Bellevue University Online Student Meet-up

Re: Wanting to learn more about Bellevue's online MSMIS program.

Cajun — Fri, 29 May 2009 12:26:36 GMT

Good to know. I think I'll consider the same. I've been interested in the Information Security and the CIS concentrations. CIS because of the level of technical knowledge I can gain and Information Security because it will logically tie my MS and BS together as my BS was in Criminal Justice.

Re: Wanting to learn more about Bellevue's online MSMIS program.

yankeeRacers — Thu, 28 May 2009 17:56:14 GMT

Well, I got an email response about this issue a few minutes ago and the CIS-633 would count for both the Masters and the Certificate. So, I can make my concentration something other than PM, and then take 2 extra classes and get the PM Certificate. Sure it is 2 extra classes but it is almost like having 2 concentrations since the only difference in the Certificate and the Concentration is that the Concentration requires 4 of the 4 PM courses while the Certificate requires 3 of 4. I'm not sure I am going to go this route but I am going to strongly consider it.

Re: Wanting to learn more about Bellevue's online MSMIS program.

Cajun — Thu, 28 May 2009 13:04:18 GMT

I saw that IT Project Management Certificate and was intrigued. I wonder if you can transfer 1 of the class requirements from the degree program into the certificate? Some schools frown on that sort of thing. And to answer your question, yes, I'm going 1/2 time or 1 course at a time. It'll take me about 3 years. We may end up in several classes together actually.

Re: Wanting to learn more about Bellevue's online MSMIS program.

yankeeRacers — Wed, 27 May 2009 20:55:29 GMT

Yeah there is a good chance we will have some classes together. For some reason I thought I would complete the degree in 2 years ( I guess I didn't know how long each class lasted), but if I take one class at a time like I plan on, it will take 3 years. Are you completing the degree at that rate too or do you have a different plan?

Bellevue has really surprised me with their responsiveness and eagerness to help me and get me started quickly. Applying this late, I really had no expectation to start classes on June 8, but they are working hard with me to get everything ready by then. They seem much more efficient and fast compared to my previous experiences. A lot of that may be because I am starting a program fresh, without a lot of credits to transfer so an academic evaluation does need to be done. At any rate, I am pleased so far with my contacts with Bellevue.

Right now I am considering my different concentration options. I honestly don't know what Solutions Architect means lol. I am not really interested in the Business Administration concentration or Healthcare. Computer Information Systems would be fine, but maybe a bit general. I think the concentration is better served as a way to specialize the program a bit. As I mentioned before, I am very interested in Information Security so that is a contender and of course Project Management is the other option that really stand out to me. Luckily I don't have to declare my concentration yet so I have some time to think it over.

Interestingly, I just noticed that they offer IT Project Management as a certificate. I would already have CIS-633 as part of my core classes. All I would have to do is take 2 extra classes and I could have the IT Project Management certificate which would let me pick something else as my concentration. In the end, you end up taking 2 of the 3 project management classes that are part of the concentration. I am not sure why they didn't just make the ceritificate include all of the classes. Anyway, that is something I just noticed and is an option for me to consider.

Re: Wanting to learn more about Bellevue's online MSMIS program.

Cajun — Tue, 26 May 2009 17:54:48 GMT

Good choice, maybe we'll see each other in class. I'm taking Business Telecommunications starting June 8th.

Re: Wanting to learn more about Bellevue's online MSMIS program.

SteveFoerster — Tue, 26 May 2009 15:36:23 GMT

I'm glad you found help here, and I think you're making the right choice. Good luck!

-=Steve=-

Re: Wanting to learn more about Bellevue's online MSMIS program.

yankeeRacers — Mon, 25 May 2009 21:34:59 GMT

This thread has been extremely useful for me in helping me decide what would be the best path to take as well as pinpointing what I really want. I was considering the MBA because I thought it would be a safe bet long term, but I know my heart would not be in it. The courses do not sound interesting and I don't want to suffer through my Masters, it should be a rewarding experience where I can grow in the areas that interest me.

