MCS named No. 1 four-year degree program in U.S. & Canada

The management computer systems (MCS) department has been named the No. 1 four-year degree program in the U.S. and Canada by the Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP).

Since 1984, AITP has been awarding top schools for four-year computing degrees.

The MCS program won the award for the eighth time. UW-Whitewater has won the award in 1984, 1986, 1991, 1994, 1997, 2000, 2003 and 2007.

"The award demonstrates the kind of commitment the faculty has to creating really strong professional programs for students and the commitment the faculty has to putting students into the workforce who can be successful," Christin Clements, dean of the College of Business and Economics, said. "It provides external validation that we're doing the kinds of things that we need to be doing in order to well prepare our students for their careers."

UW-Whitewater has won this award more than any other school with Tarleton State University in Texas being the only other multiple-award winner. Purdue University, the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and DeVry University have also received the award.

"[UW-Whitewater] is a great school and in my view, better than a technical college if it's ranked No. 1 in the U.S. and Canada for the eighth time," Leslie Memmel, membership coordinator for the Student AITP Board, said.

The information technology industry is constantly changing; the MCS program is required to change along with it.

MCS Program Coordinator Robert Horton said informational technology is not disappearing anytime soon, and there is a high demand for people in that career.

"This is an award for industry," Horton said. "This isn't an academic award. Its companies saying that your students, when we get them, are doing a really good job for us, and your students are the kind of people we want to come and work for us."