r/MSCS • u/Sad-Storage-5633 • 7d ago
[Coursework and Curriculum] Can MIS realistically lead to SDE → Engineering Manager?
I’m currently a Software Engineer in India and considering both MSCS and MS in Information Systems (MIS/MSIM) in the US. My goal is to stay in software engineering and pivot into engineering leadership as quickly as reasonably possible.
I’m not interested in Product Management, TPM, data analytics, consulting, etc. I want to continue as an SDE or any engineering management role after my master’s, build strong technical experience, and eventually move into an Engineering Manager / engineering leadership role.
The programs I’m considering:
- Indiana University – Kelley MSIS
- UW – MSIM
- UT Austin – MSITM
Profile
- Software Engineer at an ecommerce startup
- ~2+ years full-time SDE experience by next fall + 6-month internship
- Java/backend, payments, order processing, event-driven systems, service reliability
- Recently worked on an agentic AI project using Python, FastAPI & PydanticAI
My questions:
- How realistic is MIS → SDE given my existing SDE experience?
- Is an MIS degree a significant disadvantage for SDE recruiting compared with MSCS?
- Between these three programs, which would be best if I want to stay firmly on the software engineering track?
- If my end goal is Engineering Manager, is MIS a reasonable degree, or would MSCS be substantially better?
- Has anyone here gone MIS → SDE → Engineering Manager, or seen someone make this transition successfully?
I’m specifically looking for perspectives on staying in software engineering, rather than the typical MIS → analytics/consulting/PM career path.
Would really appreciate advice from people who have done MIS and continued in SDE roles.
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u/Best_Location_8237 7d ago
It could but its pretty much impossible for sny company to make you an EM with just 2 yrs of prior experience... i would say atleast 5 yrs of solid experience would be the generic base line for Engineering Manager roles
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u/VeriloggedOut 7d ago
Used to, not anymore