Bachelor of Business Information Systems - Victoria University of Wellington

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Please note: Information on this page relates to the 2008 academic year, unless otherwise specified.

The Bachelor of Business Information Systems

Information Systems are the foundation of modern organisations - the basis upon which a firm interacts with its customers, its partners and itself. Companies of all sizes, both private and public sector, depend heavily on IT professionals to design, implement and manage information systems, and to help the organisations decide how best to utilise the technology.

There is a new wave of information systems professionals, who are less focussed on the technology and more in tune with the way the business works. They understand and manage relationships: between their company and outside service providers, with business units and IT areas inside their own organisation, and within project teams. The successful information systems professional today is a good “people” person, has strong communication skills, is able to grasp the way organisations function, is a good project manager – and is competent with information technology! Today there is a large and growing demand for these new IT professionals. Organisations need IT professionals who can understand business processes, manage large and small IT projects, coordinate with both business and IT people working in other countries and in other cultures, and pull together the results of their efforts into value-adding solutions for New Zealand organisations – both public and private sector.

The BBIS qualification equips you for these new business-critical information systems roles. It will prepare you for a successful career in business analysis, project management, vendor relations, IT sourcing, procurement, IT relationship management, consulting, business process management, IT architecture, IT service management and the like.

A BBIS at Victoria

A Bachelor of Business Information Systems requires four years of full-time study. 480 points are required of which at least 320 points must be above 100-level, at least 192 points must be above 200-level, and at least 90 points must be at 400-level. The degree may be awarded with honours to students with meritorious performance in their third and fourth years of study.

To enrol in the BBIS you need a university entrance qualification. While having studied subjects such as computing or accounting would be useful, in fact you can benefit from a BBIS with practically any academic background, including subjects such as English, media studies, or economics. Remember, new-wave IT professionals require people and communication skills as much as technical abilities.

Entry into Part 2 of the BBIS programme is based on academic performance in your first year of study. Normally, you will need to pass all the required Part 1 courses, with an average of B- or better. In your second, third and fourth years in the programme, you will complete the core courses of the BBIS, and study the courses that comprise one of the two specialisations. You will also complete a “concentration” – a package of three related courses that complement your specialisation – in an area such as marketing, writing, accounting, management, computer programming, or other approved subject. Between the second and third years and the third and fourth years of study, you will undertake relevant work experience, the reflection on which underpins parts of the curriculum in the final two years of the programme. Throughout the BBIS, you are encouraged to develop business analysis, critical thinking, project management, leadership, communication and other skills that are essential to modern information systems professionals.

BBIS Part 1

Part 1 is the 4 core first year courses of INFO 101, INFO 102, ACCY 111, and MGMT 101 that are required for entry into Part 2 of the programme.

BBIS Part 2

Part 2 is made up of the remaining 9 core courses in the BBIS. They are: INFO 221, 222, 241, 320, BBIS 301, 302, 401, 489; and either QUAN 102 or STAT 193.

BBIS Part 3

Part 3 is the 7 courses that make up the specialisation that you choose. In the example, the Information Systems specialisation is shown (INFO 201, 301, 322, 405, ELCM 211, BBIS 415 and 416).

BBIS Part 4

Part 4 is called a concentration and is a group of three courses that form a coherent block of study complementing the rest of your degree.

BBIS Specialisations

Information Systems Management: how organisations manage the effective and efficient use of information systems both for innovation and for enabling their business processes. Students will examine how businesses and not-for-profit organisations strategically manage their use of information systems to maximise benefits to their stakeholders.

Information Systems Development: the tools and best practices for ensuring quality and success when building and implementing information systems. Students focus on the design and development of Internet-based systems to help organisations deliver excellent e-Commerce applications.