Need for an Information Systems Degree Program Computer-related occupations range from those re-

Key Words and Phrases: education, management systems, systems analysis, management information sys-

3. Need for an Information Systems Degree Program Computer-related occupations range from those re-

quiring heavy technical skills in computer hardware and software and almost no organizational knowledge to those which demand extensive organizational skills and only modest computer hardware/software knowledge.

As illustrated in Figure 1, in the area of programming, systems programming requires a heavy technical knowl- edge while applications programming requires a mix of both technical and organizational skills. In the area of systems analysis and design, the physical system design task of configuring hardware and software requires ex- tensive understanding of hardware and software infor- mation analysis, a moderate level of technical expertise, and a thorough knowledge both of organizational func- tions and processes and of human behavior in systems and organizations.

It is generally agreed in the computer industry that there is a shortage of trained personnel across all occu- pational categories. Many studies have assessed the shortage of trained personnel needed for effective use of computer technology. While the results are not always quantitatively consistent, all support the position that the shortage is acute. The experience of the Curriculum Committee on IS suggests that the shortage of trained personnel is not uniform across the technical/organiza- tional spectrum. The observation of this Committee is that the demand for personnel having a combination of technical and organizational skills is relatively much greater than the demand for solely technical skills. (Fig- ure 1 pictures the Committee experience.)

A hidden but significant impact of the imbalance of

supply and demand as observed by the Committee is the

drawing of people trained toward the technical end of

the spectrum into positions toward the organizational

Fig. 1.

Comparison of Activities, Degree Programs, and Supply and De- mand with Respect to Technical and Organizational Knowledge Dimensions

Programming Analysis

&

Design

College Degree Programs

HIGH

Relative Supply &

Demand LOW

Hardware/Software Technical Knowledge

Organizational Functions Organizational Knowledge

Systems Programming

Applications Programming System Design

Information Analysis •

Computer Science

Information Systems

DEMAND

S U P P L Y Program Strong in

Hardware/Software

Balance of

Technical Knowledge

Program strong in Organizational Functions Technical Knowledge and Organizational Knowledge Organizational Knowledge

Fig. 2. Core Courses and Sequence for Undergraduate IS Program

'ROGRAM

TERM

INFORMATION SYSTEMS

• Technological Concentration- Organizational Concentration

1st Semester

2 n d Semester

1st Semester

or D o ; IL

2 n d Semester

UB2 Human and Organizational Behavior

UC8 Programming Structures ond Techniques

UC9

Computerware

U B I Operations Anolysis ond Modeling

UA8 Systems Concepts ond Implications

UD8 Information Systems Analysis

UD9 System Design and Implementation

UCI Information Structures

t UC2 Computer Systems

UC3 File and

Communication Systems

f U C 4 Software Design

end. In other words, positions needing heavy organiza- tional skills are being filled with persons having heavy technical but very low organizational training. This mis- match creates problems in the analysis and design of information systems. It also makes it appear that the shortage of trained personnel is uniform across the entire discipline when, in fact, it is not.

Just as programs stressing strong technical-weak or- ganizational skills provide inadequate background for analysis and design, programs that produce students with strong organizational-weak technical skills prepare them poorly for handling the complexities of systems analysis, design, and implementation.

The need, then, is for a degree program which pro- vides both technical and organizational knowledge. Op- erationally, this means that the IS curriculum must in- clude subject matter from both the traditional disciplines of computer science and those of administration and management.

The use of computers in support of organizational processes such as data processing, decision support, and

information storage and retrieval requires systems so designed and implemented that they:

• identify information requirements (based on an un- derstanding of organizational functions, organiza- tional processes, and decision-making).

• fit technical characteristics into the behavioral frame- work of the organization.

• match technical design with human characteristics.

Computer science degree programs typically empha- size hardware and software technical knowledge and exclude the organizational dimensions. Computer sci- ence curricula, therefore, serve to meet the needs of those occupations needing a technical emphasis (Figure 1).

There is need for another program (IS) to meet the other range of positions. The IS curriculum has some subject matter also contained in computer science but has nec- essary organizational and behavioral coverage.

Not only is the demand not uniform across the

technical/organizational dimension, but academic pro-

grams supplying trained personnel are radically out of

balance with demand. For example John Hamblen, in the 1979 study of computer manpower supply and de- mand, found a ratio of almost five computer science degree programs for every information systems/data processing degree program [5].

A CM Curriculum Recommendations for IS Programs

The programs recommended by C

3

EM in 1972 [3]

and 1973 [2] are summarized below, for comparison with the programs listed in the following section. The prereq- uisites for both the undergraduate and graduate pro- grams are:

• finite mathematics, including the fundamentals of formal logic, sets and relations, and linear algebra.

• elementary statistics, including the fundamentals of probability, expected value, and construction of sam- ple estimates.

• elementary computer programming, including prob-

lem analysis and algorithm synthesis, and compe- tence in a higher language.

• elementary economics, including microeconomics and theory of the firm, and price theory.

• elementary psychology, including fundamentals of personality formation, attitudes, and motivation.

The courses at both the undergraduate and graduate level were divided into four groups. The four groups are:

A. Analysis of Organizational Systems