Quick answer: An online MIS degree is the business-technology route rather than the engineering one. The mathematics is statistics and quantitative business analysis rather than a computing sequence, and the management rung is earned through experience rather than entered directly. Programs, the careers this degree opens, and what they pay are covered below.
Who This Degree Is Actually For
MIS is usually taught in a business school, and that placement tells you what it optimizes for. It suits two groups.
People already working in technology who can do the technical work but lack the process, finance and organizational vocabulary that management requires. The degree supplies that half; experience supplies the credibility.
People in operations or business roles who work adjacent to systems and want to move toward owning them. The degree supplies enough technical grounding to be taken seriously by engineers.
It suits less well anyone who wants to build software. That is computer science, and the mathematics sequence there is heavier for a reason.
A third group worth naming: people running technology inside a non-technology business. Manufacturers, health systems, logistics operators and utilities all employ systems managers, and those employers frequently prefer someone who understands their operation over someone with a pure computing background. That is where trade and operations experience becomes an asset rather than a detour, and it is the reason this degree appears on a site about skilled work at all. The systems being managed are increasingly the ones running the plant floor, the fleet or the clinical estate.
Before you request information anywhere, verify institutional accreditation, note whether the business school holds AACSB accreditation, and read the course list to see whether the program leans business or computing. With that filter set, compare online management information systems programs enrolling now:
Colleges Offering This Degree
Every school listed is verified in federal IPEDS data both to award this degree and to offer programs that can be completed entirely by distance education at this level. Whether this exact degree is delivered fully online varies by school, so confirm the format before you apply.
How we rank schools – graduation rate, graduate earnings, cost and retention.
Advertising plays no part.
This page lists 10 schools, closest group first, then ordered by
BOC Score with the highest at the top.
10 of them carry a score.
LOCAL RANK
Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate how often students finish
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry whether it paid off
25%
Average net price what students actually pay after aid; lower ranks higher
20%
Retention rate how many come back for year two
15%
Fully online availability whether you can study while working
10%
Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal
about the institution rather than about this subject.
Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from
this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.
Systems analysis and design. Requirements, process modelling and the discipline of specifying before building.
Database and data management. Enough SQL and modelling to be credible with a data team.
Networking and infrastructure. How the systems actually connect, at a conceptual rather than configuration level.
Information security governance. Risk, policy and compliance rather than hands-on defence.
Project and change management. The delivery skills the management rung is judged on.
Enterprise systems. ERP and the large business platforms most organizations actually run.
Business core. Accounting, finance, operations and organizational behaviour, since this is a business degree.
The balance between the technical and business halves varies more between MIS programs than in almost any other subject on this site. Two degrees with the same name can be seventy percent business or seventy percent computing. Read the course list, count how many genuinely technical courses are required rather than elective, and match that against where you are starting from. Someone arriving from a hands-on technical role usually wants the business-heavy version; someone arriving from operations wants the reverse.
The mathematics is statistics and quantitative business analysis rather than discrete mathematics and linear algebra. Institutional accreditation from a recognized institutional accreditor is what to verify. Some business schools also hold AACSB accreditation, which is the business-school programmatic body.
Before you shortlist schools, it also helps to be precise about which of these adjacent paths you actually want.
MIS vs the Alternatives
Versus computer science. CS builds the software; MIS decides what an organization runs and manages the function. CS pays a higher entry median but MIS points at the management rung sooner. See online computer science degree.
Versus IT. Considerable overlap at the infrastructure end. IT is more hands-on operations; MIS is more business-facing. See online information technology degree.
Versus data science. Data science models; MIS manages the systems producing the data. Data science grows faster in percentage terms. See online data science degree.
An online MIS degree can lead toward computer and information systems management, where the median is $175,140 across 670,570 jobs, with employment projected to change by 15.2% through 2034 (BLS OEWS, May 2025; BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34).
