BSc (Hons) Business Information Systems
- UCAS code: G521
- Mode of study: Full time or sandwich with work placement
- Duration: 3 years full time, 4 years sandwich with work placement
- Entry requirements 2013: 260-300 points to include 160 points from a minimum of 2 A levels, or equivalent.
- Please see details of the range of other qualifications that will also be considered on the 'Entry Requirements' tab below. Please do contact us for advice on other qualifications that aren't listed here.
Find out more:
Tel: +44 (0)23 9284 2555
Email: technology.admissions@port.ac.uk
Department: The School of Computing
Course overview
Two of the major driving forces that generate wealth in the modern world are business practices and information technology. A degree that integrates these two drivers will provide graduates with a solid foundation for building a career in the business information systems arena.
On this course, you will develop the skills and experience to be able to work as a professional information systems designer, particularly in environments where competence in systems analysis and design and project management are required. Options also allow for a focus on the development of information systems.
It is becoming widely recognised that when developing business practices with a technological foundation, the most difficult (and interesting) problems are not the technical challenges but the organisational and human-centred factors. This course aims to provide you with the skills needed to work in such an environment by developing:
- comprehensive business awareness
- an understanding of how to work in a professional environment
- your initiative and creativity to solve problems of a technical and business nature
- your understanding of how technical solutions have to blend in with human-centred systems
- academic and professional skills and integrity
- effective interpersonal skills
- your ability to work in teams yet be distinctively individual and capable of independent work
The course provides a solid technical foundation, so that you gain a practically-based understanding of how computers work and how software systems are developed. However, you will also learn how such systems are applied in a business context. Case studies will amplify your understanding of what works well in modern business practice.
There are two versions of this course. One version, taken by most students, is the four-year course that includes a paid work placement for the whole of the third year. This year in industry will give you valuable experience of working with information systems in a business environment and will greatly enhance your self-confidence and interpersonal skills. There is also a three-year version of the course that does not include the work placement. This may be appropriate if you already have relevant work experience or wish to graduate quickly for other reasons.
The work placement provides valuable professional experience that augments and extends the skills developed on the course. You will be prepared for the placement during your second year, with the placement usually starting straight after and lasting for the full calendar year.
Career focused
The entrance criteria of this degree have been designed to comply with the requirements of the major computing graduate programmes. Competent students can have the opportunity to apply their skills to real-life practical problems as part of the department’s partnership scheme with charities, local and global organisations. Please view the 'Career Prospects' section for further details.
To find out more about placement opportunities in the Faculty of Technology, please visit our Placements Office pages.
Professional accreditation
Accredited by the British Computer Society (BCS), this degree will enable you to gain Chartered IT Professional status and carries exemptions from the professional examinations needed to gain Chartered Engineer and Chartered Scientist status.
Course content
Year one
In your first year you will study:
- Introduction to Web Programming
- Computer Systems and Network Architecture
- Business Systems Analysis and Design
- Web Foundations
- Introduction to Database Design and Development
- Social and Legal Aspects of Computing
Year two
The main focus will continue to be on information systems and business systems analysis. In addition, you will cover:
- databases
- research methods
- work and social media
- project management
- ecommerce
- usability
This will lay the foundations required for your industrial placement.
You will also have a choice of topics from computer science and information systems disciplines, enabling you to focus on computing topics or those with more of a business or programming flavour.
You will learn to use industry-standard techniques, equipment and software packages, and will become involved in both group and individual project work.
Industrial placement/year abroad
The sandwich year provides a unique opportunity to apply your newly acquired knowledge and gain valuable industrial experience, and be paid for it! It normally follows year two and our strong international links mean that many students are able to spend this year working abroad.
The School of Computing has an Industrial Liaison Officer who will help you find a placement and your personal tutor will visit you at least once to monitor your progress. A sandwich placement can significantly enhance your prospects of employment and adds depth to your studies in the final year as you can bring real-world experience to illustrate theoretical points.
Year three/Final year
Core units include a large-scale personal project and units on information systems management and project management. Plus there are a range of options from the information systems and computer science disciplines, enabling you to focus on computing topics or those with more of a business flavour.
Teaching and assessment
Lecture classes can be large and you will have about six to eight hours of this type of contact every week, with a further six to eight hours of small group seminars and tutorials, where you can get individual help in those areas in which you would like to know more or are perhaps experiencing some difficulty. Some lectures may also be provided via the internet, so you can work at your own pace from any location.
Assessment is geared towards the subject matter in a way that encourages a deeper understanding and allows you to develop your skills. It takes many forms from examinations, multiple choice tests, essays and portfolio work, to mini-projects, seminars, presentations, case studies or extended review articles.
Career prospects
Placement opportunities
In the Faculty of Technology we feel that students should be given as many opportunities as possible to gain meaningful work experience and build employability skills throughout their studies to make them more attractive to future employers.
Working with other University services, the Faculty’s Student Placement and Employability Centre (SPEC) ensure students have access to a range of volunteering and work experience opportunities, including year-long industrial placements, and provide support for the different types of application processes.
Examples of roles our students have taken up as placement roles include:
- Service Desk Engineer at Xyratex
- Technical Services Consultant at Hewlett Packard
- IT Business Analyst Intern at Intel
Types of placement roles that could be relevant to this course include:
- IT Service Desk Engineer
- Technical Services Consultant
- IT Business Analyst
To find out more about how you can gain work experience whilst studying BSc (Hons) Business Information Systems, please visit our Placements Office pages.
Graduate roles
This degree will equip you with practical as well as theoretical information systems development and management knowledge, plus a sound knowledge of business processes.
Our past graduates have found employment with:
- computer design and software houses
- computer services consultancies
- internet and communications companies
- data systems organisations
They have also gained positions in many other types of businesses as software engineers, systems consultants and analyst programmers.
Facilities and features
You will have access to modern computing laboratories that are continually updated with the latest hardware and software. You will also have access to the Forensics IT laboratory where you will undertake simulation exercises to provide practice for real-world situations and a separate forensics research laboratory where you can perform your investigations.
In addition, you will have access to high specification computing facilities and our University Library. Open from 8am to midnight every day during term-time, it supplies a variety of information to help with study and research.
The University has also invested substantially in electronic resources. There are thousands of electronic journals and ebooks available, which can be accessed across the University campus, at home or wherever there is an internet connection. Knowledgeable and professionally qualified staff are always on hand and you will have access to email and the web.
Tutor Centre
The School of Computing Tutor Centre provides friendly, one-to-one academic support for its students. If you need help understanding your assessments, or with a wide range of subjects (programming, networks, systems analysis, databases and web apps), or if you want to talk to someone about your project or any other academic issues (revision, referral orimproving your marks), please come and see us. Appointments not necessary.
Maths Café
The Maths Café is a daily drop-in facility, where you can receive help on any maths or statistics problem you encounter in your studies. It operates in a friendly, informal location and has handouts on key topics for you to take away. Staff can also show you how to use computer aided learning packages, which can be accessed from any computer attached to the University's computer network.