Factors that affect students' decision to change their major to Management Information Systems in Gulf Regions

Abstract

This research paper studies the trend of declining student numbers in the information systems program. Many existing academic studies have found various reasons that have contributed towards this downward trend, mainly negative perception of job prospects, salary and negative images towards information systems. However, this trend often changes after a year or so in universities, as many students tend to change their majors to information systems, especially in gulf regions. The findings of this study depicts that there are positive and negative aspects that contributes to students’ change of majors, and these needs to be addressed by universities in order to bring in more students during the enrollment of the programs. Marketing and promotions are suggested, mainly to focus on providing information that is accessible and current, which could influence students’ decision making process.