MIS vs. CS degrees

[pluggingalong]

I am planning to also work on an UMPI BAL MIS degree, but was curious if anyone had heard of any "issues" with the degree being a "Liberal Studies" degree? I've never looked a lot at the "Liberal Arts" parts of colleges before, is "Liberal Studies" akin to "Liberal Arts"? Does it prevent you from pursuing a Masters in MIS from another school, where the Masters is from the business or science department?

[rachel83az]

I've never looked a lot at the "Liberal Arts" parts of colleges before, is "Liberal Studies" akin to "Liberal Arts"?

They are exactly the same thing. It's just called different things at different schools. Some call it Liberal Arts, some call it Liberal Studies, some call it General Studies, etc.

 Does it prevent you from pursuing a Masters in MIS from another school, where the Masters is from the business or science department?

Possibly, yes. You would need to contact the grad school in question. If you're able to take certain prerequisite courses, it might not matter what your degree is listed as. But it might matter.

[ss20ts]

I am planning to also work on an UMPI BAL MIS degree, but was curious if anyone had heard of any "issues" with the degree being a "Liberal Studies" degree?  I've never looked a lot at the "Liberal Arts" parts of colleges before, is "Liberal Studies" akin to "Liberal Arts"?  Does it prevent you from pursuing a Masters in MIS from another school, where the Masters is from the business or science department?

Some schools will require very specific bachelor's degrees for entry into their master's programs. IT/CIS/Comp Sci/ and even business programs can be very particular. You need to have the appropriate foundation as an undergrad for most of these types of programs because you will not be covering the basics as a grad student. Undergrad programs typically teach you the theories behind the concepts. In grad programs you're typically applying the theories and doing research. The BLS with MIS minor is not an MIS degree at all. I've completed this degree and unless one already works in IT/CompSci/CIS you won't really have the necessary knowledge and skills to begin a career in this field with this degree. You don't build a portfolio either. You complete 1 paper, project, or exam for each course so there's nothing to really use for a portfolio either. It's not a program where you can really hone your skills.

[pluggingalong]

I am planning to also work on an UMPI BAL MIS degree, but was curious if anyone had heard of any "issues" with the degree being a "Liberal Studies" degree?  I've never looked a lot at the "Liberal Arts" parts of colleges before, is "Liberal Studies" akin to "Liberal Arts"?  Does it prevent you from pursuing a Masters in MIS from another school, where the Masters is from the business or science department?

Some schools will require very specific bachelor's degrees for entry into their master's programs. IT/CIS/Comp Sci/ and even business programs can be very particular. You need to have the appropriate foundation as an undergrad for most of these types of programs because you will not be covering the basics as a grad student. Undergrad programs typically teach you the theories behind the concepts. In grad programs you're typically applying the theories and doing research. The BLS with MIS minor is not an MIS degree at all. I've completed this degree and unless one already works in IT/CompSci/CIS you won't really have the necessary knowledge and skills to begin a career in this field with this degree. You don't build a portfolio either. You complete 1 paper, project, or exam for each course so there's nothing to really use for a portfolio either. It's not a program where you can really hone your skills.

I've been a programmer for a long time, so I mostly just need a degree for HR people to check-off, though I would also be very happy about it.   I could do something like get the BAL MIS degree, then get some AWS certs, make a portfolio of cloud projects, and then go get a cloud job.  I would rather do that, than say go through WGU's cloud path. I could skip all the other certs WGU requires.

[bjcheung77]

I've been a programmer for a long time, so I mostly just need a degree for HR people to check-off, though I would also be very happy about it.   I could do something like get the BAL MIS degree, then get some AWS certs, make a portfolio of cloud projects, and then go get a cloud job.  I would rather do that, than say go through WGU's cloud path. I could skip all the other certs WGU requires.

What I usually recommend is a balanced mix of certs, degrees, experience. An example is exactly what you illustrated, another option is to get the UMPI BLS MIS and also ladder that up to an WGU MS ITM or an WGU MBA ITM. If you prefer staying at UMPI you can go for an UMPI MAOL, options are endless as long as you know what will "hit" those requirements and checkboxes. With your experience already, there really isn't a need for a Computer Science degree unless that's what you're looking for at the master's level...

[pluggingalong]

I'm having more reservations about an "IT" degree that is a Liberal Arts degree. My fear is that the value of the degree will literally be zero. Every other IT degree I've ever heard of, was either a "science" degree, or a "business" degree. People that didn't want to do Calculus, would take the "business" path. I've never heard of anyone getting an "IT" degree that was "Liberal Arts".

I've worked as a programmer for a long-time, and can get jobs without a degree, but many of them *prefer* a degree, offer you less if you don't have one, or make you jump through a lot of hoops to be "extra sure" you're a good hire. I almost wonder if a Liberal Arts degree would work against me, because they would say, "Why didn't you get a science or business degree?". I move around a lot, I could move to where the college is, go online, and tell people I went to the college because I lived in the same town, and that was the only IT degree they offered.

