Introduction of the School of Information Systems and Applied Technologies at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale Information Systems and Applied Technologies (ISAT) at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale is an academic school of the College of Applied Sciences and Arts. The management of information in today's world requires people skilled in a full range of technical areas including information systems,computer applications, networks, and electronics. This span of technology is the focus of the School of ISAT. ISAT offers three degree programs on campus and one specialization with approximately 425 majors, 22 faculty, two academic advisors, 2 support personnel, a LAN support specialist, and several graduate assistants. One of the biggest ISAT programs, Information Systems Technologies (IST), is a baccalaureate degree major designed to prepare students for careers in a wide variety of work settings that rely on computerized information echnologies to accomplish organizational goals and business requirements. Students entering the IST degree must be able to keyboard at a competency level adequate enough to complete a variety of computer related tasks and assignments. Significant computer resources and laboratories are available to students in the program for instructional purposes and for completion of assignments. The courses are based on a nationally recognized model curriculum, Organizational and End-user Information Systems by the Organizational Systems Research Association (OSRA). The curriculum recognizes that graduates must have well- rounded knowledge and skills on information systems and computer technologies as well as an understanding of the principles of organizations and systems, including an awareness of technological, economic, political, social and cultural factors. Many courses require significant hands-on laboratory work and project activities related to business applications development, systems design and analysis, project management, networking communications, and computer troubleshooting and maintenance. ISAT has also developed a select group of classes online, providing place-bound students the pportunity to take IST courses via web-based instruction. Graduates of this program will meet the continuing needs of business and industry for personnel to use information systems technologies within organizations utilizing integrated enterprise information systems. They will be able to supervise the planning and implementation of information systems in work/office environments, and deal with people, and procedures and equipment resources of companies. IST graduates may be found at major manufacturing companies (e.g., Boeing), banks, credit unions, insurance companies, law offices, hospitals, clinics, government offices, social service agencies, etc. Some IST graduates may work exclusively with databases. Companies that require large databases will also require skilled employees to maintain and query these databases. These may be companies or brokerage firms, telecommunication corporations, communication enterprises, etc. Companies need someone to install software upgrades. Some type of formal or informal help desk may be needed to assist the users, and an IST graduate might be found at that desk. The Internet with its' many Web sites has created another vast job area that IST graduates may consider such as the tasks of designing, setting up, and maintaining Web sites; working the policy-formation or security issues regarding electronic communication. To give IST students a taste of what the business world as it relates to computer technology, a 4 credit hour a required of all students. During that semester the student will work at a company site with computer professionals. The School of ISAT is recently proposing to launch a new master program, Masters of Science in Informatics (MSI). Located in the southern region of Illinois, the MSI program will be the first of its kind which trains professionals in the relatively new field of Informatics. The MSI program is a collaboration between the School of ISAT and the School of Allied Health for a degree in Informatics with specializations in Enterprise Information Systems (EIS) or Health Information Systems (HIS). The proposed MSI program is designed around a 22-hour common core of coursework. Through the design of projects within these courses and the selection of advanced electives, the student has the flexibility to focus on specific career goals. A 9-hour specialization in Health Informatics allows the MSI major to focus on tools and methods across multidisciplinary fields of information and decision technologies to design, model, and manage integrated healthcare enterprise systems as well as to support intelligent decision making for health care delivery. (The tools and methods include decision modeling and simulation, database management systems, data mining and knowledge discovery, data analysis and statistics, six-sigma, and systems engineering.) A 9-hour specialization in Enterprise Information Systems is applicable to the informatics majors interested in entering the manufacturing and service sectors to apply the same sets of tools and methods mentioned above for designing, modeling, and managing integrated manufacturing and service enterprise systems. Both specializations are reinforced by careful consideration of the 6-hour, career- specific thesis or project topic or internship location.