Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/52321
technology B-Schools Respond To Demand for IT Rutgers Business School Supply Chain Management Ranked #3 GARTNER SUPPLY CHAIN LEADERS • Over 30 full-time professors focus on end-to-end Supply Chain Management, research, teaching and collaboration with industry • World class research on sustainability, responsiveness and flexibility, and risk reduction • Executive Education Programs based on current industry trends and timely topics to help your business and career BUSINESS INVESTMENT IN creating, cap- turing, securing, and maintaining data has increased 50 percent since 2005, to US$4 trillion, according to the 2011 Digital Uni- verse Study. The study was created from research conducted by firm IDC and sponsored by global tech firm EDC. However, IDC predicts that by 2020, the amount of data the world gener- ates will increase by 50 times and the number of files containing that data by 75 times. At the same time, the number of IT professionals trained to manage this information will increase by a factor of only 1.5. By 2018, it is estimated that there will be 1.4 million openings for IT workers. Stats like this are inspiring many business schools to create programs to fill the gap in the industry. For example, the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University in Tempe has created a new online master of science in information management (MSIM) program. The 16-month degree program was designed to graduate IT professionals who understand both technology and business. In the online program, students from different industries will work in teams as they complete five-week courses sequentially. The MSIM pro- gram will be offered twice a year, starting in January and August. The College of Business Administration at San Diego State University in California has responded to this trend with a new master of science in information systems (MSIS) degree program. The program is mod- eled on a curriculum jointly published by the Association for Computing Machinery and the Association of Information Systems. SDSU already offered an MBA with an information systems specialization, but created the MSIS program for students considering careers that could lead them to positions as chief information officers or chief technology officers. The degree is designed to teach students to recognize IT's vital role in helping companies make smarter decisions and better integrate their processes with those of their partners, says Robert Plice, chair of the college's man- agement information systems department. business.rutgers.edu/scm The College of Business Administration at the University of Tennes- see, Knoxville, recently launched a dual-degree program that allows stu- dents to earn both an MBA and a master's degree in business analytics, to "bridge the sizable gap" between business and information systems, according to the university. That combination is still rare among today's graduates in spite of high demand, a reality that offers business schools an opportunity to fill a gap in the market, says Ken Gilbert, head of UT's department of statistics, operations, and management science. "Graduates who understand busi- ness analytics and have strong business and leadership skills will have excellent job opportunities." 60 January/February 2012 BizEd