Who knew a summer programme would jumpstart a career in systems engineering? Urvi Sethia from India certainly did not until she joined one at Indiana University Bloomington, one of the US top research universities and home to a top-ranked business school. The summer programme provided her with business skills and a solid foundation for graduate coursework that was to come.
“I studied with a computer science major, a fashion major, a finance major, a psychology major; all under the same roof,” she says. “Being new to programming languages never became an impediment for me to excel in the course, and the summer bootcamps prepared me for the core. It was the best time to learn technical skills from scratch.”
MS in Information Systems graduate Urvi Sethia is now a Senior Analyst – Business Integrator at pharmaceutical manufacturing firm Eli Lilly and Company. Source: Indiana University Bloomington
More confident and competent, she joined the MS in Information Systems next.
Offered by the Kelley School of Business, the programme provides a transformative experience through an integrated information systems core, industry-focused specialisations, experiential learning opportunities, and professional development.
The curriculum covers advanced skill sets that fuse business acumen and technical knowledge to excel professionally. It’s an effective combination that’s helped graduates land roles at the world’s top consulting firms, including EY, KPMG, PwC, Crowe, BCG, Accenture, Deloitte, and McKinsey, and leading tech companies such as Amazon, AWS, Google, Microsoft, Apple, Meta, and SAP. Sethia is now a Senior Analyst at Eli Lilly and Company, a multinational pharmaceutical firm dedicated to making medicines accessible and affordable.
“The curriculum in the MSIS programme is an absolute mirror of what is going on in the real world,” Justin Greis, Partner and Cybersecurity Leader at McKinsey and a programme alumnus, says.
Building relationships and creating lasting value are the cornerstones of Director Tim Smith’s professional and personal philosophy. Source: Indiana University Bloomington
AI focus
As AI is transforming organisations and how they operate, now is a good time to master this disruptive technology within the information systems field. The Data Analytics and AI concentration is ideal for students with strengths in mathematics, statistics, and programming, equipping you with skills to push data-driven decision-making and innovation.
If you want to learn more about technology infrastructure and architecture, the Cybersecurity concentration is a good fit for you. In this track, you learn how to protect an organisation and its technology assets from cyber threats, from safeguarding sensitive data to developing strategies for threat detection and incident response.
The Digital Transformation with AI concentration, on the other hand, focuses on honing your knowledge in business foundations and process thinking. This concentration branches into two focus areas: Digital Enterprise Systems and Digital Platforms and AI, both leveraging AI to solve various industry challenges.
Finally, the Information Systems Research in AI research-focused concentration gets you to engage with current AI methodologies, frameworks, and challenges. It encourages you to think critically, develop problem-solving skills, and find innovative solutions to complex issues in the field from an academic perspective.
In collaboration with corporate partners and alumni, the programme has introduced two new AI concentrations. The first is AI Technology Design, Deployment, and Use, which focuses on responsible AI engineering and addresses issues such as privacy, security, governance, and compliance. The other is Enterprise Process Intelligence. Here, you’ll explore how AI can be integrated into business processes by analysing data from procurement, HR, payroll, and more.
The Kelley School of Business community comprises more than 133,000 alumni worldwide. Source: Indiana University Bloomington
These focus areas and courses not only teach you technical skills but also people skills that are crucial to succeeding in business. You will collaborate and build relationships, not only within your cohort but also with the MSIS community as a whole.
The capstone project and internships provide many opportunities to meet industry professionals. “Through our capstone projects, students collaborate with companies on solving significant business challenges,” programme director Timothy Smith says. “These partnerships not only provide hands-on experience but also strengthen long-term relationships with industry leaders.”
And with more than 137,000 Kelley School alumni, this network offers extensive global connections worldwide that can ease your entry into this field. “The Kelley MSIS programme serves as a perfect gateway for those who wish to break into the techno-managerial domain, irrespective of their backgrounds,” Sethia says. “The programme has made me more confident, personally, and professionally. I am ready to take up multiple roles in the market.”
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