BA (Hons) in Business Information Systems
Course code: WD122
What is Business Information Systems?
Business Information Systems (BIS) involves the development, application, and management of information systems in business. BIS is now recognised as a critical value creating component within business across all industries and sectors.
What is the BA (Hons) in Business Information Systems Programme?
The main objective of the BA in BIS is to provide graduates with a strong business and information technology practical skill set so that they have the ability to make a significant and immediate business impact in the workplace. The two year BA in BIS programme develops skills relating to the application of business information systems (BIS) in the critical areas of web development, database application development and management, IS analysis and design, ecommerce, programming, project management and strategic management, while also developing the students personal and communication skills.
What Career Paths Exist for the Business Information Systems Graduate?
The combination of business and information technology skills gives the BIS graduate a broad range of career opportunities. Graduates from this programme can pursue a career in the following areas: Business Analyst, Systems Analyst, Business Consultant, Technical Support Executive, IT Project Management, Programming, Web and eCommerce Development, Database Development and Administration, Information Systems Management, and Entrepreneurial activities. Careers in IT education and training are also possible. Recent graduates were successful in securing highly prized positions on the Glanbia and EMC Internship Programmes. Other graduates have found employment with SAP, Realex Payments, Citibank, Mercury Engineering, and Datapac, while others have pursued careers in second and third level education specialising in IT and Business, in institutions in Ireland and the UK. While the majority of our graduates are successfully employed in Ireland, a number of graduates are also working in the IT sector in Australia, India, New Zealand, the UK, and the USA. Despite the recession in Ireland, numerous reports highlighting the need for greater numbers of IT graduates have surfaced in the March 2010 which have been strongly backed by several major IT job announcements and the establishment of new R&D competence centres including:
Business Information Systems Job Vacancies and Strategy Reports Announced in March 2010
• LinkedIn Job Announcement – 23rd of March, 2010 - http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0323/linkedin.html
• eBay Job Announcement – 22nd of March, 2010 - http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0322/ebay.html
• Increase in IT Research Report – 22nd of March, 2010 - http://www.rte.ie/business/2010/0322/research.html
• R&D Competence Centre Report – 10th of March, 2010 - http://www.rte.ie/business/2010/0310/research.html
• IBM Job Announcement– 6th of March, 2010 - http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0306/ibm.html
• Hewlett Packard Job Announcement – 4th of March, 2010 - http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0304/hewlettpackard.html
• FAS Report – 2nd of March, 2010 - IT Jobs to exceed pre-recession peak levels - http://www.rte.ie/business/2010/0302/fas.html
• IDA Report – 2nd of March, 2010 – Significant growth in IT Jobs - http://www.rte.ie/business/2010/0302/ida.html
Work Placement
The six-month paid work placement in Semester 3 provides students with an opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills in a business environment while also further developing their learning and experience. This work placement is organised by the Work Placement Director who also assists students in their preparation for interviews and placement in association with the Careers Support Centre. The up-to-date programme content combined with industry experience gained during paid work placement, gives the student a distinct competitive edge when seeking employment after graduation.
Graduate Feedback
“I really enjoyed my time studying for the Business Information Systems degree. Before this course I had no experience in IT but I knew it would always be an interesting route to go down. I knew from the first semester that I had made the right choice because all the modules where so interesting and varied in comparison to the other business theory streams. I found myself working with more hands on subjects and seeing the results in front of me be it a script or a web page etc. The college placement program provides the perfect bridge between an academic institute and a working environment. I am now working as an IT Lab Engineer for EMC in Cork. I work with virtual and cloud networking environments. My learning continues on the job and I have just completed two months of intensive training with EMC in Boston. I know none of this would have been achievable unless I had received such a good grounding for the industry from the BIS degree in WIT”.
Mr Declan Veale, IT Lab Engineer, EMC, Cork. Graduate from the BA in BIS Programme in WIT in January 2010.
What Modules are on the BA in Business Information Systems?
The Bachelor of Arts in Business Information Systems (BA in BIS) consists of the following modules:
| SEMESTER 1 | SEMESTER 3 |
1. Business Finance |
1. Work Placement: 6 months paid work placement.
|
| SEMESTER 2 | SEMESTER 4 |
1. The Professional Individual |
1. Entrepreneurship 2. Corporate Strategy 3. MIS & E-Business 4. Information Systems Strategy & Management 5. Programming Client/Server Applications 6. IS Development Project Tutorial Workshop (s) |
*Modules subject to review & change
What are the Entry Requirements for the BA in Business Information Systems?
The BA (Hons) in Business Information Systems is a 2 year add-on degree (Level 8) to a Higher Certificate in Business Studies or equivalent. Alternatively, applicants must have already successfully completed two years of general business on an undergraduate business programme. Applicants must be competent in the use of Microsoft Office products and have sufficient knowledge of the underlying concepts of Information Technology. Mature students with significant appropriate experience are also eligible to apply. As with all programmes offered by WIT, this programme will run subject to attaining a sufficient number of interested applicants.
Existing WIT students, who wish to transfer to the BA in BIS having successfully completed the HCBS or 2nd year of another undergraduate business programme, can do so by logging on to:
http://www.wit.ie/StudyatWIT/UndergraduateCourses/DirectApplicationsInternal/
External students wishing to apply for the BA in BIS can do so by logging on to:
http://www.wit.ie/StudyatWIT/UndergraduateCourses/DirectApplicationsExternal/.
Whom Do You Contact for More Information?
Programme Director: Dr. Aidan Duane PhD, MSc, BBS, CTP
Email: aduane@wit.ie
Telephone: 051-306227
Staff Profile: http://www.wit.ie/SchoolsDepartments/SchoolofBusiness/Staff/Bio,5596,en.html
