Postgraduate Taught Degrees

MSc Information Systems

Duration:: 1 years
Attendance:: Full Time
Award:: Degree of Master of Science
School of Study:: Computing Sciences
Brochure:: Faculty of Science Postgraduate Brochure (PDF)

Overview
Why Choose Us
Course Profile
Requirements
Fees and Funding
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Why take this course?

The design, development and management of large-scale computerised information systems are critical to organisations in the 21st century. Managing, analysing and understanding the huge volumes of data that these systems generate are critical to the success of many organisations.

This course focuses first, on systems development and business analysis: the technical and social issues involved in building and maintaining large systems. The second focus of the course is on business intelligence: the techniques and tools for evaluating, understanding and analysing information systems and the data they generate.

The MSc Information Systems offers you a programme of study that allows you to develop:

An understanding of the issues in designing and developing information systems,
Understanding of contemporary approaches to analysis and design,
Exposure to key areas of knowledge for developing, analysing and understanding systems,
A broad understanding of the context and success factors for successful information systems projects.

The course is a full-time, one-year taught programme that can also be taken part-time over two years.

This programme has full Chartered IT Professional (CITP) accreditation (Further Learning Element) as well as leading to Chartered Engineer (CEng) status from the (BCS - The Chartered Institute for IT)

Contact time

Students have on average 15 hours of contact time per week with teaching staff through lectures, laboratory sessions and seminars, though this may vary depending on module choices. Additionally, students should allocate at least 25 hours per week for study, coursework assignments and projects.

Teaching and Assessment

You will take a number of taught modules covering technical and organisational aspects of the development, management and use of modern information systems. The choice of modules is made according to your academic background, experience and interests. You will also complete a dissertation on a subject in the field of information systems; this is often done in collaboration with a company or other organisation.

Recent dissertation titles include:

An enterprise ordering information system for a pharmaceutical supplier
Collaborative development of web-based information resources
Investigation into web accessibility and usability
Context and preferences for mobile computing
Stakeholder participation in web information systems

Career opportunities

As a graduate from this course you will be able to pursue a career in a number of fields, including software engineering, systems analysis, IT management or general management with a technical bias. You might also choose to continue your education through a PhD in order to pursue a career in industrial research or an academic career.

Course Organiser:Dr. Dan Smith

95% of research activity was classified as internationally leading, excellent or recognised in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise.
Our Masters programmes are accredited by the BCS - The Chartered Institute for IT to full Chartered IT Professional (CITP Further Learning Element) as well as leading to Chartered Engineer (CEng) status.
The School maintains close links with industry and many of our student assignments relate to real world problems.
The School of Computing Sciences leads the university in utilizing its internationally recognized research commercially, through SYS Consulting, its Consulting company and through Knowledge Transfer Partnerships.
Our students also use their technical and entrepreneurial skills to play influential roles in the creation of companies such as Travel Republic, Evoke systems, Fyfo and Shoretech systems.

Come and Visit Us

Our Open Days will give you the opportunity to experience the University of East Anglia's unique campus atmosphere.

Year 1

ALL INDIVIDUAL PROGRAMMES TO BE APPROVED BY THE COURSE DIRECTOR

Compulsory Study (100 credits)

Students must study the following modules for 100 credits:

Name	Code	Credits
DISSERTATION	CMPSMP6X	60
Reserved for postgraduates in the School of Computing Sciences, this module provides the student with a piece of individual work, with substantial research and practical elements. The subject of the dissertation will be determined by agreement between the student and his or her supervisor. The work may be undertaken as part of a large collaborative or group project. More...
INFORMATION SYSTEMS ISSUES	CMPSMB17	20
This module explores basic information systems development and considers the stages and tools used in the traditional lifecycle approach. Although the main focus will be on describing the various methods used in contemporary development, time will also be spent looking at wider topics vital to the successful completion and implementation of information systems, such as stakeholder participation, prototyping and evaluation. The lecture course will be complemented by an individual project to explore an aspect of information systems development. More...
RESEARCH TECHNIQUES	CMPSMP2Y	20
A module that provides students with the training of some transferable skills, an overview of research methods used in computing sciences, and introduces individual students to background material preparatory to their dissertation project which they would not otherwise study systematically to the required depth. The learning objectives for this module are to enable students to approach the dissertation with the intellectual and practical skills necessary to successfully complete a masters dissertation in Computer Science. More...

