What you will study
As a Software Developer major, you’ll learn numerous CIS software development languages
and information systems software and technology, including:
- Java
- Local area networking
- Management information systems software
- Microsoft SQL Server
- Microsoft Visual C#
- Python
- Systems analysis
As part of the UCM difference, the career path of a software developer involves learning
how to apply that technology to solve business problems in courses on business communication,
statistics, the principles of finance, operations management and more.
In addition to the core CIS program classes, you’ll take courses specific to Software
Developer majors, including:
- Applications Development Using Visual C#
- Business Application Development with Java
- Data Resource Management
- User Experience Design
Excellence in CIS Software Development
- Top 4%: Most Focused Colleges for Computer & Information Sciences (College Factual, 2022)
- #1: Most Popular Master’s Degree Colleges for Computer & Information Sciences in Missouri
(College Factual, 2022)
- #1: Most Popular Colleges for Computer & Information Sciences in Missouri (College Factual,
2022)
- Top 3.5%: Most Popular Colleges for Computer & Information Sciences (College Factual, 2022)
- Top 15%: Best Value Colleges for Computer & Information Sciences (College Factual, 2021)
- Top 15%: Most Popular Colleges for Computer & Information Sciences (College Factual, 2021)
- #1: Best Computer Information Systems Colleges for the Money in Missouri (College Factual,
2019)
- Top 15%: CIS software programs in the United States (College Factual, 2019)
- #17: Best Value Program in the United States (College Factual, 2019)
- One of only 13 information systems software programs in the United States accredited by both the
Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) and the Association to Advance
Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
Unique learning opportunities in the CIS Software Development BSBA program
As a CIS Software Development major at the University of Central Missouri, you’ll
have a variety of opportunities to enhance your Software Developer degree and prepare
for your career:
- Internships: Benefit from UCM’s proximity to the Kansas City metro area. Past Software Developer
majors have interned with Cerner, T-Mobile and a variety of small- to medium-sized
local companies with connections to UCM’s CIS program.
- CIS capstone course: Every CIS student takes the Systems Architecture and Development capstone class. This
course pairs you with CIS students in other concentrations to develop an end-to-end
system that solves a business problem with skills from each of your specialties. You’ll
learn how all components of the system interrelate — as well as how important each
is to the whole. Additionally, you’ll benefit from the feedback you’ll get from industry
professionals who come to campus to judge the projects. Select projects have even
been implemented in real businesses to improve operations.
- Student life: Meet with other students who share your interests in becoming a software developer
in the CISAO student group and attend guest speaker lectures. Past speakers have included leaders from companies
such as Microsoft who present current and relevant topics in software development
such as data mining, where the educational technology field is headed and more.
What can you do with a Software Developer degree from UCM?
After you graduate, you could pursue exciting careers in software development, cloud
and system administration, database development and administration, enterprise resource
planning and more. Past Software Development majors have worked for local and national
companies, including:
- Cerner
- Evergreen
- Hallmark
- H&R Block
- T-Mobile
You could also pursue a graduate degree to better prepare you for a leadership role
in the industry and further deepen your technical expertise. In fact, many Software
Development majors stay at UCM to pursue an MS in Computer Information Systems and Information Technology. No matter their path, graduates of the CIS Software Development program have experienced
a 100% job or grad school placement rate within six months of graduation.
Software Developer degree jobs
The interactive tool below will help you explore job possibilities in software development.
Financial assistance options for your CIS Software Developer degree
We don’t want a lack of funding to be a barrier between you and your goal of becoming
a software developer. That’s why the University of Central Missouri provides a number
of ways to help you finance your college education, including grants, financial aid and scholarships. In fact, some scholarships are
set aside specifically for students focusing on a CIS and Software Developer degree.
Those scholarships include:
- Alexander Gladkov Memorial Scholarship
- Boeing Company Scholarship for Computer Information Systems
- Chelsoft Solutions Company – CIS & IT Scholarship
- Computer Information Systems & Analytics Scholarship Fund
- Helen Louise Campbell Richards Memorial Scholarship
- Pennzoil Student Scholarship
- Richard and Gertrude Innes Scholarship
- Trevor Shoemaker CIS Memorial Scholarship
You can learn more about program-specific scholarships with the UCM Scholarship Finder.
Meet CIS Software Program Faculty Member Dr. Silvana Faja
Expert in software engineering and project management
Dr. Faja infuses her passion for agile system development, C# programming, software
engineering and the privacy and security of information systems into her courses.
She also shares global perspectives with her students from her past experience as
an employee of the Albanian News Agency and the United States Agency for International
Development.
Meet the Faculty
Learn and Study in High-Tech Labs
Get experience with industry technology before you enter the field
CIS Software Developer majors have access to more than 120 computers across six dedicated
labs. Available technology includes a user experience design testing lab, Cisco networking
components, Oracle Academy programs, Microsoft Imagine, EMC Academic Alliance programs,
numerous big data products, AWS licensing and more.
Meet CIS Software Program Faculty Member Dr. Sam Ramanujan
20+ years of programming and software development expertise
Dr. Ramanujan has significant experience in the industry developing and deploying
complex systems. He brings that real-world practice to the classroom, where he has
taught OO programming and software engineering for more than 20 years.
Meet the Faculty
Get Focused Career Coaching
1-on-1 sessions with industry leaders
You’ll develop a five-year career plan and then present that plan to members of the
CIS program’s advisory board. These top IT professionals walk through it with you
individually to ensure your goals are achievable and that you’re taking the proper
courses to help you get there.
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CIS Program Mission
Program Mission Statement:
The primary mission of the program is to offer outcomes-based, assessment driven,
academic programs to prepare students for careers in information systems and information
technology. The program also serves the community by providing technology-related
service courses to fulfill the needs of the 21st century workforce.
Program Educational Objectives
Program Educational Objectives
Within a few years of graduation, graduates from the Bachelor of Science in Business
Administration, with a major in Computer Information Systems (CIS),will be able to:
- Analyze business opportunities and design technology solutions by applying appropriate
processes, methodologies, and tools.
- Develop multi-platform software with usability best practices and commonly used tools.
- Design, implement and manage on-premise and cloud information system solutions.
- Identify and manage cybersecurity risks in organizations.
- Design, develop, and maintain databases and manage data resources.
- Effectively communicate and collaborate with stakeholders for a successful solution.
- Demonstrate appropriate leadership using workplace professional and ethical expectations.
Revised 6/25/2025
CIS Program Student Outcomes
CIS Program Student Outcomes
Graduates of the program will have an ability to:
1. Analyze a complex computing problem and to apply principles of computing and other
relevant disciplines to identify solutions.
2. Design, implement, and evaluate a computing-based solution to meet a given set
of computing requirements in the context of the program’s discipline.
3. Communicate effectively in a variety of professional contexts.
4. Recognize professional responsibilities and make informed judgments in computing
practice based on legal and ethical principles.
5. Function effectively as a member or leader of a team engaged in activities appropriate
to the program’s discipline
6. Support the delivery, use, and management of information systems within an information
systems (IS) environment.
Annual Enrollment And Graduation Data
Program Accreditation
The BSBA in Computer Information Systems - Sotware Development option is accredited
by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET.
