The thing I really love about Business Information Systems is how you get an insight into the workings of a successful business but from a IT perspective.
Ellie
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Overview
A degree in Business Information Systems will help you develop the skills to design and develop IT systems to solve real-world problems.
You'll learn how to analyse the requirements for new or replacement systems, then gain hands-on experience in designing and implementing them. Both the theoretical and the practical skills that you need will be explored. Alongside practical elements you'll learn about legal requirements and ethical questions associated with the profession, meaning you’ll enter your career with a wide-ranging understanding of the subject.
Our foundation year offers you an alternative pathway to access degree level study. It will improve your computing discipline knowledge, including programming. It will also equip you with the skills you need to excel in studying at undergraduate level.
Why Study Business Information Systems with Foundation Year?
Almost every modern business is reliant on information technology to perform and succeed: from the Amazon-sized businesses to the smallest ebay-traders. Information Systems allow businesses to co-operate with their suppliers and customers to provide mutual benefit.
This course will enable you to develop specialist skills and in depth knowledge, so that you can play a key role supporting a wide range of businesses and sectors.
Entry requirements
A typical offer would be minimum of 32 UCAS Tariff points.
This course is also available without a Foundation Year.
32
UCAS Points
All about the course
The foundation year aims to improve your computing knowledge and prepare you for study at undergraduate level.
You'll learn using IT software that is modern and commercially relevant, such as the Microsoft Office suite, including Project, web-based content management systems, database systems such as Oracle, and rapid prototyping software like Balsamiq.
All through the course, you'll experience through hands-on learning from on and off campus and on-line learning. This will develop your practical agile problem-solving approach to create IT solutions to problems. You will undertake group projects, typically sourced from industry or akin to problems in industry. Your groupwork will be supported through the use on-line tools and on-line project management solutions. You'll also develop skills enabling you to:
- work effectively and supportively in diverse and inclusive groups
- communicate effectively in groups and one to one
- apply project management to group-work
- apply principles of commercial management and consideration of wider issues.
During Year 1, you'll develop a strong background in business information systems so that you can move on to more specialist studies in the final two years of the course.
You will have the opportunity to take in your third year, providing you meet the requirements. If you can identify and secure a placement opportunity, with the support from the computing team. A placement will provide you with the further opportunity to develop your skills as a practicing computing professional, a personal development plan and evidence of your abilities for your future employers.
This allows you to put your learning into practice within a business setting. There may also be opportunities to apply for paid internships over the summer.
By the end of the degree, you'll be able to analyse business problems and will know how to help businesses solve their own issues using both top-down and bottom-up techniques.
You'll develop a good appreciation of team working: how teams are formed to maximise capability and how they manage workload, schedules and resourcing. You'll also have a good awareness and understanding of other roles in computing - software engineers and developers, infrastructure developers, support technicians and computer security specialists - meaning you'll be well placed to work alongside other computing professionals.
Module information
Please note that the list of optional modules and their availability may be subject to change. We continually review and where appropriate, revise the range of modules on offer to reflect changes in the subject and ensure the best student experience. Modules will vary when studied in combination with another subject.
Core/optional modules
How you’ll learn
You'll be taught through a combination of lectures, seminars and practical labs. You'll typically have around 12 contact hours per week (exact contact hours depend on the option modules you select.
Lab work typically involves working in small groups to enable you to discuss and develop your understanding of topics covered in lectures and to put theory into practice.
You'll also have regular scheduled meetings with an assigned academic personal tutor, who will be your first point of contact for assistance.
All courses are informed by the University’s Learning and Teaching Strategy 2015-2022.
When not attending lectures, seminars, workshops or other timetabled sessions you'll be expected to continue learning through self-study. Typically, this will involve reading journal articles and books, undertaking research in the library, working on projects, preparing coursework assignments/examination, and preparing for workshops and seminars.
Your overall workload typically consists of 12 contact hours per week and an additional 30 hours of independent learning per week. In addition, there may be field trips.
For each 20 credit module, your study time will about 10 hours a week plus work on assessments or preparation for examinations. Assessments would normally be expected to take approximately 50 hours for an assignment worth 50% of a 20 credit module. A similar amount of preparation and revision time would be expected for an examination worth 50% of a 20 credit module.
The team consists of highly qualified academics. They have a range of expertise and experience.