I went ahead an applied for the MS MIS but I am also considering their MS CIS degree because it also looks very appealing to me. They are significantly different degrees but depending on what concentration I pick they can overlap somewhat (up to %50), though generally they wouldn't overlap by more than a couple classes. The thing that makes it hard to decide is that I want the knowledge contained in both programs. If I go with the MIS, I will end up learning more about programming, database, etc independently and if I go with the CIS I will learn more about IT project management on my own through self study. Either way, I feel like they are both things I need to know.

Right now I am inclined to go with the MIS for my Masters because I can learn more programming on my own and test it myself and know that it is correct. But with project management, it would be nice to do projects and reports and exams and have them graded by a professor where I can get feedback.

Re: Wanting to learn more about Bellevue's online MSMIS program.

SteveFoerster — Mon, 25 May 2009 17:16:46 GMT

Since you haven't said that you're interested in teaching, I would actually consider AACSB to be nice to have, but not essential.

As for the rest, it sounds like you'd be more interested in the MS, but would do an MBA instead because you want to look further down the road at what you might want to be doing several years from now. That's a tough call. I guess I'd wonder whether you'd really need a second Master's degree to be competitive for management positions if you have an MS in IT Management. I want to encourage you to do the one that interests you more, because doing a program that's anything less than enthralling can grow very tiresome very quickly.

-=Steve=-

Re: Wanting to learn more about Bellevue's online MSMIS program.

Cajun — Mon, 25 May 2009 17:05:50 GMT

Hi Yankee,

In my opinion the MSMIS with an emphasis in Project Management is much more suited for technology PM than an MBA is, although an MBA certainly wouldn't hurt. An MBA is purely a management degree, even if it has an emphasis in IT it is still a management degree. The MS is more of a systems degree, a mile wide and an inch deep that can allow you to diversify in your technical skill set qualifying you to run projects as varied as from network backbones to building NOCs to developing web applications or creating proprietary operating systems for cell phones. There's so much out there that is handled by PM I do not see the MS as being limited in any way. If you do not want to jump into the role of analyst or functional management, (non-PM) then I'd go for the MS. If you want to be the "boss" or gather and analyze data, get the MBA.

Re: Wanting to learn more about Bellevue's online MSMIS program.

donald11 — Sun, 24 May 2009 20:55:09 GMT

Accredidation is important so you definitely made a wise decision in avoiding those that are nationally accredited. The main reason I favor an MBA over an MS is simply because I have no idea what I want to do in life. I'm only 21 so I am not in any industry yet. So for those who do not know what they want to do and want to have as many options available, an MBA is the best choice. But for someone like you who is already established in a stable industry, the MS might be your best option.

Re: Wanting to learn more about Bellevue's online MSMIS program.

yankeeRacers — Sun, 24 May 2009 17:45:31 GMT

I've thought about what you said. I do really like my current industry. Though I may move around within the tech industry, I can't imagine wanting to move out of the industry entirely. The tech industry certainly changes frequently but I don't think it will go during my time in the workforce.

We all take some risks with our education and carerr choices. One of the reasons I was looking at the MS Management Information Systems instead of something more tech specific is because I thought it had potential to be useful to me for most of my career. For example, I have mentioned before that I am interested in security, so I had considered the Western Governors University MS in Information Security and Assurance. One of the things I liked about that program is that it incorporates several certifications from the EC-Council. But information security is going to change a lot over the years and I think I would rather just get the certifications on my own. Another thing is that I am a big fan of tech certifications and plan to get many over the years, so I wanted a Masters that would offer me something that I couldn't necessarily get from certifications.

I still need to think about it for a little while, but another thing that I am noticing is that when I look over the MS program, I feel more excited and interested in the classes than I do the MBA program.

It is kind of funny, a few weeks ago I was considering nationally accredited masters programs, but decided to play it safe and stick with regionally accredited only. Now that I am considering a MBA, I was looking over regionally accredited programs, then realized I need to further narrow it to AACSB programs. I have to wonder how many people attend nationallly accredited programs or non-aacsb programs without even realizing that it could be a possible problem?

