MSc in Information Systems
Course content for 2009 entry
5 core module(s):
Click on a module title to display key features.- Databases
- Identify the key issues relating to the management of relational database systems and object-oriented database systems
- Model the logical structure of database systems using different data models
- Analyse data and document structures using different models
- Create and query relational databases using SQL
- Evaluate the new developments in data and document handling systems and understand their practical applications and implications
- Digital Information Technologies and Architectures
- Use computers to manage data effectively, through appropriate digital technologies and techniques, to support a wide range of information related tasks
- Employ established and evolving standards to create data that explicitly represents information in unambiguous, inclusive and useful ways
- Describe, assess and exploit recent advances in information and communications technology to work with proficiency and efficiency in an online digital environment.
- Information and Knowledge Management
- Describe and evaluate the relationships between information and knowledge, their users and systems with reference to different types of resources and organizations
- Explain information and knowledge management processes in organisations by reference to life cycle and other models
- Use appropriate techniques to analyse information needs, use and provision
- Apply the principles of information management in various organisational contexts by drawing on case studies
- Discuss the ethical, social and economic context of information and knowledge management
- Research, Methods and Professional Issues
- Research activity in terms of the effectiveness of its approach and implementation
- Understand and apply a range of research methodologies such as inductive and deductive reasoning, explanation and prediction in the evaluation of published research
- Recognise and use a range of secondary data sources when performing a research task
- Communicate effectively with individuals and groups using a range of media
- Evaluate the legal, ethical and professional dimensions of typical information professions and information industry practices
- Systems Specification
- Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the changing nature of software intensive systems and the range of new methods, tools and techniques available to develop these systems
- Demonstrate a systematic understanding of the challenges of requirements elicitation
- Demonstrate a systematic understanding of the fundamentals of software quality assurance techniques
- Apply the principles and concepts involved in object-oriented analysis and design and build object-oriented analysis and design models using the constructs of the Unified Modelling Language (UML)
choose 3 elective module(s) from the following list:
Click on a module title to display key features.- Business Enginering with ERP Solutions
- Explain the fundamental principles of ERP technology and second generation ERP systems, and evaluate their business and technical benefits in context
- Analyse the critical success factors for ERP system implementation in context
- Use Accelerated SAP (ASAP) methodology in solving complex problems
- Perform complex business process modelling using the EPC notation
- Multimedia Design and Development
- Demonstrate the importance of planning in a multimedia production environment and some of the tools and techniques used e.g. storyboarding and navigation charts; evaluate techniques used to capture, edit, store and present multimedia data, in particular images and movies
- Demonstrate competencies in the use of a widely used multimedia authoring tool e.g. Macromedia Flash; evaluate the issues involved in multimedia delivery on the World Wide Web
- Use a multimedia scripting language to add further interactivity to their applications.
- Open Source Systems
- Evaluate the usefulness of open source systems to solve real world problems, by drawing upon known case studies
- Critically analyse the open source software development process, its opportunities and problems in developing IT systems, with a particular focus on the individuals and organisations involved; compare and contrast open and closed source software development, by referring to established opportunites and difficulties in developing IT systems
- Assess open source systems from the legal, ethical and ideological perspectives
- Programming with Java
- Create object oriented models of some aspect of the real world with a spatial context
- Break down a problem into logical steps (an algorithm)
- Interpret an existing Java program of moderate complexity by identifying its structure, state and behaviour
- Convert algorithms and object-oriented models into clear, well documented Java; develop and share Java code as part of a team
- Project Management
- Demonstrate understanding of the key issues relating to IT project management, including estimating, scheduling, resourcing, monitoring and controlling progress, quality control and risk management
- Discuss the wider context of change management and the organizational framework
- Software Systems Design
- Demonstrate a systematic understanding of software system design and its connections with requirements engineering, system analysis, system implementation and system verification
- Use UML as a software system design language
- Demonstrate a systematic understanding of software architectural styles and use them to create or transform software architecture models
- Use design patterns,object frameworks and formal specifications techniques in developing detailed system design model with provable properties
- Web Applications Development
- Understand the principles of operation of web-based applications and databases
- Understand up-to-date web technologies; learn about the tools available to develop web-based applications
- Develop true client and server applications that will render correctly on any browser, on any platform
View the study timetable for 2008.
When students choose three elective modules from the list above, at least two modules should be from the 'systems' stream (see the table below).
| business engineering with ERP solutions | systems |
| multimedia | technology |
| open source systems | systems |
| project management | systems | software systems design | systems | spatial programming with Java | technology |
| web applications technology | technology |