Option A Study (40 credits)

Students will select 40 credits from the following modules:

Name	Code	Credits
E-BUSINESS SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT	CMPSMB22	20
This unit explores the development of industrial-strength distributed information systems for Web-based implementations, using date-centric softeware engineering principles. Topics include: dynamic object-oriented system design, the use of persistent objects with relational databases, business models, business objects, XML and practical design and implementation for an architected n-tier, server-based systems environment. The use of these techniques for both e-Commerce and other systems will be discussed, using the J2EE platform for practical exercises. Considerable use is made of both advanced Java programming and relational databases, requiring prior knowledge of these subjects. More...
HUMAN COMPUTER INTERACTION	CMPSMM23	20
An introduction to Human Computer Interaction including user interfaces on conventional computers and small footprint devices (e.g. PDAs and smart mobile phones). Human-Computer interactions are approached from a variety of perspectives: cognitive, ethnographic, socio-technical and systems theoretic. The module covers aspects of cognitive psychology and ethnographic methods necessary to understand and evaluate HCI. It brings together established practice and newer perspectives in order to fully understand what is meant by the usability and accessibility of modern interactive systems. More...
INTERNET & MULTIMEDIA TECHNIQUES	CMPSMB13	20
This module surveys the current and emerging technologies of the Internet and its impact on society, particularly e-commerce. The practical part of the module concentrates on the design and integration of web sites, using a range of tools and techniques in current use. More...
SYSTEMS ENGINEERING ISSUES	CMPSMB20	20
This unit draws together a wide range of material and considers it in the context of developing modern large-scale computer systems. It will introduce, and put into context, topics crucial to the discipline of computer-based systems engineering (CBSE). Topics include: concept protection and exploitation; financing; the nature of systems; computer-based systems (CBS); systems failure; managing both systems and computer-based systems projects; total quality management; quality assurance and quality control; the maintenance of CBS; metrification, and risk management in CBS. This unit is supported by a series of industrial case studies and includes speakers from industry (as available). More...

Option B Study (40 credits)

Students will select 40 credits from the following modules:

Name	Code	Credits
APPLIED STATISTICS	CMPSMC28	20
This is an applied statistics module designed to give Masters students the opportunity to apply statistical methods in realistic situations. While no advanced knowledge of probability and statistics is required, we expect students to have done some background in probability and statistics before taking this course. The aim is to cover 4 topics from a list including: Estimating population abundance; Extremes and quantiles; Linear models; Bootstrap methods and their application; Sample surveys; Simulations; Subjective statistics (MCMC); Forecasing; and Clustering methods. If there is a demand for a specific topic we will always consider providing a project in that area if possible. The assessment will be by coursework. More...
DATA MINING	CMPSMC24	20
This module is designed for postgraduate students studying on MSc courses. The module explores the methodologies of Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining (KDD). It aims to cover each stage of the KDD process, including data gathering, preliminary data anaylsis or data exploration, data cleansing, pre-processing and the various data analysis tasks that fall under the heading of data mining. Through this module, students should gain knowledge of algorithms and methods for each stage of the process, as well as practical experience using leading KDD software packages throughout all of the stages of KDD process. More...
DATABASE MANIPULATION	CMPSMB11	20
This module provides an overview of the philosophy and development of database technology. Practical experience of database manipulation is provided through the use of SQL and the Java JDBC interface on the IBM DB2 database management system. Database design is introduced using Entity-Relationship modelling and normalisation. More...
E-BUSINESS SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT	CMPSMB22	20
This unit explores the development of industrial-strength distributed information systems for Web-based implementations, using date-centric softeware engineering principles. Topics include: dynamic object-oriented system design, the use of persistent objects with relational databases, business models, business objects, XML and practical design and implementation for an architected n-tier, server-based systems environment. The use of these techniques for both e-Commerce and other systems will be discussed, using the J2EE platform for practical exercises. Considerable use is made of both advanced Java programming and relational databases, requiring prior knowledge of these subjects. More...
HUMAN COMPUTER INTERACTION	CMPSMM23	20
An introduction to Human Computer Interaction including user interfaces on conventional computers and small footprint devices (e.g. PDAs and smart mobile phones). Human-Computer interactions are approached from a variety of perspectives: cognitive, ethnographic, socio-technical and systems theoretic. The module covers aspects of cognitive psychology and ethnographic methods necessary to understand and evaluate HCI. It brings together established practice and newer perspectives in order to fully understand what is meant by the usability and accessibility of modern interactive systems. More...
INFORMATION RETRIEVAL	CMPSMB29	20
The module explores the development of Information Retrieval technologies, which have been driven by large increases in on-line documents and the Internet search engines, surveys multimedia and cross-language IR, reviews, current NLP techniques and their role in IR. More...
INTERNET & MULTIMEDIA TECHNIQUES	CMPSMB13	20
This module surveys the current and emerging technologies of the Internet and its impact on society, particularly e-commerce. The practical part of the module concentrates on the design and integration of web sites, using a range of tools and techniques in current use. More...
SYSTEMS ENGINEERING ISSUES	CMPSMB20	20
This unit draws together a wide range of material and considers it in the context of developing modern large-scale computer systems. It will introduce, and put into context, topics crucial to the discipline of computer-based systems engineering (CBSE). Topics include: concept protection and exploitation; financing; the nature of systems; computer-based systems (CBS); systems failure; managing both systems and computer-based systems projects; total quality management; quality assurance and quality control; the maintenance of CBS; metrification, and risk management in CBS. This unit is supported by a series of industrial case studies and includes speakers from industry (as available). More...