Re: Wanting to learn more about Bellevue's online MSMIS program.

donald11 — Sat, 23 May 2009 20:29:30 GMT

Getting 2 graduate degrees definitely requires a lot of hard work and determination. If you are unsure of what industry you will be in down the road and want to leave as many doors open as possible, then the MBA is your best option. But if you really like your current industry, then the MS is your best option. I personally would choose the MBA because in this crazy economy industries come and go all the time. No industry lasts forever.

Re: Wanting to learn more about Bellevue's online MSMIS program.

yankeeRacers — Sat, 23 May 2009 17:52:43 GMT

Hmm this is good information and it gives me some more things to ponder. Here is what I'm thinking:

Coming from a purely tech standpoint, project manager is the next logical progression and what I would aspire to. At this point it is also the most desirable position to me since it is so close to the tech (working directly with the techies, as you put it). For this, the MSMIS would be perfect. And in the future, if I wanted to move to a project analyst or business analyst position I could always get a MBA then.

But, I have to wonder if I could kill two birds with one stone by getting the MBA now. The one I am looking at is an MBA in Information Technology Management. It is definitely not as perfectly suited to a project manager as the MSMIS is, because the MBA program I was looking at is 75% general MBA style business classes with 25% focused on Information Technology Management. The MSMIS is completely focused on management of information systems and seems to me to be pretty technical. But is this going to matter, or even be apparent to the people doing the promoting? For example, if my tech skills are up to snuff for the types of projects I would manage, wouldn't the MBA in Information Technology Management help me get into a project manager role anyway? And it would leave doors open for further movement into project analyst, etc.

It is just something for me to consider, and thanks for bringing that point up. I really like the MSMIS program and the classes look a lot more interesting to me than the MBA business classes. But I can't guarantee that, after I have been out of school for awhile that I will want to go back and get a second graduate degree (the MBA).

Re: Wanting to learn more about Bellevue's online MSMIS program.

Cajun — Sat, 23 May 2009 16:08:13 GMT

Currently I work as a project analyst. I have 6 technology oriented project teams in software application architecture, application development, etc. Very technical stuff, in fact I don't understand a bit of it at times but then again my job is to basically be the liason between management and project teams. A kind of communication hub if you will. While doing this I also facilitate collaboration software, maintain web content on a wiki, etc. It's all pretty great so far. I was hired because I have a technology background prior to law enforcement, specifically in technology project management (I built a large datacenter) and I earned an MBA which qualified me from a business perspective. I was basically snatched up because of my business skills though.

That being said I think the MSMIS is great for what you said you would like to do. In fact I showed our vice president the degree program and she seemed to like it. Also one of the other VPs I work with who is sponsoring a project team is a Bellevue alumni. Their MSMIS specialization in project management is likely to be the hot commodity if you want to work closely with techies simply because the 3 people between management and techies in my limited expereince are the project managers, who work directly with the techies, the project analysts, who work primarily with the project managers and the business analysts who basically work with the customers and the project managers. The MSMIS in management is good to but I will give you this caveat, if you stick with the analyst role long enough you'll eventually need to elaborate on your management skill set. The better you become at your job the more and more you will deal with senior management who "speak MBA" even though they may not have one. Personally I have found that half of the 10 people I work directly with in management roles are MBA's and those who are not 1/3 of them hold at least 2 graduate degrees.

Re: Wanting to learn more about Bellevue's online MSMIS program.

SteveFoerster — Sat, 23 May 2009 15:22:29 GMT

yankeeRacers:
I have become extremely interested in this program. It is not the cheapest program I have found but it is still one of the more affordable programs I have looked at and there are a lot of things I like about it.

Cajun was obviously the best to comment on this, but I wanted to say that I always tell people that they should consider how much a program costs, but that that shouldn't be the overriding concern. It sounds like you've struck a good balance.

-=Steve=-