Dr Khalil Dajani of SAU MCIS welcomes record number of MCIS students
Southern Arkansas University’s Master of Science in Computer and Information Science degree was recently ranked among the nation’s top MCIS programs by GoGrad.org.
According to GoGrad.org, their team spent months collecting and analyzing data from hundreds of colleges and universities to identify the best not-for-profit MCIS programs. SAU’s MCIS program ranked 22nd nationally for its combination of academic quality, accommodation, guidance and affordability.
SAU’s MCIS program has also recently gotten the attention of prospective students, and the program has grown steadily over the past two years. The number of students in the Fall 2014 was 75, which more than doubled to 171 in the Spring 2015 semester.
The MCIS program had less than six students in 2011, but has since climbed its way up to become the largest graduate program at SAU and one of the three largest graduate programs in Arkansas.
In addition to transfer students from other universities nationwide, the SAU foreign student population has skyrocketed thanks to the MCIS program. Students have made the journey from around the world to earn a graduate degree at SAU in computer science, with countries represented such as Nepal, Nigeria, Ghana, Vietnam, Gambia, Kenya and India.
SAU has added another MCIS faculty member and five instructors to accommodate the increasing number of students. Next academic year, the MCIS program is expected to grow in an increasing number. Internship programs are being established with the surrounding industry as well as the major information technology (IT) industry in the Dallas area.
Close attention to students, industry prospective and quality of courses offered at SAU contributed to the major growth in MCIS. It is a 30-hour program, and can be completed online or in class. The approximate cost for the complete program is $9,310 for Arkansas residents, and $13,150 for out-of-state, according to 2014-15 tuition and fees. For more information, visit the MCIS website at www.saumag.edu/mcis.
