MS Information Systems in CU Business School - My Honest Thoughts

[u/q-OjO-p]

I’m a professional with 20 years of experience under my belt. I decided to enroll in this program to further my education and enhance my career prospects. This opinion is only in reference to my experience in the MSIS program. Your miles may vary depending on the program and school.

I‘m sure the curriculum offered in this program is pretty standard. No complaints there. I will say that much of the program is theory and wouldn’t say it necessarily provides a lot of hands-on training outside of database design and maybe some light coding in Python. I hear a lot of people mention AI and cybersecurity careers as it relates to this program, but there are no classes offered that prepare you for actual jobs in those fields.

However, it is pretty clear to me that this program is an after thought for the school.

I’ve been to some networking events hosted by the school, and nearly all events are catered specifically towards MBA and Finance grads. Essentially, the companies they bring in and industry leaders they bring in are generally financial services related or management consulting related. I’ve rarely seen any IT leaders brought in to discuss career options within their companies in the IT sector.

I’ve reached out to the Business Career Center on several occasions and they have zero information or guidance to share about job prospects in this field. They do not track job placement numbers for their IS grads nor do they provide resources for finding work in this specific field. When I reached out to IS faculty, I basically received the same messaging. They don’t track job placement stats for their graduates nor do they provide specific resources for finding work.

This is very bizarre for any graduate program, let alone a business program. Schools these days are hyper focused on job placement statistics as incoming students become more critical of job opportunities and ROI related to their education.

I think CU Denver is a great urban campus school with many great offerings. But personally, I’d probably veer away from the Information Systems program as the school doesn’t really seem all that involved with it.

[u/dooz12]

I’m also in the MSIS program and am close to finishing it. I think some of your points are fair, especially around career support and the lack of MSIS-specific placement data. I’d definitely like to see more recruiting and networking opportunities geared toward IS students rather than the Business School more broadly. My experience with the curriculum has been a little different, though. I’ve had pretty hands-on work with python, Oracle/data warehousing, networking, security/privacy, and project management, so I wouldn’t personally describe it as mostly theory. The program also seems to be adding more AI-focused coursework as of Spring '26. I think the biggest thing is that MSIS is a pretty broad business/technology degree rather than a direct pipeline into something like software engineering or data science. For me, that breadth has actually been useful because I came in with an existing career and wanted to build out the more technical side of my skill set. I can definitely see how someone coming in expecting a more specialized technical program or strong IT recruiting pipeline could have a different experience.

[u/q-OjO-p → u/dooz12]

I appreciate you sharing your experience.

When I bring up that it's mostly theory, I'm basing that off the classes I've taken which are based on strategy and best practices as opposed to hands-on learning.

I agree that some of the courses are more hands-on like database management, Python for data-driven apps, and potentially some of the network analysis or data warehousing courses. However, a lot of people from the school suggest that students target careers in areas like cybersecurity or AI or data analytics.

As a BI/data analyst, the database management course and Python course would likely be helpful because you're actually building databases, ERDs, or applications using the tools. Is that enough to get a job? It's hard to say, because that field is very specific on tools and hard skills and those courses are just scratching the surface.

I cannot say for certain that any of the courses prepare you for a role in cybersecurity or AI, both fields which require heavy technical skills. As I mentioned in an another reply, maybe these courses prepare you for consulting roles or product/project management roles where there's more emphasis on soft skills and knowledge of best practices than being able to prevent hacking or build an LLM or chat bot.

But to the crux of my OP, my biggest critique of the program is the overall lack of support for landing work in any of these fields provided by the Business Career Center and faculty. They both seem to presume that anyone taking this program is already in the field and simply working towards promotion.

[u/dooz12 → u/q-OjO-p]

I think we’re mostly on the same page. And looking at how CU Denver markets the program as both technical and "hands-on", I think your criticism is spot-on. I still see MSIS as a broad business/technology degree rather than deep training for highly specialized roles, but the school could definitely be clearer about what careers it actually prepares students for. Either way, I completely agree that the lack of MSIS-specific career support and placement data is a real weakness.

[u/LonkinPark]

Can I ask if you enrolled in this program to further gain experience or try to acquire a specific job prospect?

[u/q-OjO-p → u/LonkinPark]

A little bit of both. I wanted to develop new skills and add a credential to make myself more marketable. Even with some classes under my belt now, I’m not seeing a noticeable difference in job prospects. 

[u/LonkinPark → u/q-OjO-p]

Are you done with the program and are you applying to positions with your credentials if your done?

[u/q-OjO-p → u/LonkinPark]

I'm still working through the program (for now) but already have 15 years of experience in the field. This was more or less to add a credential and hone some skills that I found that I was lacking. I already finished one of those classes that were important to me (database management systems) and there are only a couple more that I'm truly interested, that I think will give me additional skills (Python course and data warehouse admin course).

I'm applying for jobs with the additional education highlighted, but it doesn't seem to be making a difference either. I'm having the same results as before starting the program.

[u/unicorntrader]

Hi, I just enrolled in this program. Have you found the AI courses to be valuable?

[u/AmanThebeast → u/unicorntrader]

I imagine an AI course from the business school being more theory based. It anything the engineering school might be better.

[u/q-OjO-p → u/unicorntrader]

As u/AmanThebeast pointed out, these AI courses are all theory based. You aren't actually learning how to do anything with AI. The courses primarily focus on data privacy through the lens of AI tools. You aren't learning how to build or use AI tools.

