Community of Support in the MSIS-Bridge Program

Prior to enrolling in the MS in Information Systems-Bridge (MSIS-Bridge) program, Bhavin Bhatia was working in India as an HR administrator in corporate functions. He always wanted to pursue his master’s degree and the field of computer science. He is now on co-op at Siemen’s working in software testing.


Before enrolling as a student in the MS in Information Systems-Bridge (MSIS-Bridge) program, Bhavin Bhatia was working in India as an HR administrator in corporate functions. Bhatia worked with management consulting and auditing firm KPMG for several years and had decades of experience prior. However, he always wanted to pursue computer science.

“I did my bachelor’s in science, but I’ve always been working since I was young. I grabbed the first job that I got, with the end goal always in sight of pursuing my master’s. I began applying to colleges during the COVID-19 pandemic and Northeastern was the first to accept me. With friends and family members already living in Boston, I felt it would be a great opportunity to move and pursue something there. I was fortunate to have colleagues working in IT in Boston, which was a great source of support for me throughout the process. I felt it was the right time to make the jump, and I was determined to make the most of the opportunity.”

Bhatia’s first few classes were difficult for him. “When I first started college, I had absolutely no knowledge about programming. But I was determined to learn, and eventually, I managed to make friends and found success in the courses I took. I eventually took the course on cloud computing, which is one of the best courses at Northeastern. Professor Tejas Parikh had a lot of experience with the industry, which was very helpful in my learning. The assignments were quite challenging, but I found the course to be very interesting.”

Later, Bhatia grew interested in software testing. His professor, Medi Servattalab, also helped with his resume development leading into co-op. “I landed a job at Siemens in software testing. It’s my first 8-month co-op, started in January 2023.”

At Siemens, Bhatia works with the software development and industry teams. “The manager of our software development team is truly excellent. I have grown to love the work culture, which encourages risk mitigating tasks that provide us with learning and growth opportunities. We don’t have to worry about side projects and instead, every day brings a fresh challenge and exciting tasks with a given timeline. It is a truly rewarding experience and I couldn’t be happier with this job.”

Long term, Bhatia is aiming for software testing and quality assurance roles. “I will apply on a senior level also because of my past experience handling a large team of eight people. I want to put my testing experience and leadership experience to work.”

Bhatia is already putting that experience to the test at Northeastern. “I joined Northeastern University’s Teaching Assistant Program as a Program Assistant under Kimberly Cortez. It was a great experience as Kim managed the TA program for information systems courses across the university’s campuses with excellence. As Program Assistant, I was responsible for managing the TA program for information systems courses across the university’s campuses. This included overseeing the recruitment, hiring, and training of TAs for each course. Kim was an excellent manager who always provided guidance and advice. She had a great understanding of the program and was an outstanding leader. I learned a great deal while working as a Program Assistant in the Teaching Assistant Program under Kimberly Cortez. It was a great experience and I’m thankful for the opportunity to have worked with such an outstanding manager.”

Working with MSIS-Bridge program director Maricla Pirozzi, Bhatia helped in the buddy program for MSIS-Bridge students. “A current student will meet with a new student and can help with finding friends or resources or assignments.” Bhatia has made friends in the program that helped guide him along the way from day one with course suggestions for his career goals. “I found that knowledge really helpful—friends can help you with that.”

Related Faculty: Kimberly Cortez, Maricla Pirozzi Quartey

Related Departments:Multidisciplinary Masters (IT Areas)