5 Questions with MSIS Student: Maria-Jose Ramos

The Master of Science in Information Systems program at the UW Foster School of Business in Seattle is a one-year, work-compatible, accelerated master’s program designed to train current and future business leaders in information systems management. View all MSIS student profiles here. 

We asked students to share with us about their MSIS experience, explain how they balance life with school, and provide advice to potential applicants. Meet MSIS Class of 2021 student Maria-Jose Ramos, Software Product Manager at Sonos.

As a Software Product Manager, how have you been able to apply concepts from the classroom to real-world applications at work?

My job is to work with multiple disciplines from User Experience, Engineering, Marketing, Finance, etc. to take a product or feature from ideation to launch. I gather feedback from different folks to understand what we should build, why it’s important, and make sure everyone has what they need to help bring the product/feature to life. The concepts we’ve learned in the classroom have helped me understand many of my engineering, marketing, and finance counterpart areas of expertise to have more productive conversations. This helps us resolve problems and deliver products faster!

Share with us your favorite class in the MSIS 550 Leadership Series.

Generally, I have thoroughly enjoyed the 4-part Tableau Workshop Series because I use Tableau for data visualization in my role and this was great to dive deep on. Additionally, I enjoyed the MSIS Professional Mock Interviews class that brought in industry professionals for interview practice.

This was great practice and I gained some industry professionals in my network that I can now reach out to and continue to chat with them about different ideas.”

Tell us about your favorite team project you have worked on.

In one of the cybersecurity classes, my team played the role of security consultants advising the board of a company that wanted to acquire a smart car startup. We advised them about what considerations they should make from a security standpoint when going through due diligence before acquisition.

Picture of Maria-Jose Ramos and family

How do you believe an MSIS degree will give you a competitive advantage?

One of the things that attracted me to pursue my master’s degree is that I wanted a place where I could practice the skills I use daily.

To me, being an MSIS graduate shows my leadership that I have practiced the skills that are important to my role and I believe having that extra experience puts me at an advantage.”

What advice would you give someone who is thinking about applying to the MSIS program?

I personally wanted to make sure that the company I work for is on board and supported me in pursuing my master’s degree. I would suggest that potential applicants have a conversation with their leaders about this endeavor and make sure they feel that their team supports it. I didn’t think twice about taking an hour out of my work day, while I was feeling productive, to do school work because I knew my team wanted me to succeed and this was extremely helpful in me balancing work in order to be in this program.