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New interdisciplinary degree brings cohesive curriculum to e-commerce and Web development
ddodson@terry.uga.edu
Andy Seila, a professor of management information systems in the Terry College of Business, is director of the proposed master of Internet technology degree program. The M.I.T. degree is planned as a one-year, interdisciplinary graduate program. The Terry College will be the administrative home of the program at the outset. Columns talked to Seila about the new degree.
Columns: What is this program responding to?
Seila: Most people are aware that the Internet and electronic commerce are growing rapidly today. Along with online auctions, sales and financial services, there is a much larger group of business-to-business electronic commerce applications designed to speed business transactions and improve efficiency and productivity in global business. All of this Internet activity has produced a demand for people who can design, develop and manage Internet software applications. Rick Watson and Pat McKeown in the MIS department proposed the M.I.T. program about a year ago to train these people.
Columns: How does this fit with Terry College graduate programs?
Seila: The M.I.T. program is a Graduate School program. However, M.B.A. students can take the same coursework.
Columns: Where is the degree in the approval process?
Seila: It has been approved by University Council and forwarded to the board of regents. We anticipate approval this fall.
Columns: How common are such degrees?
Seila: Many universities are developing Internet or e-commerce degree programs, as well as specialties within existing degrees. According to our research, these programs tend to concentrate on either the programming methodology or the business-strategy aspects. Our program is unique because it is designed to provide a balance between these.
Columns: What’s the advantage of combining MIS, computer science and the New Media Institute to deliver this degree?
Seila: The computer science department will teach basic Internet programming technology; the New Media Institute will teach courses in Web-site design, development and production; and the MIS department will teach electronic-commerce business strategy and information-systems technology. This division exploits special strengths of each partner.
Columns: The Web-development job market is hot now. What does a person stand to gain by leaving the workforce to earn this degree?
Seila: Many people who are working as Web developers are self-taught and limited by their experience. The M.I.T. program will teach them how to develop more advanced applications using cutting-edge technology such as Java and XML. It will also give them the conceptual foundation for lifelong learning in Internet technologies. In practical terms, I think the investment in time and money will pay off in terms of higher salary and greater job satisfaction.
Columns: What is the target enrollment?
Seila: We plan to have 30 students in the 2001-2002 academic year, then 60 students the following year and 90 students per year long-term.
Columns: What kinds of students will enter this program?
Seila: It’s hard to be specific, but most students I have talked to plan to take jobs as Internet software developers or as managers in firms involved with e-commerce. But we also want to attract a wide diversity of students coming into the program. It’s not just a program for business or computer science students; it’s open to students with liberal arts, engineering and other backgrounds as well.
Columns: Will M.I.T. students have field projects?
Seila: Yes, all M.I.T. students will be required to complete a team project. This project will be done for a real client and will involve providing an online solution to a real business problem.
Columns: How does the emergence of the Internet compare to earlier technological revolutions?
Seila: We are clearly experiencing a revolution that is powered by the current and emerging digital technologies, including the Internet. Looking back to the 1920s, automobiles became widely available with Ford’s Model T, telephones became ubiquitous as AT&T consolidated and established universal service, and electrical power came into wide use. Not one of these technologies was new, but in the ’20s people started understanding their potential and they drove a great economic expansion. Perhaps we are experiencing a similar revolution today. The networking technologies of the Internet are not new; most of them have been around for three decades in some form.
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