MIS Degree at a Glance
Metric
Detail
Source
Median annual wage, IT managers
$175,140
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Wage range
$107,550 (10th pct) - $297,510 (90th pct)
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Employment
670,570 computer and information systems managers
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Projected change (2024-34)
15.2%, about 55,600 openings per year
BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34
Common middle rung
Computer systems analysts, median $105,850, 519,530 employed
BLS OEWS, May 2025
License
None. IT management is not a state-licensed occupation
-
SOC codes covered
11-3021 computer and information systems managers; 15-1211 computer systems analysts; 15-1252 software developers
BLS OEWS, May 2025
The Highest-Paid Management Rung on This Site
$175,140 is the highest median of any management occupation covered here, and the 90th percentile of $297,510 is the highest figure on the site full stop. Two things make that number honest rather than misleading.
First, it is a large occupation: 670,570 people, with about 55,600 openings a year. Strong growth on a large base is unusual - most fast-growing occupations covered here are small.
Second, and more important: it is not an entry-level job. Nobody graduates into IT management. The path runs through technical or analyst work first, which is why the middle rung matters.
Rung
SOC
Median
10th pct
90th pct
Employment
Projected change
Computer systems analysts
15-1211
$105,850
$67,340
$167,710
519,530
+8.7%
Software developers
15-1252
$135,980
$82,460
$214,670
1,687,890
+15.8%
Computer and information systems managers
11-3021
$175,140
$107,550
$297,510
670,570
+15.2%
Wages and employment: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Projections: BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34.
Read the 10th percentile column for the management row: $107,550. Even the bottom decile of IT management earns more than the median systems analyst. That is what the promotion is worth, and it is the clearest argument for this degree for someone already doing technical work.
Is an MIS Degree Worth It?
The case for: the target occupation has the highest management median on this site at $175,140, a large base of 670,570 jobs, 15.2 percent projected change, about 55,600 openings a year, no licensure gate, a lighter mathematics load than computing degrees, and strong online availability aimed at working adults (BLS OEWS, May 2025; BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34).
The case against: the headline wage belongs to a role you reach after years of experience, not on graduation. The degree sits between two fields and can leave graduates less technical than computer science graduates and less business-focused than finance or accounting graduates. Its value depends heavily on pairing it with real technical experience.
Is college worth it covers the general tradeoff. Individual outcomes may vary.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a management information systems degree?
MIS sits between business and technology. It teaches enough systems, databases and networking to be technically credible, and enough process, project and organizational work to run a technology function. It is usually housed in a business school rather than a computing department, which is the clearest signal of what it is for.
How much do computer and information systems managers make?
The national median annual wage is $175,140 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The bottom 10 percent earn $107,550 or less and the top 10 percent earn $297,510 or more, across employment of 670,570 nationally. It is the highest median of any management occupation covered on this site.
MIS or computer science?
Computer science builds software; MIS decides which systems an organization runs and manages the people who run them. Software developers earn a median $135,980 and computer and information systems managers $175,140, but the management role generally requires years of prior experience rather than being an entry-level destination (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Can you earn an MIS degree online?
Yes, and it is well suited to it. There is no laboratory component, coursework is naturally computer-based, and the target student is often already working in a technology or operations role. Many programs are designed explicitly for working adults, and the capstone is usually a business systems project.
Is MIS a good degree for someone already working in IT?
It is one of the more direct routes from hands-on technical work toward management. The degree supplies the process, finance and organizational material that technical experience does not, while the technical grounding you already have is what makes the management credible. Individual outcomes may vary.
What does the career path look like?
Commonly analyst first, then senior or lead, then management. Computer systems analysts earn a median $105,850 across 519,530 jobs and are the usual middle rung (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The management step is a promotion earned over years, not a first job out of a degree program.
Is IT management growing?
Computer and information systems manager employment is projected to change by 15.2% from 2024 to 2034, with about 55,600 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34). That is strong growth on a large base, which is an unusual combination.
Does MIS require heavy mathematics?
Less than computer science or data science. Expect statistics and quantitative business analysis rather than discrete mathematics and linear algebra. That is one of the main practical reasons people choose MIS over a computing degree, and it is a legitimate reason.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 - Computer and Information Systems Managers (SOC 11-3021), Computer Systems Analysts (SOC 15-1211), Software Developers (SOC 15-1252)
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2024-34
About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.
