Bachelor of Business Information Systems

An effective information system (IS) must be designed, developed and implemented in such a way as to support the strategic goals of the organisation within which it will be used, while at the same time providing security, maintainability and ease of use. The Bachelor of Business Information Systems programme is designed to equip graduates with the skills necessary to function as a (junior) business analyst, software developer or tester, database manager, or IT risk manager. During the programme students will be expected to apply analytical and logical thinking skills in order to identify and analyse business problems, document business processes, develop creative solutions, manage data and information, and communicate effectively with team members and project stakeholders. They will also gain limited experience in the fields of project management, database management, risk management and network security. A research project accompanied by a related practical systems development project will be undertaken in the final year of the programme, providing students with valuable real-world experience. Throughout the programme, attention will be drawn to legal and ethical issues related to the societal impact of computer technologies.

What is Distance Learning?

THE ADMISSION CRITERIA FOR THE BACHELOR OF BUSINESS INFORMATION SYSTEMS ARE:

• a National Senior Certificate (NSC) with a minimum of 30% in English Home Language or English First Additional Language; and a minimum of at least 40% for either Mathematics or Information Technology, or a minimum of at least 70% for Mathematical Literacy; OR

• a National Senior Certificate (Vocational) (NC(V)) at Level 4, with a minimum of 30% in English Home Language or English First Additional Language; and a minimum of at least 40% for either Mathematics or Information Technology, or a minimum of at least 70% for Mathematical Literacy; OR

• a Senior Certificate (SC) with a minimum of 30% (F) in English First Language(HG) or English Second Language (HG); and a minimum of at least 40%(E) for either Mathematics (HG) or Computer Studies (HG), or a minimum of at least 70%(B) for Mathematics (SG); and in addition

• a minimum of 50% for the compulsory non-credit bearing entry/access module Computational Thinking, which is offered at the start of the programme, and which includes a provision for students to write an early test in order to fulfil this requirement.

Applicants who do not meet the admission requirement for Mathematics, Maths Literacy, IT, or CAT will be conditionally admitted and must pass Induction to Business Studies (IBS152) in their first semester.

To find out more about alternate access routes at STADIO, please click HERE

The qualifying student will be able to:

1. Gather, evaluate and validate information obtained from project stakeholders, in order to determine organisational needs and/or the factors contributing to current problems, so that the organisational context and the project goals can be accurately defined.

2. Conduct research into similar existing systems, to identify factors that are likely to have either a positive or a negative impact on project success.

3. Integrate knowledge of information systems with relevant elements from the fields of management, accounting, law and statistics, in order to analyse a business, identify stakeholder requirements, create a detailed technical specification, and develop and implement an appropriate solution.

4. Manage a systems development project involving multiple stakeholders and project team members, from inception through to the post-implementation review.

5. Demonstrate a variety of communication and documentation skills ranging from individual stakeholder interviews to formal meetings and review sessions, to highly technical specification documents for the system that is to be developed and implemented.

6. Demonstrate accountability for decisions made during the systems development and implementation process and be able to justify the ethical values that underpin them.

7. Apply secure computing principles and techniques to identify and assess potential risks affecting the security of networks, information assets and data communications.

8. Analyse business and operational data to monitor the performance of the system and proactively provide the organisation with insight into potential business problems and/or opportunities.