All our team members hold Doctoral or professional qualifications (e.g. Member of the British Computer Society or Eur. Ing.). You can find out more about the current teaching on our webpage. You should note members of the teaching team might change.
Postgraduate students assist in some teaching and assessing some modules. However, experienced academics teach the majority of lectures and seminars.
Together we can build your specialist blend of capability and acumen to work in Business Information Systems.
Dr David BennettProgramme Director
How you’ll be assessed
You will be assessed largely by coursework, though some modules will also have examinations or class tests.
Coursework is mainly practically-oriented with appropriate theoretical elements to ensure a well-rounded education. Assessments are generally individual, with group work in some modules where this matches the approaches used in industry.
We use coursework assessment methods based on their suitability for specific modules. Formative feedback is provided formally in Year 1 and during the Year 3 individual study, and informally in workshops and seminars.
Methods of assessment used include production of software artefacts, project plans and diaries, essays, reports, ‘investigation-based’ presentations, oral presentations, individual studies/projects, poster presentations, online assessment, logs, examinations and time constrained assignments.
70% assessment
Your future career
Successfully completing this degree would naturally lead on to working in the business environment either for a consulting company working with many businesses or within one organisation. You would use your skills you have learned on your degree and also develop new skills as technology changes to support those businesses. You may specialise in one of the areas you have learned and feel passionate about, or keep a broad-based approach to using these skills.
There are also opportunities that you could take in further formal education at Master’s level, for example in human-computer interaction, digital media or software development, or you could go on to do research at MPhil or PhD level.
Fees
The 2022/23 annual tuition fees for this course are:
| UK** | Overseas*** | |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time - Foundation Year 0 | £9,250 | £14,500 |
| Full-time - years 1-3 * | £9,250 | £14,500 |
Tuition fees for all courses are payable on an annual basis, except where stated.
* The tuition fees of £9,250 / £14,500 relate to 2022/23 only. Please read the 2022/23 Tuition Fee Statement for further information regarding 2022/23 tuition fees and year on year fee increases.
**Home (UK) Fees
The fees above are for the 2022/23 academic year but may be subject to change following any announcements by the UK Government (approved by Parliament) regarding maximum Undergraduate tuition fee caps for 2022/23.
In addition, the University reserves the right to increase all full-time and part-time Undergraduate tuition fees mid-course, in line with any further inflationary increase in the Government tuition fee cap which is approved by Parliament. The University will publish information about any changes to tuition fees on its website.
***Overseas Fees (including EU fees):
Undergraduate Overseas tuition fees for International students are not subject to the Government’s regulations on maximum tuition fees.
Students with an Overseas fee status will be eligible for an International student Scholarship fee discount of £1,500, which will be applied to all Full-time Undergraduate courses with a tuition fee of £14,500.
Students with an EU fee status will be eligible for the EEA Transition Scholarship. Further details can be found here: https://www.canterbury.ac.uk/study-here/fees-and-funding/international-student-fees-and-funding
- Read advice about funding your degree
- See information about the financial support available for undergraduate studies
- If you would like information about paying your fees, please contact accounts.receivable@canterbury.ac.uk
- For specific fee queries, please contact fees@canterbury.ac.uk
Specialist facilities
We have a “Makerspace” lab open to computing students that contains PC Computers, Arduino and Raspberry Pi microcomputer development systems and a 3D printer. Students can use these technologies on week days, evenings and weekends. A networking and server room will also be available for use during certain modules for student operations.
Out of hours access is available to some computing labs specifically for computing students.
In 2020, we will open a major new facility for science, engineering, health and medicine, part of our £150m vision to transform our Canterbury Campus. The new building will be the main base for our Kent and Medway Engineering, Design, Growth and Enterprise (EDGE) Hub, with specialist centres across the region located alongside Engineering and Technology businesses.
Industry links
Several of the academic staff are members of the British Computer Society (BCS) and some staff are also linked to the Engineering Council through Chartered Engineering status (CEng, or Eur. Ing.).
Regulated by the Office for Students
The Office for Students (OfS) regulates Canterbury Christ Church University. The OfS is the independent regulator of higher education in England. It aims to ensure that every student, whatever their background, has a fulfilling experience of higher education that enriches their lives and careers. Further details about its work are available on the OfS website.
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I would like to study
Duration:
4 yearsUCAS code:
GN4FLocation(s):
CanterburyAny questions?
Email us
courses@canterbury.ac.uk
Phone us
+44 (0)1227 928000
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