic science through the use of case studies and laboratories. This course includes two laboratory hours per week.

Students will develop the ability to apply scientific methods to understand the natural world, to identify scientific aspects of daily life, and to evaluate the quality of scientific information based on its source and the methods used for its generation.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Global/Cultural Understanding

This course will introduce students to major streams of social justice thought, including historical social justice movements, theoretical problems having to do with social equality, personal freedom, marginalization, and stigmatization, and the ways in which civic and professional communities respond to these issues.

Arts & Humanities
Complete any two of the following, unless your program requires a specific course:

With pressure and release, a window opens and closes, recording light on a sensor. The simple action captures the instinct, judgement, and skill of the person behind the lens. This class will begin a study of the art and craft of photography. Students will develop their vision and their understanding of how to achieve it. Solid skills will be learned and many doors will be opened.

A survey of the continuing change experienced in art since the 15th century. Students will examine how an image is achieved as well as the significance of the subject represented. Individual inquiry concerning the nature of art is encouraged.

Students learn to appreciate films through the critical analysis of various elements of mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing and sound. The course introduces the conventions of classical Hollywood cinema, considers the work of one major director (auteur), and surveys selected international and independent films. Students view and discuss films each week.

Students in the course will explore the cultural history of the music genre broadly referred to as rock. Students will explore the social, economic and political contexts that are influenced by and that influenced each style in the United States. By listening, watching, reflecting upon, discussing and writing, students will explore how music takes on meaning, personally, and culturally. Topics and themes include the relationships between and among gospel, country, funk, folk, disco, rap and hip hop; the role of business and technology in those relationships, and political or transgressive elements of rock music.

Students will apply communication theory and research to address the particular challenges to communicating effectively in organizations. Students will learn how to identify organizational communication problems, analyze those problems, and generate effective solutions. Students will examine the relationship between organizational structure and specific communicative practices, and how communication practices by organizational members establish, maintain, or change organizational culture. They will also learn how to anticipate communication deficiencies in organizations, and use communication as a means to facilitate organizational development and innovation.

Prerequisites

Complete COMM-130

Specific application of common tools for writing in the working world. Students will be instructed in rhetorical strategies of professional writing including style, report formats, editing, document design, and integration of visual aids. Students will complete a semester-long writing project; oral and written reports associated with the process of problem-solving within the project will be included.

Prerequisites

ENGL-112 or COR-125

Students will learn how to create conditions for successful conflict engagement, a necessary skill for any professional. The course focuses on the foundational capacities to remain calm and connected with oneself and others. In this state students can access helpful ideas and responses and be their best selves regardless of environment. Improving facility for conflict creates stronger relationships and reduces fear. By the end of the course, students will understand that disagreement and difference can become a source of personal and interpersonal growth.

Ethics refers to accepted standards of right and wrong that prescribe what humans ought to do in various contexts, typically in relation to rights, obligations/duties, benefits to society, fairness, consequences, and virtues. In this course, students will explore both theoretical and practical dimensions of ethics in order to 1) define ethics and identify ethical positions and principles, 2) critically reflect on how ethics impacts individual and collective responsibility, decision-making, and action, and 3) apply ethics to the personal, civic, and professional contexts.

Prerequisites

ENGL-110

This course introduces students to the fundamental elements of technical writing (clear, concise, and targeted)that are common among seven forms of technical communication: email correspondence, editing,employment communication, proposals, long, formal reports,oral communication, and inventions. Through peer reviews and writing workshops, students develop the ability to write and edit text that precisely targets its audience. This course emphasizes deepening and broadening students' writing, speaking, and thinking abilities in a non-lecture-based, hands-on, discussion-centered classroom.

Prerequisites

ENGL-112 or COR-125

Social Sciences
Complete any two of the following courses, unless your program requires a specific course(s):

Provides a comprehensive analysis of the fundamentals of substantive criminal law. Students will learn the essential elements of crimes and the rationale underlying criminal law. The nature of jurisdiction, the criminal act, the criminal state of mind and matters affecting responsibility for criminal conduct are included.

This course focuses on the rules and procedures governing how the American criminal justice system must process individuals suspected, accused, and convicted of law violations.

This course provides students with a broad overview of the history, theory, and fundamentals of criminal investigation. Students are introduced to the basic responsibilities of investigators and protocols for report writing, evidence collection, and preparation of cases for trial. They also learn specific investigative techniques for different types of crimes, such as crimes involving violence and property, terrorism, and hate crimes, and, where appropriate, compare investigative protocols from other legal cultures.

Prerequisites

Take CRIM-120, CRIM-121.

Principles of Economics introduces the fundamental concepts of economics - the study of how people manage resources, and how they react to scarcity. This course focuses on both microeconomics (the behavior of consumers and companies) and macroeconomics (large-scale economic factors such as employment and interest rates), so that you'll gain a broad understanding of how a modern market economy functions, how decisions in business settings are informed by economics, and how economics applies to your everyday life.

