8 answers
alex
Student
Dhaka, Dhaka Division, Bangladesh
1
Question
Asked
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Is studying MIS with a Cybersecurity concentration a smart, future-proof choice with AI advancing so quickly ?
I’m considering majoring in Management Information Systems (MIS) with a concentration in Cybersecurity. With how quickly AI is advancing, I want to think carefully about whether this path will still be strong and relevant in the future.
For those working in related roles, what does your typical day actually involve? Is most of your time spent in meetings and strategy, doing technical hands-on tasks, or monitoring systems and security tools?
I’m also curious about how AI might affect the role of someone who connects the business side and the security/technical side. Will companies still rely on people in that “bridge” role, or will AI start taking over more of those responsibilities?
Also, for those who studied MIS with a cybersecurity focus (or something similar), how intense is the workload when balancing business management classes with technical security labs? Is it stressful or manageable with good organization?
I want to choose a major that has a strong long term career outlook but also one that matches the kind of work style I’d actually enjoy. I’d really appreciate hearing about real experiences or advice from people in the field.
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7 answers
Vianne Phan
Youth Development Teacher
95
Answers
San Diego, California
Updated
Vianne’s Answer
Yes, choosing MIS with a focus on cybersecurity is a smart and future-ready option. While AI is changing security tools, it can't replace people who know both technology and business. Companies still need experts to explain risks, make decisions, and communicate security issues in ways that leaders can understand. As systems get more complex, this "bridge" role becomes even more important.
In your daily work, you'll have a mix of tasks. At first, you'll do hands-on work like checking alerts, helping with risk assessments, managing access controls, and supporting audits and incident responses. Over time, you'll spend more time in meetings, planning, and strategy, but you'll still have a mix of technical and non-technical work. MIS roles are great if you enjoy variety, communication, and problem-solving.
The workload is busy but manageable with good organization. Business classes involve projects and discussions, while cybersecurity classes have labs and technical assignments. The main challenge is balancing these two styles, not the difficulty. If you like structure, teamwork, and thinking about how tech decisions impact people and organizations, this major is a great fit and keeps many career options open for the future.
In your daily work, you'll have a mix of tasks. At first, you'll do hands-on work like checking alerts, helping with risk assessments, managing access controls, and supporting audits and incident responses. Over time, you'll spend more time in meetings, planning, and strategy, but you'll still have a mix of technical and non-technical work. MIS roles are great if you enjoy variety, communication, and problem-solving.
The workload is busy but manageable with good organization. Business classes involve projects and discussions, while cybersecurity classes have labs and technical assignments. The main challenge is balancing these two styles, not the difficulty. If you like structure, teamwork, and thinking about how tech decisions impact people and organizations, this major is a great fit and keeps many career options open for the future.
Siva Kann
VP of Products & Technology
44
Answers
Cincinnati, Ohio
Updated
Siva’s Answer
Hello Alex,
I agree with many of the points already shared around scope and AI not replacing everything. I want to add two additional points that I think are critical before deciding whether MIS + Cybersecurity is the right choice for you (not just a safe choice in general).
1. Start with you before the degree: One thing missing from the question is clarity on your “strengths, interests, and values”.
Before asking “Is MIS with Cybersecurity future-proof?”, ask:
• Do I enjoy technical depth, or do I prefer coordination, analysis, and decision-making?
• Do I like ambiguity, risk assessment, and explaining complex topics to non-technical stakeholders?
• Do I want to do hands-on security engineering, or governance, risk, strategy, and business alignment?
MIS is typically designed for people who want to operate at the intersection of business and technology. If your strengths lean toward:
• translating requirements,
• managing stakeholders,
• understanding risk and trade-offs,
• and guiding decisions rather than implementing every tool yourself,
then MIS can align very well. If you want deep technical work (reverse engineering, exploit development, kernel-level security), then security engineering path may be a better fit.