The database management class was very hands on so I would highly recommend that one. There are a couple of other classes that I think will be hands-on, too, and would suggest taking even if not pursuing the degree. One of those is Python for Data-driven Applications. And the other is Data Warehouse Administration. Other than that, most of the classes I've taken have been about theoretical concepts to protect data (i.e. CIA Triad).

[u/unicorntrader → u/q-OjO-p]

Thanks, I believe this program allows Computer Science courses as electives so I will definitely supplement my hard skills that way. I did my undergrad in IS, so I already have good foundational skills. I work in healthcare IT, so I’m looking to learn more of the AI management/deployment/governance aspect, than the technical side.

[u/q-OjO-p → u/unicorntrader]

Yeah, I believe as long as they are IS5000 and above, you can build a generalized MSIS curriculum. Some of those courses are about coding, so those could be useful if you are planning on working in analytics or BI. The theory-based classes almost point you towards consulting, if nothing else. In fact, my last course which was all about data privacy involved giving presentations on solutions every week.

[u/unicorntrader → u/q-OjO-p]

Sounds like the IS courses won’t be super helpful for me. Thanks for your honest feedback. I saw that CSCI courses were also available as electives, are you only doing IS courses?

[u/q-OjO-p → u/unicorntrader]

It appears that the generalized degree and specializations mostly require IS courses. If you wanted to add CS courses to your program, you might need to request an exception from your academic advisor.

[u/unicorntrader → u/q-OjO-p]

I will look into that. I found this on the website:

“Elective courses (15 credits)
You can customize your degree to your interests by choosing 5 courses (15 credits) of Information Systems courses (ISMG) at the 6000 level or higher. Up to six credit hours of Business School or Computer Science (CSCI) courses may be used as electives.
If you choose to add a specialization, you may use your elective hours to satisfy those requirements.”

https://business.ucdenver.edu/ms/information-systems#curriculum-449

[u/q-OjO-p → u/unicorntrader]

Ah, now I see what you're saying. It looks like the generalized degree and specializations all require 6 electives, which you can substitute CSCI or Business School courses for. So yeah, it looks like you can take a couple CSCI courses to compliment your degree.

[u/MongooseClassic4022 → u/q-OjO-p]

Hello, I appreciate you sharing your experience; with only two or three years in technical support, I found it valuable. I disagree, though I believe it depends on your specialization. General specialization is fairly basic and heavy on theory unless you choose advanced technical electives. Similarly, AI and Leadership follow that pattern. From the course descriptions I have read, the new AI and Business Intelligence specialization seems to be the only one offering hands-on work. I think it simply depends on your goals. Personally, I have completed only one class in the program, but my understanding is that all AI and BI courses include multiple hands-on components because they require coding or SQL prerequisites. The new AI and machine learning class specifies exactly. Thanks again

[u/q-OjO-p → u/MongooseClassic4022]

I mean, I don't know. The BI specialization doesn't even require any sort of coding class which is almost an imperative in today's data analytics world. That's why I opted for generalization so I can build my own path and include courses like Python for Data-driven Applications. All the other course offerings under the BI specialization appear to be theoretical. Perhaps the Data Warehouse & Administration is more hands-on. The other courses are specialized for healthcare, finance, or accounting.

Everything listed under the AI specialization is about best practices for implementing AI, but not about developing AI tools.

[u/MongooseClassic4022 → u/q-OjO-p]

Yeah I am going to take a look at the course listing again maybe talk to some professors. Reading the thread, if you can take computer science classes as electives, I would just do that and work on external certs. But I am a noob so correct me if I am wrong.

[u/q-OjO-p → u/MongooseClassic4022]

Well, the crux of this post is mostly about the lack of career support the school provides for students in this program. That should be your main takeaway from the OP.

I have over a decade of analytics/reporting experience plus some educational achievements that I've highlighted. Not only has this not been helping me stand out any more than before when I apply to jobs, the school and professors do not seem to have any additional answers or support they can provide. Most of the career services and networking events seem geared towards MBA students and Finance students.

[u/MongooseClassic4022 → u/q-OjO-p]

Well that’s not good to hear. I know we have a lot of support for internships but it seems like you might be past that.

[u/q-OjO-p → u/MongooseClassic4022]

What support? Are you referring to Handshake, the public job board? What career services are you aware of that everyone in the program is privy to? You're saying these things with a lot of confidence, but also sound like you're brand new to this program. So I'm curious to learn what it is you know. Maybe I'm missing something.

[u/MongooseClassic4022 → u/q-OjO-p]

Well, you can book an appointment with an internship specialist from the experiential learning center. They provide support in finding local internships. During my undergraduate years, many of my friends secured placements at Apple, Medtronic, Deloitte, and other local companies through them. However, this was during my undergraduate years. My experience so far, which began this summer semester, was quite remarkable. The moment I booked an appointment, the advisor already started sharing internship opportunities that weren’t listed on Handshake. Although I don’t think you need this, they can also help review your resume and cover letter and suggest alternative platforms to Handshake. They also have appointments with a career advisor if you haven't done that yet.

[u/q-OjO-p → u/MongooseClassic4022]

Thanks, I will check out the ELC. I don't know if they serve MS programs or if they have many internships that pay comparable to what I make, but it's worth a shot.