Students will study important themes in the social history of the United States since the Civil War. This course allows students to expand their critical thinking skills through an examination of primary and secondary sources. Themes might include: the evolving status of women; the immigrant experience; the concept of the American dream; the paradox of freedom vs. slavery; the minority experience; the tensions between social classes. Students will be evaluated primarily on writing assignments.

In this course, students will explore broad, foundational knowledge in psychology, including its history, major theorists and a survey of psychology subfields such as developmental, cognitive and social psychology. Students will also describe and assess the role of ethics and social responsibility in the study and application of psychological theory and practices.

In this class, students will explore how social relationships, groups, societies and culture develop and change over time. From a sociological theory foundation and employing the sociological imagination, students will examine the impact of social structures, institutions, and systems on individual lives. Students will apply sociological research methods to investigate sociological phenomena in their own lives.

Additional Program Details

Graduates of the management information systems bachelor's online program will demonstrate the following skills, knowledge, and competencies:

  • Data, Database Management, and Data Analysis. Create models, policies and procedures for the efficient and secure operation of databases, database management systems, and data analysis and visualization tools, to support business operations and decision-making processes.
  • Assessing the Value of IT Systems. Assess the value of different computational technologies, both established and emerging, and their ability to support business, from manufacturing, supply chain, and inventory management to customer relationship.
  • Maximizing IT Systems for Business Success. Describe the impact of different options in design, development, configuration, and integration of hardware and software components on the overall quality and value of information systems.
  • Management Proficiency. Apply project, process, and human resource management principles and best practices to the acquisition, implementation and management of information systems in complex legal and ethical organizational environments.
  • Enabling Business Strategy. Correlate critical business functions, business strategy, and operational success with information systems.
  • Linux Server
  • PyCharm
  • Python
  • Relational Database Management System (RDBMS)
  • SQL (Structured Query Language)
  • VMware
  • Windows Server

Champlain College Online's management information systems faculty, led by Dr. Albert Orbinati, are expert practitioners in the field. Their industry expertise ensures that our curriculum is aligned with the needs of employers, and reflects the skills today’s management information systems professionals need for success. Classes led by our seasoned experts will give you real-world insight into the world of information technology, and create a rich community of career-focused learning.

Alumni of the Champlain College Online bachelor's in computer and information systems program work in corporations, small businesses, government organizations, and nonprofits nationwide, including:

  • BB&T
  • CACI International
  • Comcast
  • IBM Corporation
  • Keurig Dr. Pepper
  • MetLife
  • New London Hospital
  • Red Hat, Inc.
  • State of Vermont
  • Sun Life Financial
  • U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
  • Vested Technologies 

Titles our alumni hold include:

  • Business Analyst
  • Computer Systems Engineer
  • Customer Experience Specialist 
  • Enterprise Architect
  • Financial Program Specialist 
  • Manager Network Operations 
  • Information Security Support
  • IT Project Manager
  • Production Associate
  • Senior Accounts Coordinator 
  • Senior Systems Engineer

Tuition & Costs

Online Undergraduate Tuition Fall '23 - Summer '25

$335 per credit
$1,005* per course
$290** per credit for Champlain alumni or associate degree graduates from any college or university
$250 per credit for military service members (family members see truED tuition)
$150 One-time graduation fee

*Based on a 3-credit course; cost will vary if course is a different number of credits

** Starts Summer 2024, not retroactive 

See the undergraduate cost of attendance and fees here

Affordability and Paying For Your Education

We provide a number of options to make your online education affordable, including preferred tuition for alumni, associate degree graduates, community college graduates, and military.

What Can You Do With A Degree In Management Information Systems?

Computer and information technology occupations are projected to grow 13% from 2020 to 2030, much faster than the average for all new occupations, as a result of an increased business focus on cloud computing, data collection and storage, and information security. The median annual salary for these occupations is $91,250.*

Graduates of Champlain's online management information systems degree program will be prepared to work as information systems managers in fields such as finance and insurance, the information sector, company and enterprise management, and government.

*Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 2020; job titles: Payscale, 2020

Top Jobs for Bachelor's in Management Information Systems Graduates

  • Database Administration
  • IT Business Analyst
  • Project Manager, Information Technology
  • Systems Administrator
  • IT Manager
Management information systems online bachelor's degree graduate collaborating with colleague near computer server

Why Champlain

Online Experience

"Sometimes I got up early and used 5AM to 7AM to do my homework, and then if I had a break throughout the day, I could hop on my phone or tablet and access the online classroom through the app. Champlain makes going to school really accessible and easy."

Crystal Collins Bachelor's in Computer Forensics & Digital Investigation
Private Investigator
Crystal Collins, Bachelor's in Computer Forensics & Digital Investigation from Champlain College Online

Academic Excellence and Recognition

New England Commission of Higher Education Logo

Regionally accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education

Military Friendly Designation, Silver Badge 2024-2025

Designated as a Military Friendly School for our commitment to the military community

Tech Guide logo/badge

Ranked among the best by Tech Guide for game design and computer science

badge for 2024 ranking

Named the among the best schools with accelerated bachelor's degrees by Intelligent.com

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Sunset over Lake Champlain from Champlain College campus in Burlington, Vermont

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