2. Cybersecurity + AI is not shrinking, it’s evolving: From the perspective of someone leading cybersecurity products and teams to secure industrial systems, I can confidently say, AI does not reduce the need for cybersecurity expertise rather it raises the bar.
A few realities worth noting:
• AI systems themselves need to be secured (models, data pipelines, inference layers, supply chains).
• Over 70% of cyber incidents today are still human-centric (phishing, misconfiguration, poor decisions, process gaps).
• AI can automate detection and response, but it cannot fully own accountability, judgment, or risk ownership.
The future demand is not just for people who know existing security tools, but for people who understand:
• how AI systems fail,
• how humans interact with them,
• and how to design secure systems and processes end-to-end.
That combination is exactly where MIS + Cybersecurity can be powerful if you keep learning beyond the curriculum. Pure monitoring is often automated. The value comes from context, prioritization, and decision-making where AI supports humans rather than replaces them.
Here are 3 practical recommendations:
1. Clarify your strengths, interests, and values first, then evaluate whether MIS aligns with them.
2. Continuously build skills beyond the degree — especially around cloud, AI systems, and security fundamentals.
3. Think long-term: securing AI-driven products and systems will require more skilled cyber professionals, not fewer.
The degree matters, but how you grow on top of it matters more.
Wish you the best!
I agree with many of the points already shared around scope and AI not replacing everything. I want to add two additional points that I think are critical before deciding whether MIS + Cybersecurity is the right choice for you (not just a safe choice in general).
1. Start with you before the degree: One thing missing from the question is clarity on your “strengths, interests, and values”.
Before asking “Is MIS with Cybersecurity future-proof?”, ask:
• Do I enjoy technical depth, or do I prefer coordination, analysis, and decision-making?
• Do I like ambiguity, risk assessment, and explaining complex topics to non-technical stakeholders?
• Do I want to do hands-on security engineering, or governance, risk, strategy, and business alignment?
MIS is typically designed for people who want to operate at the intersection of business and technology. If your strengths lean toward:
• translating requirements,
• managing stakeholders,
• understanding risk and trade-offs,
• and guiding decisions rather than implementing every tool yourself,
then MIS can align very well. If you want deep technical work (reverse engineering, exploit development, kernel-level security), then security engineering path may be a better fit.
2. Cybersecurity + AI is not shrinking, it’s evolving: From the perspective of someone leading cybersecurity products and teams to secure industrial systems, I can confidently say, AI does not reduce the need for cybersecurity expertise rather it raises the bar.
A few realities worth noting:
• AI systems themselves need to be secured (models, data pipelines, inference layers, supply chains).
• Over 70% of cyber incidents today are still human-centric (phishing, misconfiguration, poor decisions, process gaps).
• AI can automate detection and response, but it cannot fully own accountability, judgment, or risk ownership.
The future demand is not just for people who know existing security tools, but for people who understand:
• how AI systems fail,
• how humans interact with them,
• and how to design secure systems and processes end-to-end.
That combination is exactly where MIS + Cybersecurity can be powerful if you keep learning beyond the curriculum. Pure monitoring is often automated. The value comes from context, prioritization, and decision-making where AI supports humans rather than replaces them.
Here are 3 practical recommendations:
1. Clarify your strengths, interests, and values first, then evaluate whether MIS aligns with them.
2. Continuously build skills beyond the degree — especially around cloud, AI systems, and security fundamentals.
3. Think long-term: securing AI-driven products and systems will require more skilled cyber professionals, not fewer.
The degree matters, but how you grow on top of it matters more.
Wish you the best!
Bill Liebler
Sales Management
4
Answers
Huntersville, North Carolina
Updated
Bill’s Answer
The need for cybersecurity will grow as AI becomes more common. Whether it's creating AI tools to fight against criminals using AI for fraud and hacking or developing applications to keep businesses ahead of hackers, this focus in school and work will keep expanding. Learning how to use AI to strengthen current cybersecurity systems, understanding all the related protocols, and knowing where tools are today and where they should be tomorrow is essential.
