Bachelor of Informatics Honours

Background

The dramatic uptake of information technology in organisational environments has fuelled the need for professional persons with a skill set enabling them to guide the organisation through the processes of the adoption and management of information technology. This programme aims to further enhance the knowledge and skills of graduates in the field of Informatics by building upon undergraduate foundations in an intensive one-year honours programme. The programme, like this academic domain, is distinctly interdisciplinary and draws from the computer, social and management sciences.

Programme Structure

The programme is a one-year (Jan-Dec), full-time course consisting of four modules of equal credit weighting (30 credits each).

Computing in Information Systems

This module has a practical orientation and covers project management, systems analysis and design, and software development projects. The module involves the completion of start-to-end software development projects in groups.

Advanced Information Systems Theory and Practice

In this module students are exposed to prominent and current theoretical discourses in the academic field of Information Systems. The module also covers contemporary trends in enterprise systems practice and information security. Finally, the module includes an overview of emerging technologies and the future impacts these may have on information systems development practice.

Information and Knowledge in Organisations

This module covers important contemporary themes relating to the harnessing of information and knowledge resources for optimal organisational performance. These themes include data analysis, social network analysis and knowledge engineering.

Research Assignment: Information Systems Management

In addition to taught modules students perform a research project under the supervision of a staff member. Research projects are typically conducted within one of the departmental research groups and focus on topics these groups are working on at the time. The staff page provides an indication of the research profiles of staff and serve as an indication of the sort of projects students can expect to work on.

The modules are presented in parallel throughout the year.

Entry Requirements

A Bachelors Degree with specialisation in an applicable area of Informatics for which the student achieved a minimum average of 60% in the final year across all subjects; and a minimum average of 60% in the final year for Informatics subjects/modules. For students completing undergraduate degrees at Stellenbosch University, Informatics should be read as Organisational Informatics.

Selection Process

All applications are considered with regards to the formally specified admission requirements for the programme (as per the Faculty calendar) and the entry requirements outlined above.

If the number of qualifying applicants exceeds the programme capacity (as determined by the Department of Information Science), applicants will be ranked in accordance to their academic performance (see 1.b) in their final year of undergraduate study. Selection will then be based on the applicants' positions in this ranking.
The Department of Information science reserves the right to evaluate the academic performance of applicants from Universities other than Stellenbosch based on the content and level of courses completed. This implies that, while the applicant may have achieved the required results, he/she may be rejected if the courses covered do not align with the requirements for the programme.
If deemed required, any applicant may be asked to perform an assessment to enable the Department to determine his/her readiness for the programme.

How to Apply

Applications can be done through the post-graduate programmes website. Students are encouraged to apply as early as possible to ensure timeous consideration of their applications.

Programme Enquiries

Richard Barnett (Programme Coordinator)
[email protected]