At its meeting last week, the Faculty Senate approved the Commerce School's request to change the name of the Master of Science in Management Information Systems degree to Master of Science in the Management of Information Technology.
To be implemented, the change still needs the approval of the Board of Visitors.
According to Commerce School Associate Dean Peter Todd, the name change would be reflective of developments in the masters program since its inception in 1988. When the program started, its emphasis strictly focused on systems, such as the implementation of personal systems and accounting systems. But in 1998 the program's curriculum was broadened to include information technology, particularly technology management.
With the new emphasis of the program, the previous degree name is outdated, Todd said.
If approved by the Board, the name change could affect up to 40 students graduating from the program this May, and possibly up to 80 next year because of plans for an expansion of the program, Todd said.
The Senate's decision was unanimous among the Senate body. There was "no discussion , no concern about the name change," Faculty Senate Chairman Robert Grainger said.
"It looked to all of us like a very minor change," Grainger said.
"The Faculty Senate has to approve any major, or sometimes relatively minor, changes to academic programs," after the changes have been approved by the school, which in this case was the Commerce School, Grainger said.
Once approved by the Senate, a proposal is passed on to the Board, which either can approve the proposal, putting it into effect, or veto it.
Other changes are occurring within the Information Technology program this year, specifically the offering of classes toward the degree in Northern Virginia, Todd said.
Beginning this spring, students will have the option of taking classes at the Bechtel Conference Center in Reston. Now, the program is offered only in Charlottesville.
Students in the program typically are professionals with an undergraduate degree and several years of work experience in fields related to management and technology, Todd said.
To receive the degree in Charlottesville, students attend classes Friday and Saturday every other week for 12 months. The degree in Reston will require 16 months of classes held every other Saturday.
The Management Information Technology program "helps people understand how to get business value or economic value from investments in information technology," Todd said.
The current degree program consists of five main parts. The curriculum begins with a technical focus, moves on to project management, enterprise technology and managing infrastructure, managing in E-business, and concludes with information technology strategy, Todd said.
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