Gaining this knowledge and, ideally, some internship experience opens up opportunities in both public and private sectors. This path will let you build a rewarding career that involves continuous learning. In cybersecurity, we need the "good guys" to succeed and prevent harm from those with bad intentions.
Wishing you the best as you move forward.
Gaining this knowledge and, ideally, some internship experience opens up opportunities in both public and private sectors. This path will let you build a rewarding career that involves continuous learning. In cybersecurity, we need the "good guys" to succeed and prevent harm from those with bad intentions.
Wishing you the best as you move forward.
Mandar Phalak
Cybersecurity, Program Management, Business Operations
2
Answers
Pleasanton, California
Updated
Mandar’s Answer
Happy to provide some perspective. Being in cyber for many years what I can say as a strong baseline understanding of security controls and then how to harness data to make informed decisions is going to never change. AI is today’s hype , there will be something new tomorrow but baseline understanding will make your profile strong.
Offcourse AI skills are crucial so keeping up with how you can adopt AI and how you can secure the AI journey is valuable skill.
Compliance and regulatory world is another crucial aspects which revolves around controls but all organizations need to do business - so compliance knowledge is going to be helpful.
Hope this helps
Offcourse AI skills are crucial so keeping up with how you can adopt AI and how you can secure the AI journey is valuable skill.
Compliance and regulatory world is another crucial aspects which revolves around controls but all organizations need to do business - so compliance knowledge is going to be helpful.
Hope this helps
Steve Sterner
IT Management
56
Answers
Easton, Pennsylvania
Updated
Steve’s Answer
It's a great question and I respect the question to much to give the easy answer. So the answer is Maybe but leaning towards Yes:)
I have been in technology and specifically in my organization since the early 90s back then there was no Cybersecurity because there were very few websites or communication with outside entities. No I look and we have almost as many security teams as development teams. When you look to future proof a career with specific choices you are asking for crystal ball approach: what will the world look like in 5, 10, 20 years and while we can give you our best guess I promise you myself 35 years ago wouldn't have been able to foresee the full effects of the Internet, Mobile Phones, Cloud Computing, Virtualization, the Internet, etc. What may seem as Science Fiction today could be reality tomorrow.
I do not believe AI will diminish the need for Cybersecurity teams and more than likely will increase the needs. While we can use it for good those with more nefarious motives can use it to greatly increase the threat landscape and surface area as well as weaponize quicker which means we need more and more people to guard the environment, monitor, respond, etc.
In technology I am going to give you my opinion on how you best future proof yourself and your career. Almost all careers in modern day are changing and changing more rapidly but technology has always been there and that change and more so the rate of change has grown exponentially and likely will not slow down as you add changes brought about by AI, Quantum computing or the other factors that I do not see coming. What this means is Technology is a discipline (whether security, development, operations, or some other focus).
My take on being a technologist has not changed and has just gotten stronger over the years technology by its nature requires 3 things to stay relevant:
1. A love for learning
2. An aptitude for Learning
3. Desire to provide value
I think the most important thing you will learn in college (in any major) is to love to learn and how to learn. Most of the actual knowledge techniques, codework, etc. that you do in school will likely be antiquated by the time you graduate (and if not shortly after) code techniques and languages change, infrastructure changes, security attack/defenses change, etc. What you are really learning is how to learn. How do you assimilate and use information, techniques to innovate and stay ahead of the curve. Finally if you look at your career as a value proposition where your employer is giving you an opportunity to innovate and deliver and in return giving you a paycheck I have found that those are the people who can build a long-term sustainable career.
Hope this helps and I wish you only the best in you endeavors although looking at the care and thought you put into your question I have little doubt you'll kill it!
I have been in technology and specifically in my organization since the early 90s back then there was no Cybersecurity because there were very few websites or communication with outside entities. No I look and we have almost as many security teams as development teams. When you look to future proof a career with specific choices you are asking for crystal ball approach: what will the world look like in 5, 10, 20 years and while we can give you our best guess I promise you myself 35 years ago wouldn't have been able to foresee the full effects of the Internet, Mobile Phones, Cloud Computing, Virtualization, the Internet, etc. What may seem as Science Fiction today could be reality tomorrow.
