INDIANA UNIVERSITY PURDUE UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS

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NEW MAJOR AT IUPUI TO INCREASE POOL OF QUALIFIED IT WORKERS

INDIANAPOLIS - The midwest has the highest demand for computer information systems (CIS) workers in the U.S., according to the Information Technology Association of America. And with Indiana Technology Partnership's new initiative to establish Central Indiana as a leader in technology in the next five years, supplying enough qualified workers will be an increasingly challenging task.

The IU Kelley School of Business at IUPUI hopes to partially fill that need with a new CIS major which will provide students with both management and technical skills by offering a combination of business and information technology classes. The major, added to the roster this fall, is a collaboration with the computer and information science department in the Purdue School of Science at IUPUI.

"There currently is a major gap between the number of workers trained in information technology and the demand for these workers," said CIS Kelley School Professor Carol V. Brown. "The U.S. Commerce Department has estimated that more than a million new IT workers--including systems analysts and programmers--will be needed by the year 2003. The new CIS major here at IUPUI means that area employers will have a better chance of hiring business school graduates who are interested in these types of jobs, who will have both business AND technology skills, and who will likely be interested in staying in the regional area."

Employers of CIS professionals said that they are looking not just for technical skills, but also for qualities such as good communication, problem solving skills, analysis skills, flexibility and the ability to learn quickly. The CIS major emphasizes these skills and provides students with entry-level technical skills.

"If you can't communicate your thoughts and ideas, your knowledge doesn't do you much good," said senior CIS major Steve Moore who has taken the leadership role in starting up a new CIS club.

Because of the high demand for CIS workers in the midwest, the school expects that, like Moore, students will look for employment within the region.

Students majoring in CIS as business majors may specialize in tracks that include courses taught by computer science faculty on the IUPUI campus. They can expect to become programmer/software engineers, systems analysts, database developers, web developers, or technical support personnel. Salaries average between $54-$75,000/ year with starting salaries at $30-$42,000/ year, which are among the highest paid of all concentrations offered in the business school.

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