A new business information systems programme at NUI Galway is intended for the more well-rounded student. Anne Byrne reports
No anoraks need apply, according to Dr Martin Fahy, NUI Galway lecturer. The college's new business information systems (BIS) programme is for "people who are well rounded, with a good exposure to and good understanding of technology, but who do not want to work exclusively with technology. It's not for people who want to work in high-tech software but for people who see themselves in systems roles in a business context."
Dr Martin Fahy's description of the ideal student may sound like a tall order to most 17-and 18-year-olds struggling with pre-Leaving Certificate nerves. However, the practicalities are that there are no specific subject requirements for this new course and Fahy hopes points will remain reasonable. Between 25 and 30 places will be available next September in the first year (GY206). This may be expanded in later years, subject to funding.
The four-year, full-time course is a combination of information systems, technology and business. The technology includes hardware and software, business systems and e-business while the "hard" business subjects include marketing strategy and change management. A work placement will take place in the second semester of third year and will last from January to September. Fahy says the practice has been for the college to find the placement and while most placements will be in Ireland, the college also looks abroad for opportunities for students.
Fahy says: "We're not providing cubs for the Celtic Tiger. We are providing kids with an education. Kids should not be wondering about what they want to be but who they want to be and how they want to be.
"They shouldn't focus on being a software engineer or a manager, but they should ask what kind of lifestyle they want, whether they want to travel or to work in groups or a big company or a small company. For instance, if they don't want to get up early in the morning, they can't work for Goldman Sachs." The brochure for the course states that the combination of business and information systems skills make BIS graduates particularly flexible in terms of their career path and "in this respect students are in high demand from firms across a range of sectors including financial services, consulting, education and information technology". In particular, BIS graduates will be in a position to work as business analysts.
The objectives of the course include imparting to students "specific knowledge of software, programming languages, analysis and design techniques, business information systems and the business context of systems development practice to enable them to work creatively in an information systems areas in business or in software development."
Why should people choose NUI Galway's new offering over UCC's more established BIS programme? Fahy says it's not so much competition as meeting a need. "UCC's course is heavily oversubscribed and it was incumbent on us to start our own programme," he adds. A graduate of UCC, he says the two colleges are part of the Atlantic University Alliance. The cut-off points for UCC's course last autumn were 485* (* means random selection applied, so not all applicants with 485 points were offered a place).
BIS in NUI Galway is based within the department of accountancy and finance, which is attached to the faculty of commerce. It joins the faculty's other offerings, which include a bachelor of commerce programme, a master of business studies in electronic commerce, and a higher diploma in systems analysis. Information systems lectures were introduced by the department in 1979 with the introduction of the higher diploma in systems analysis.
The brochure for the course can be downloaded from www.is.nuigalway.ie. The BIS co-ordinator can be contacted at infobis@nuigalway.ie or telephone (091) 750301.