I do not believe AI will diminish the need for Cybersecurity teams and more than likely will increase the needs. While we can use it for good those with more nefarious motives can use it to greatly increase the threat landscape and surface area as well as weaponize quicker which means we need more and more people to guard the environment, monitor, respond, etc.
In technology I am going to give you my opinion on how you best future proof yourself and your career. Almost all careers in modern day are changing and changing more rapidly but technology has always been there and that change and more so the rate of change has grown exponentially and likely will not slow down as you add changes brought about by AI, Quantum computing or the other factors that I do not see coming. What this means is Technology is a discipline (whether security, development, operations, or some other focus).
My take on being a technologist has not changed and has just gotten stronger over the years technology by its nature requires 3 things to stay relevant:
1. A love for learning
2. An aptitude for Learning
3. Desire to provide value
I think the most important thing you will learn in college (in any major) is to love to learn and how to learn. Most of the actual knowledge techniques, codework, etc. that you do in school will likely be antiquated by the time you graduate (and if not shortly after) code techniques and languages change, infrastructure changes, security attack/defenses change, etc. What you are really learning is how to learn. How do you assimilate and use information, techniques to innovate and stay ahead of the curve. Finally if you look at your career as a value proposition where your employer is giving you an opportunity to innovate and deliver and in return giving you a paycheck I have found that those are the people who can build a long-term sustainable career.
Hope this helps and I wish you only the best in you endeavors although looking at the care and thought you put into your question I have little doubt you'll kill it!
Chinyere Okafor
Educationist and Counseling Psychologist
1207
Answers
Port Harcourt, Rivers, Nigeria
Updated
Chinyere’s Answer
Hi Alex!
This is a really good question, and to be honest, it's the best way to go about choosing a major for 2026 and beyond. You're ahead of the curve, as you're not simply asking, "Is this interesting?" but also about long-term relevance, work style, and the impact of AI.
First, a quick answer: Yes, MIS with a focus on cybersecurity is a solid and future-proof option, particularly due to AI, not despite it. The reason for this is the degree's location at the intersection of risk, technology, and business. That "bridge" position you described isn't going away. It is, if anything, getting more valuable.
Let us explore the actual nature of the work. Real-world MIS and cybersecurity roles usually involve a variety of tasks rather than just one topic. Translating security issues into business language, analyzing systems, dashboards, or reports, and communicating with technical teams will probably take up some of your time. Unlike a software engineer, you are not limited to making presentations or constantly developing. Decision-making, prioritization, and communication are essential; they are supported by technical knowledge.
About artificial intelligence in particular: AI is very good at automating processes like pattern recognition, threat detection, and log analysis. Cybersecurity is at a crossroads where it struggles with understanding economic context, legal risk, human behavior, ethics, and organizational priorities. People who can respond to questions like this are still needed by businesses. What is the most important risk for the company? What needs to be fixed first? How can we inform regulators or leadership about this? AI does not take the role of human decision-makers; rather, it assists them.
The "business + security" profile is so strong because of this. Organizations actually depend more on individuals who can make connections across departments as technologies get more sophisticated and AI-driven. While purely technical positions may change, decision-makers and translators are more difficult to replace.
Regarding workload, with proper planning, MIS with a cybersecurity focus is usually manageable. Technical courses (networks, security labs, and risk management) and business courses (strategy, management, and systems) will be balanced. Though they tend to be practical rather than abstract, the technical classes can be challenging, particularly the labs. A lot of students only experience stress when they put things off, not because they are excessively demanding.
Work style is one area that needs consideration. This path is a good fit if you prefer problem-solving, clear explanation of complicated concepts, considering people and systems in addition to coding, and participating in decision-making over merely technical aspects. If your day involves constant hands-on hacking or coding, a more technical major might be more suitable for you.