A "General Studies" degree with an IT minor would sound better than a "Liberal Arts" degree with an IT minor. Maybe I'm over-thinking it, but I am slowly convincing myself the BALS MIS could work against me.

[MNomadic]

I definitely think you're overthinking it. Like you said, you can already get jobs but some employers will still prefer a degree. So even a liberal arts degree would check that box. If they question(and I doubt they would) why you went with liberal arts MIS vs BS or Business, just say you wanted to be a well rounded person and talk about how having some extra humanities/arts/whatever classes contributed to your soft skills since you already had most of the tech skills you needed.

[spohara]

I'm having more reservations about an "IT" degree that is a Liberal Arts degree.  My fear is that the value of the degree will literally be zero. Every other IT degree I've ever heard of, was either a "science" degree, or a "business" degree. People that didn't want to do Calculus, would take the "business" path. I've never heard of anyone getting an "IT" degree that was "Liberal Arts".

I've worked as a programmer for a long-time, and can get jobs without a degree, but many of them *prefer* a degree, offer you less if you don't have one, or make you jump through a lot of hoops to be "extra sure" you're a good hire. I almost wonder if a Liberal Arts degree would work against me, because they would say, "Why didn't you get a science or business degree?".  I move around a lot, I could move to where the college is, go online, and tell people I went to the college because I lived in the same town, and that was the only IT degree they offered.

A "General Studies" degree with an IT minor would sound better than a "Liberal Arts" degree with an IT minor. Maybe I'm over-thinking it, but I am slowly convincing myself the BALS MIS could work against me.

I don't know anything about UMPI really, but I'm also going back for a second bach to open up more doors.  And from my perspective, I think you have to look at the ADDED value for the degree.  Like you said, you can already get jobs, but how do you add value to your resume?

Well one of the things you wanted to avoid was 'jumping through hoops' to prove you're a good hire.  Moving to a town so you can concoct a story that you can maybe sell to an HR department at some companies doesn't sound like much of a value add in that department.

What doors do you think you're opening that are currently closed and how much do you expect it to add to your pay?  As you've said you've been at this a while, so the experience is there, you're just looking for a third party to tell people that you're legit.  What is the best way to do that, and how do you get the most ROI on that?  What doors specifically are you trying to open up?  This is what you should focus on.

My example: I need Computer Science as the major.  Specifically I'm trying to meet very specific criteria for a data science job in the federal government: "Mathematics, statistics, computer science, data science or field directly related to the position. The degree must be in a major field of study (at least at the baccalaureate level) that is appropriate for the position." (and the appropriate for the position is very limited - like healthcare/bioinformatics, my current bach has been rejected multiple times even when it was social science related).  BA or BS doesn't matter, but general studies/liberal studies/liberal arts with a concentration in xyz doesn't work - has to be the major field of study.  So for me I have one very specific door I'm trying to open with absolutely no interest in going out into the industry side to be a programmer/developer.  So closing doors there is completely fine with me so long as it opens the one I need it to open.  

Mine is maybe more concrete than yours because I know what I'm going for and it has very clear criteria.  Yours might be a bit more fuzzy because it isn't clear exactly what companies are hiring based on, but I think the mindset is important.  I'd try to seek out that information the best I could, and try to close as few doors as possible until you know which ones you're willing to close.

[LevelUP]

Have you checked out the BABA Project Management degree?

On your transcript, it will say:
Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Plan: Business Administration Major
Sub-Plan: Project Management and Information Systems Concentration

https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/UM...egree_Plan

That degree requires all the MIS minor requirements, which is probably why it is listed on the transcript. 

http://catalog.umpi.edu/preview_program....turnto=155

I think the business degree is better since if there were management openings, then maybe that degree would apply there. Liberal Arts would be technically faster, though not by much, maybe 2-4 weeks. Overall you can get this degree in about 6 months.

Other Options

PUG IT is nice because you can grab all the credits for this degree in around 3-4 months. Then you will have two 3 months terms which would be a total of 6 months. So all together, 9 months to get your degree there.

TESU has a Computer Science degree. The issue is that if starting from scratch, you need 21 RA credits. The most challenging classes would be Calculus and Computer Architecture. Everything else should be a piece of cake based on your experience. Overall, 9-12 months total time.

WGU has IT, Computer Science, and Software Developer degrees. If you want to avoid math, then Software Developer is the way to go. WGU is slightly more rigorous than going the PUG or TESU route. 9-14 months total time.

[dfrecore]

You have to make a decision, and money WILL be one thing to keep in mind: do you want a degree that will check a box, or do you want a degree that will do more than that? If you are checking a box, then literally anything will work, so the BLS/MIS will be perfectly fine. If you want/need something more, then you definitely need to rethink that degree.

But I will say that "General Studies" isn't any better than "Liberal Arts" or "Liberal Studies." They are all the same - a generic degree.