The Department of Management at Minnesota State University, Mankato offers a program of study with the aim of developing the technical, analytical, and conceptual skills for the future leaders of the private and public sectors. Students can select one or more of the following areas: General Management; Human Resource Management; and Management Information Systems. The Program provides students with fundamental principles and practices of effective management.
In general, emphasis is placed on organizational functioning within changing socio-cultural, economic, legal, political, and technological environments. Seventeen highly-trained faculty lead a program that maintains a placement rate of over 95 percent. Many of the faculty have been recognized nationally for their excellence in teaching and research. An active internship program provides students beneficial interaction with the real world and experienced practitioners. Management majors also enjoy several active student organizations including the General Management and Human Resource Management Club and the Information Systems Club.
The General Management major emphasizes both behavioral and technical approaches to managing in today's fast-paced organizations. Students are exposed to information that assists them in managing resources at the individual, group, and organizational levels of analysis. Additionally, students are provided an overview of technology and its application in the development of management information systems for both small and large businesses. Issues regarding leadership, motivation, organizational communication, organizational design transformations and change as well as an overview of human resource concerns are all covered within this program. The General Management program has been designed to allow the student to emphasize practical training through internships, entrepreneurships, operations, or a combination of these areas through electives.
HRM involves all of the decisions and practices that relate to managing people in organizations. Important HRM activities include recruiting and hiring employees, analyzing jobs and writing job descriptions, motivating and evaluating the job performance of employees, determining pay and benefits, providing training, ensuring safety and health, and complying with employment-related laws and regulations. The effective management of the human resources of an organization is critical to the organization's success.
Management Information Systems (MIS) focuses on how organizations manage their information resources and on the methodologies they use to ensure reliable and efficient flows of information throughout the enterprise. Database management, telecommunication systems, systems analysis and design, decision support systems, and strategic information systems are topics of concern to MIS professionals. MIS is a cross-disciplinary field of study that combines the technical aspects from computer science with the resource management techniques from business. To reflect this cross disciplinary nature of the field, there are two MIS majors at Minnesota State University, Mankato: one is offered in the Department of Computer and Information Sciences of the College of Science, Engineering and Technology; the other is offered in the Department of Management in the College of Business. Students who have an interest and aptitude for the technical aspects of MIS should consider majoring in MIS from the Department of Computer and Information Sciences; students who have an interest and an aptitude for the resource management component of MIS should consider majoring in MIS from the Department of Management. Students pursuing either MIS program will be required to thoroughly study both the technical and non-technical aspects of the area.
The Department of Management offers internships for the General Management, Human Resource Management, and Management Information Systems concentrations in the Management major. In conjunction with the Taylor Corporation, the department also offers a two-phase internship in Production and Operations Management. While none of these concentrations requires an internship, the General Management concentration allows a three-credit internship to count as an elective. In any case, a student may take a maximum of 9 semester credits on a pass/no pass basis and/or 3 semester credits for a grade.
Students are strongly encouraged to join a student business organization to further their college experience. The General Management and Human Resource Management Club is an accredited member of the Society for Human Resource Management. HRMC is in direct contact with human resource executives through conferences, meetings, and social events. The Information Systems Club brings together students with common interests in the application of information systems to management problems. This club is active professionally, academically, and socially. All students are welcome.