MIS with a focus on cybersecurity, in summary, offers you flexibility, relevance, and sustainability in an AI-driven future. It maintains opportunities in risk, governance, consulting, IT management, and security. Instead, you're putting yourself in a position where business, technology, and human judgment all come together. It's a really solid place to be.
Best wishes!
This is a really good question, and to be honest, it's the best way to go about choosing a major for 2026 and beyond. You're ahead of the curve, as you're not simply asking, "Is this interesting?" but also about long-term relevance, work style, and the impact of AI.
First, a quick answer: Yes, MIS with a focus on cybersecurity is a solid and future-proof option, particularly due to AI, not despite it. The reason for this is the degree's location at the intersection of risk, technology, and business. That "bridge" position you described isn't going away. It is, if anything, getting more valuable.
Let us explore the actual nature of the work. Real-world MIS and cybersecurity roles usually involve a variety of tasks rather than just one topic. Translating security issues into business language, analyzing systems, dashboards, or reports, and communicating with technical teams will probably take up some of your time. Unlike a software engineer, you are not limited to making presentations or constantly developing. Decision-making, prioritization, and communication are essential; they are supported by technical knowledge.
About artificial intelligence in particular: AI is very good at automating processes like pattern recognition, threat detection, and log analysis. Cybersecurity is at a crossroads where it struggles with understanding economic context, legal risk, human behavior, ethics, and organizational priorities. People who can respond to questions like this are still needed by businesses. What is the most important risk for the company? What needs to be fixed first? How can we inform regulators or leadership about this? AI does not take the role of human decision-makers; rather, it assists them.
The "business + security" profile is so strong because of this. Organizations actually depend more on individuals who can make connections across departments as technologies get more sophisticated and AI-driven. While purely technical positions may change, decision-makers and translators are more difficult to replace.
Regarding workload, with proper planning, MIS with a cybersecurity focus is usually manageable. Technical courses (networks, security labs, and risk management) and business courses (strategy, management, and systems) will be balanced. Though they tend to be practical rather than abstract, the technical classes can be challenging, particularly the labs. A lot of students only experience stress when they put things off, not because they are excessively demanding.
Work style is one area that needs consideration. This path is a good fit if you prefer problem-solving, clear explanation of complicated concepts, considering people and systems in addition to coding, and participating in decision-making over merely technical aspects. If your day involves constant hands-on hacking or coding, a more technical major might be more suitable for you.
MIS with a focus on cybersecurity, in summary, offers you flexibility, relevance, and sustainability in an AI-driven future. It maintains opportunities in risk, governance, consulting, IT management, and security. Instead, you're putting yourself in a position where business, technology, and human judgment all come together. It's a really solid place to be.
Best wishes!
Chandler Archuleta
Engineering Manager
16
Answers
Baltimore, Maryland
Updated
Chandler’s Answer
Management Information Systems (MIS) with a concentration in Cybersecurity is sought out by recruiters and companies and is forecasted to continue being a strong background as long as the department of labor can predict. The skills you learn are fundamental and the foundation for advanced technologies like AI. Professionals in this field have been working with and defending from AI for much longer than it has been taught in school. The key is to practice what you learn with the latest tools. In your case that means applying what you learn through the latest tools like AI. Do yourself a huge favor and publish a few peer reviewed white papers on AI in cybersecurity while you are still in school. This will provide you an edge over people graduating with AI majors and those without AI experience with cybersecurity majors.
Get a list of technical journals, military newspapers, professional organizations, and school newsletters that publish articles on cyber security.
Write a scholarly technical article on the subject of AI in cybersecurity. Ensure you use references and pictures in case you need to self publish as a white paper.
Work with one of your professors to get a peer review of your content. In the unlikely case that doesn't work reach out to your peers or a mentor.
Send your article to the technical journals, military newspapers, professional organizations, and school newsletters that publish articles on cyber security.
If your article doesn't get picked up pivot to a white paper and self publish. Mention your publication at the top of your resume.
Chandler recommends the following next steps: