This paper reports on a qualitative pilot study which explores the attitudes and aspirations of international students in the Master of Information Systems (MIS) program at an Australian university. The findings are preliminary but suggest that the MIS program is an extrinsic motivator since it is used by students as a catalyst to change their future careers and lives. Furthermore, the students are appreciative of the MIS program’s flexibility and the life-long learning initiative it encourages, as opposed to the more structured curricula in their countries of origin. While the findings indicate that the students approve overall the technical and business mix of courses in the MIS program, nevertheless, they are critical of the perceived lack of industry contact which would expose them to Australian social values and organisational cultures, thus preparing the students further for the workforce. This study makes a contribution as the basis of future research investigating the alignment between the academic preparation of MIS graduates and the industry expectations of technology intensive organisations.