Disclaimer

Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules and regular (five-yearly) review of course programmes. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, there will normally be prior consultation of students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff or sabbatical leave. Where this is the case, the University will endeavour to inform students.

Entry Requirements

Degree Subject:: Computer Science, Information Systems or a related subject.
Degree Classification:: Good first degree (minimum 2.1 or equivalent).

Students for whom English is a Foreign language

We welcome applications from students whose first language is not English. To ensure such students benefit from postgraduate study, we require evidence of proficiency in English. Our usual entry requirements are as follows:

IELTS: 6.5 (minimum 6.0 in all components)
TOEFL: Internet-based score of 88 (minimum 18 in listening, 21 speaking, 19 writing and 20 reading)
PTE (Pearson): 62 (minimum 55 in all components)
Test dates should be within two years of the course start date.

Other tests such as TOEIC and the Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English are also accepted by the university. Please check with the Admissions Office for further details including the scores or grades required.

INTO UEA and INTO UEA London run pre-sessional courses which can be taken prior to the start of your course. For further information and to see if you qualify please contact intopre-sessional@uea.ac.uk (INTO UEA Norwich) or pseuealondon@into.uk.com (INTO UEA London).

Fees and Funding

Tuition Fees 2013/14

UK/EU £5,000
International £12,500

Funding

International applicants applying to this course can be considered for one Faculty of Science half fees scholarship or one £2000 scholarship. The deadline is 1st April 2013.

Faculty of Science Scholarships
Students wishing to apply should submit an essay answering the following question in 1000 words: 'Taking an organisation with which you are familiar as a case study, describe the biggest issues it has with its information systems and the changes that might feasibly be made to improve them. In particular, you should consider management practices, approaches to analysis and design, and the impact that agile methods could have (or have had if the organisation already uses an agile approach). Your analysis of the issues and proposal for change should be clearly related to recent published work in the area'. Essays should be emailed to the Admissions Office. Please ensure you include your full name, the course you have applied to, and your applicant number in your email.

For more information please contact the Computing Sciences Postgraduate Admissions Office (cmp.pgt.admiss@uea.ac.uk).

Applications for Postgraduate Taught programmes at the University of East Anglia should be made directly to the University.

You can apply online, or by downloading the application form.

Further Information

To request further information & to be kept up to date with news & events please use our online enquiry form.

If you would like to discuss your individual circumstances prior to applying please do contact us:

Postgraduate Admissions Office
Tel: +44 (0)1603 591515
Email: admissions@uea.ac.uk

International candidates are also encouraged to access the International Students section of our website.