News
Master’s Degree in Computer Information Systems Wins Recognition
Elmhurst College’s master’s degree program in Computer Information Systems has been recognized with a Professional Science Master’s (PSM) designation. The affiliation highlights academic programs that allow students to pursue advanced training in math and science in preparation for careers in business, industry, government agencies and nonprofit organizations. The goal of the PSM initiative is to train the emerging workforce to meet the changing needs of society and its employers.
Elmhurst’s Master of Science in Computer Information Systems is a two-year program that covers the hardware and software knowledge needed to design, program and administer computer network systems, database systems and web sites. The program is part-time and can be completed online or through a combination of online and on-campus evening classes.
“The PSM is being billed in Washington as the MBA for the 21st Century,” says Ted Lerud, associate dean of the faculty who oversees graduate programs. “This is excellent news for us since it will put our program on a national registry.”
The PSM initiative was developed more than a decade ago by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation with grants to 14 research universities to support programs that integrated sciences and mathematics with knowledge and training in management, law and other professions.
In 2001, a Sloan grant to the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) extended the PSM initiative to master's-focused institutions, which award 40 percent of the science and math master's degrees and where faculty are heavily invested in master's education.
The Council of Graduate Schools four years ago assumed primary responsibility for supporting and expanding the PSM Initiative, with the goal of making it a regular feature of U.S. graduate education.
There are more than 140 PSM programs at 70 institutions, and these program directors and graduate deans network, share best practices and solicit suggestions through listserve exchanges as well as in workshops and meetings.
For more information on the Elmhurst College MCIS degree, contact Program Director Linda Krause at (630) 617-3224 or lindak@elmhurst.edu.
