Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar launches new Information Systems undergraduate degree

Information Systems is an internationally recognized, bachelor of science degree for students who want to understand and solve information problems for organizations.

'The new IS program is an obvious and welcome addition to our two existing programs: it is the natural bridge between Computer Science and Business Administration,' says Charles E. Thorpe, Dean of Carnegie Mellon Qatar. 'Besides the IS majors themselves, our other students will benefit form the new major. The courses offered in IS will be natural electives for CS students wanting to understand the application of Computer Science in a business setting, or for Business Administration students wanting to understand how to process information.'

The focus of the Information Systems program is on giving students the knowledge and skills necessary to design systems for the effective use of information. This has now become central for the support of organizations, decision makers, researchers and policy makers. IS majors master the skills needed to bring together people, process and technology in a way that yields results. Graduates of the IS program are ideally situated to take a leading role in shaping our information-based future as technology managers, software developers, technical specialists, Web design specialists, consultants and entrepreneurs.

Market research conducted by Carnegie Mellon Qatar shows that a demand already exists for an IS program and it will grow considerably over the next 10 years. Supporting this growth are a strong economy, a developing IT sector and an improving pre-university educational system. Qatar currently does not produce any four-year IS graduates however there are small amounts being produced in the region. Yet, this small number of graduates will not be sufficient to meet growing demand.

'We anticipate Information Systems will be a successful and popular addition to the curriculum at Carnegie Mellon Qatar,' says Randy Weinberg, IS Program Director at Carnegie Mellon Pittsburgh. 'We look forward to being active members of the Education City community and, in years to come, a major source of Information Systems graduates trained and ready to serve the diverse and expanding needs for information technology and systems management, IT infrastructure, management support, IT innovation and entrepreneurship of the growing national and regional economy.'

Carnegie Mellon Qatar is the first university in Education City to introduce an additional major to its course offerings. Since August 2004, Carnegie Mellon has been offering bachelor of science degrees in Business Administration and Computer Science.

'It's great to have the support of Qatar Foundation in launching a new degree program that will have a positive and lasting impact on Qatar, the Gulf Region and the Middle East as a whole,' says Thorpe. 'Carnegie Mellon is always looking for innovative ways to make a difference in the world, and by offering an IS degree in Qatar we can do just that.'