Students at West Virginia University have a new major to consider: management information systems, or MIS .

Students in the College of Business and Economics program gain skills to be managers and leaders who can build a corporate database, oversee installation of a new computer system, or design an interactive Web site.

With todays global emphasis on efficiencies through the use of technology, demand for the combination of business management and technology is growing,said Graham Peace, MIS associate professor.

Career opportunities for MIS graduates include systems analysis and design, database management, networking and telecommunications, Web page development, network security, programming and technology management.

Interest in the MIS concentration already offered by the Business Administration Division has always been high, Peace said. Expanding the MIS program into a major was the best way to ensure that students get enough of the technical courses they need to be competitive with graduates from other schools with MIS degrees.

We already had an excellent placement record for our students graduating with an MIS concentration,Peace said,and having the major will set in motion a great dynamic. Our students will be even more competitive and will get better jobs. Another reason the new major was established is West Virginias growing high-tech industry, which is eager to employ WVU s MIS graduates.

Peace said students with MIS concentrations have been able to stay in West Virginia, finding positions locally with firms such as the West Virginia High Tech Consortium, the National Aeronautics and Space Administrations Independent Verification and Validation Facility, and Mylan Pharmaceuticals. Other firms employing MIS graduates include local and out-of-state branches of IBM , FedEx and Deloitte Consulting.

We see offering an MIS major to be an important contribution to the growth of technology-based businesses and also the economic development of this state,Peace said.

Students interested in an MIS major must first be admitted into the College of Business and Economics, which generally happens during their junior year.

For information about B&E admissions, visitwww.be.wvu.eduor call the B&E Undergraduate Advising Center at 293-4959. For more about the MIS program, contact Graham Peace at 304-293-7940 or email him at graham.peace@mail.wvu.edu .