Statement of purpose for Master's program in Engineering Management Information Systems

Engineering Specialization Management

The rapid evolution of computer networking is completely redefining the role of computer and system engineering within companies globally, in addition to making the management of these systems critical for long-term success. Management Information Systems as a field is rapidly expanding due in large part to the need of enterprises to integrate their many of their legacy systems, many of them built in-house, with new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Supply Chain Management (SCM) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems (Wyckoff, 1997). Combined spending on all of these technologies and supporting services is $57B in 20121 growing to $72B in 2015 (Buckley, 2009).

Interest in Computer Science and Management Information Systems

I was fortunate to discover my natural abilities early in my academic career, excelling at chemistry, math, science and operations research, in addition tot the ability to learn compute languages quickly. Being able to quickly categorize different components or segments of code, and then define a series of problems that could be solved, appeals to me and also motivates me to learn more about how programming languages work. One of the most fascinating aspects of the growth of this area has been the continued refinement of collaboration-based technologies and their specific requirement in terms of programming expertise (Buckley, 2009). The ability to program an entire network is fascinating to me. Since the development of socially-aware and socially integrated applications over ten years ago, programming languages including Python (Wyckoff, 1997) continue to fascinate me and motivate me to learn even more about programming. Over time my interest in programming has also led to a growing fascination with Management of Information Systems (MIS) as well. I can see how there is a need for better management of entire networks now that socially-based programming is dominating the programming language landscape. There needs to be an overarching framework for better managing these many languages and applications being produced. That is why MIS interests me so much.

Learning Beyond Curriculum

I'm passionate about how IT technologies can be used to make enterprises more efficient and capable of attaining their goals. My transitioning from programming to MIS is predicated on the need I see for a much broader, all-encompassing strategy for enterprises to get the full value of the applications they are creating.

Computer Science gave me the necessary foundation for creating state-of-the-art software, many of which can be used for diagnosing health conditions and making the lives of people much more productive and pleasant. Computer science's core concepts can easily be used to create applications that energy entire supply chains, electrical girds across a country, and create unified telecommunications networks as well. All of these benefits accrue from software that is excellently designed.

As I learned more about computer science, I kept looking at the broader scope of how these applications could all be coordinated together. The orchestrating of these many applications together led me see the value of Management Information Systems (MIS). At the foundation of MIS is the ability to orchestrate and organize the many aspects of a given series of applications across an organization. I can see how mastering MIS will help me also help my nation to become more independent and effective in using its natural resources well. Information si an accelerator of growth for our nation, and getting an MIS degree will greatly help me make a contribution to those efforts.

From my many extracurricular activites in sports, the programming and MIS Clubs and community service, the truth emerges how powerful a unified IT strategy is in making society a more productive, pleasant place. I see this unifying thread through the many activities I have been involved in; the greater the communication and collaboration, the more effective the organization is in meeting its objectives. I hope to be the catalyst of this type of achievement in my career.

Reasons for Pursuing A Higher Degree