Inside an Integrated MBA: An Information Systems View

This paper chronicles the evolution and content of an integrated MBA (IMBA) at the University of Denver and relates an IS-oriented view of the curriculum integration and teaching experience. The study emphasizes IS faculty efforts to integrate curricula from the traditional MIS course into three of the seven team-taught, interdisciplinary IMBA courses. Their teaching experiences illustrate pedagogy, and ensuing sections summarize student feedback and provide insights on what appears to work and what does not, as well as what remains to be done. A process is recommended to MIS faculty for infusing IS topics into an integrated curriculum. Gaining respect from other faculty for teaching the use and management of IT beyond its use for personal productivity, and incorporating IS into multiple class sections with scarce IS faculty resources are major problems. What appears to work best for MIS faculty is to attend curriculum discussions with (1) an appreciation of what IS/IT knowledge is essential for an MBA to (a) understand IS contributions to the solution of business problems and (b) participate in systems development activities to obtain (and later manage) IT applications; and (2) a willingness to look for opportunities to position IS/IT topics to complement other curricula.