Information Systems with Internship

This course builds upon typical computing courses available at undergraduate level and develops new knowledge and skills in areas critical for the successful introduction of information systems into business enterprises and organisations.

Information systems (IS) today are large, complex, varied in form and distributed, serving different types of people who use a variety of devices to access information. Specialists who recognise diverse business needs, and have a systematic approach to understanding the impact of technology on organisations, are essential to the success of any IS/IT strategy.

Equal in importance to the architectures of systems and the supporting technologies, is the management and delivery of content, whether in the form of data, documents, images and sound. Increasingly, the fundamental systems comprise digital architectures and networks which then embody and enable the distribution of digital content. Developed information systems are in reality socio-technical systems incorporating people, technologies and content. The information systems specialist becomes a more broadly based information professional as they extend their range and scope of operations towards the end users and their environments. Providing services to users and people at large and ensuring information resources deliver value is equally a part of the wider world of information systems.

It helps you gain a full understanding of how information systems are designed and constructed, and of the impact of technology and its integration into an organisation. It will also give you the skills you need to work effectively in a business-consulting environment, and provide a solid basis for research.

The Internship Course seeks to provide the same rigorous and challenging programme of professional practice as the MSc Information Systems but has the added advantage of including a six months internship incorporated into the period of study. This makes it ideal for students seeking to add a practical dimension to their studies and understand the demands of workplace supervision and management. Internship opportunities exist throughout the computing industry within the UK.

The School of Computing and Engineering has a growing research and enterprise culture and with some 30 PhD students as well as a diversity of research groups. Students can take advantage of a London base: London is one of the major information capitals of the world as well as being a global business hub and with a good representation of IS /IT firms and consultancies.  These may provide subjects for investigation and dissertation work as well as access to contacts and potential employment. The Thames Valley region to the west is a location for many global IT firms (in Bracknell, Reading, New bury and Basingstoke).