UT Dallas is launching three new undergraduate degree programs this fall to answer demand for highly trained information technology, international business and marketing professionals.

Given the green light by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, all three programs—in global business, in management information systems (MIS) and in marketing—are four-year School of Management curriculums that each lead to Bachelor of Science degrees.

 Information Sessions

Learn About the New Undergraduate Marketing Degree:

July 20, 28 and 29 at 2 p.m. at SOM 1.517

The three programs share an emphasis on turning out graduates with sought-after skill sets in fields that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has identified as having bright career prospects.

“As with all our programs, these three provide a strong foundation in management basics,” SOM Dean Hasan Pirkul said. “They also capitalize on the latest innovations in technology, and they have been developed to prepare graduates to not only meet but to exceed job-market expectations.”

Management Information Systems

“The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that five of the 12 fastest-growing occupations relate to the information systems field…with a projected need for 49,500 new information systems managers nationally between 2008 and 2018,” said MIS Program Director Mark Thouin.

MIS essentially studies “how businesses can use computers to work better,” Thouin said. “Accordingly, MIS professionals require in-depth knowledge of how businesses function and the technology used to support business functions.

The degree will appeal to students who are curious about how things work and enjoy solving problems, Thouin said.  The program is unique in its emphasis on how information technology supports, improves and restructures business processes. “While a traditional computer science or computer information systems degree program emphasizes creation of software, the School of Management program emphasizes creating value in businesses through IT-enabled business intelligence,” Thouin said.

Marketing

One distinguishing feature of the new marketing degree is the significance it places on the quantitative aspects of marketing, said Undergraduate Marketing Program Director Julie Haworth. “Our program emphasizes use of data and analysis in each course.”

Ever-more readily available and rapidly increasing amounts of customer-behavior, sales and marketing facts and figures—particularly from digital marketing activities—underlie this approach, Haworth said.

Bureau of Labor Statistics tracking supports this as well. Jobs for market and survey researchers proficient in using analytical tools and methods, the bureau has reported, are “expected to grow faster than average, at 28 percent, through 2018.”

Haworth expects “well-rounded students who are natural promoters, motivators and influencers” to find the marketing program a good fit. “We expect our students to be bright, goal-oriented, creative, enthusiastic and analytical or inquisitive,” she said.

In devising the program, the School of Management communicated with more than 20 area companies regarding the skills and courses needed to prepare students for entry-level positions in marketing, Haworth says. The program is designed to prepare students for jobs in advertising and promotions; market research and analytics; product and brand management; and sales and business development.”

Global Business

In international management, the Bureau of Labor has identified a need for corporate professionals with “a more comprehensive knowledge of international business and foreign cultures and languages.”

Demand is multiplying in line with an ever-increasing number of businesses and economies changing from local and national to worldwide operations, according to Global Business Program Director Habte G. Woldu. “More job and career opportunities will open to those with international skill sets, whether used domestically in multinational corporations or abroad,” he says.

Besides foreign-language and study-abroad requirements, the Global Business Program includes training in international-business management, international financial markets, cross-cultural communications and negotiation, international human resource management, global strategy and international marketing.

Foreign-language fluency and studied understanding of the cultural, sociopolitical and regulatory environments of other countries are invaluable assets for business executives posted abroad, Woldu said. “In the past, failure of American expatriates in such postings has been mainly attributed to lack of language skills and cultural sensitivities.”

Because the School of Management already operates master’s and doctoral programs in international management studies, the global business degree, Woldu said, “is an excellent undergraduate introduction to the school’s graduate offerings in such fields as international accounting, advertising, management, marketing and strategy.”