OMIS Department has a new name: Information Systems & Analytics (ISA)
On September 14th, Santa Clara University announced that the Information Systems & Analytics (ISA) Department would officially be added to the Leavey School of Business. The department, formerly known as Operations Management & Information Systems (OMIS), has changed its name to highlight its focus on data and business analytics.
Department Chair, Dr. Haibing Lu, discussed these changes in a Q&A session:
How does the name change affect students?
The name change does not affect our students. All majors/minors will be the same. The only change might be that we added several new courses to the existing curriculum. For example, we added OMIS 114 Data Science with Python as an elective to the MIS major and minor as well as the AIS major.
How will they benefit from the name change?
Students certainly benefit from the name change. The new name reflects the identity of our department and the academic programs that we are offering, while the old name was misleading. The new name also reflects the focus of our programs in Information Systems and Analytics, which are sought after skills in industry.
For students considering ISA major - what is the description of the ISA major? What can students expect for future classes and programs? How does the Business Analytics minor tie into the name change?
There is no Information Systems & Analytics (ISA) major! ISA is to reflect all programs we are offering. On the undergraduate level, we are offering Management Information System major and minor, Accounting & Information Systems major, Business Analytics minor. We might introduce Business Analytics major in the future. We may also introduce 4+1 (combined bachelor and master program) in the future. We have added several analytics courses, including OMIS 114 Data Science with Python, OMIS 109 Prescriptive Analytics, and OMIS 115 Predictive Analytics. In the next couple years, we may offer more courses, like Social Media Analytics, Big Data Analytics and Modeling.
What electives will be offered during 2018-2019 school year?
Here is the tentative schedule:
OMIS114 Data Science with Python Fall 2018 & Winter 2019 quarters
OMIS109 Prescriptive Analytics 2019 Spring quarter
OMIS115 Predictive Analytics 2019 Spring quarter
OMIS 114, Data Science with Python, is being offered for the first time this fall. We asked couple of the students taking the course what they think about the class and the new department focus. Here is what they had to say:
Joe Plata, an AIS senior: I'm taking OMIS 114 because I believe a data science course will provide me with skills to supplement any career within business I may choose to pursue in the future. I believe this is a positive step for the MIS/AIS department because it shows how responsive they are being to our constantly evolving world to ensure their graduates are prepared for the future.”
Leo Magana, an AIS senior: "I am taking OMIS 114 because it provides undergraduate students the opportunity to learn some of the most in-demand data scientist skills. The decision to introduce this class and change the department name should greatly help SCU candidates remain competitive while also making it easier to understand how an MIS/AIS major serves as the bridge between business and technology."
If you have further questions about the department name change or the new courses being offered in 2018-19 please email isa@scu.edu. Additionally, Click here for the PowerPoint presentation from Professor Lu about the future of the Business Analytics industry.