Cardiff School of Technologies>Courses>Business Information Systems - BSc (Hons) Degree

Business Information Systems - BSc (Hons) Degree

Entry Year

​​​​​​​​The professionally accredited Business Information Systems degree is designed to develop your ​knowledge and expertise in the analysis, development and application of socio-technical systems, with a deep understanding of the importance of information technology and computing in society. Organisations are now, more so than ever, reliant on information systems to support day-to-day operations, design solutions to business challenges, and to inform on better decision making. This degree will teach you how to analyse business needs and develop technological solutions to meet these demands.

You will be exposed to industry relevant theories, cutting-edge technology and research and will gain a solid grounding in the theoretical foundations of information, technology and systems applied to modern business environments.

Your learning will combine the latest research at Cardiff Met with professional input from both business and technology experts. You’ll be working on the kind of real-world scenarios that you are likely to meet in the industry. To prepare you further for your future career, the course offers plenty of opportunities to learn by doing. Engage in our research centres and labs, undertake a placement year, or gain additional professional qualifications such as Tableau and Cisco certifications. Once you graduate, you’ll be ready to progress into a successful career as an information technology consultant, business analyst, information systems specialist and more.

This degree has been accredited by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT. Accreditation is a mark of assurance that the degree meets the standards set by BCS. An accredited degree entitles you to professional membership of BCS, which is an important part of the criteria for achieving Chartered IT Professional (CITP) status through the Institute. Some employers recruit preferentially from accredited degrees, and an accredited degree is likely to be recognised by other countries that are signatories to international accords.

This degree will not run for the September 2024 intake.


Foundation Year

​This degree can be studied as a three-year full-time degree or a four-year degree that includes a year of foundational study. Our foundation year is intended to prepare you for your subsequent years of studying, offering you the chance to strengthen your skills, knowledge and confidence.

The foundation year will be relevant to:

  1. Students who have not achieved the required A-level points (or equivalent) score to enter the first year of the degree programme.
  2. Mature students who have been out of the formal education system for some time.


Find out more about the foundation year.

Please note: You will need to apply using a specific UCAS code if you wish to undertake the 4 years including foundation. Please refer to Key Course Information at the bottom of this page.

Course Content

Degree

The Business Information Systems degree programme is comprised of a number of compulsory modules, with a range of options in the second and final year to develop your specific interests and expertise.

Students also have the option to complete a year-long placement in industry between Years 2 and 3.

All modules are 20 credits, unless specified.


Year 1:

Students follow 120 credits of compulsory modules:

  • Fundamentals of Information Systems
  • Technology & Society
  • Computational Thinking
  • Introduction to Data Analytics
  • Explore
  • Web Design & Databases


Year 2:

Students follow 100 credits of compulsory modules and choose one 20 credit optional module.

Compulsory modules:

  • Law & Digital Security
  • Information Systems Analysis & Design
  • Digital Business
  • Expand
  • Collaborative Project

Optional modules (select one):

  • Multimedia & Interaction
  • Mobile & Web Technologies


Year 3:

Students follow 100 credits of compulsory modules and one 20 credit optional module.

Compulsory modules:

  • Technology Project Management
  • Professional, Sustainable & Ethical Technology
  • Business Analytics & Intelligence
  • Development Project (40 credits)

Optional modules (select one):

  • Industrial Work Experience
  • Cyber Security and Cryptography
  • FinTech


Note: Optional modules are subject to availability and demand; as such not all optional modules may run in one Academic Year.

Learning & Teaching

A student-centred approach to learning and teaching is encouraged through the use of a broad range of teaching strategies, such as technical labs and individual and group projects. This is further enhanced by real world case studies and guest talks from industry experts, and supported by Teams and Moodle, our virtual learning environments.

Due to the nature of the programme, online and campus-based practical workshops are key to developing students’ technical understanding and abilities, underpinned by solid theoretical foundations. Students are expected to further develop their knowledge and understanding through directed self-study and independent learning time - in additional to the timetabled delivery - so as to develop a professional portfolio of project work and software artefacts as they move into graduate employment.

Students are supported academically and pastorally by the Programme Team, led by the Programme Director. Each student is also appointed a Personal Tutor from within the School, who provides a point of contact for general academic and pastoral issues. Students are also supported by Student Coaches; the Student Coach role is for current 2nd, 3rd year and Master’s students who provide peer support in Modules.

Assessment

The assessment strategy for the programme varies to ensure the most appropriate method for each specific module and subject area. Modules are assessed through a combination of methods, such as formal examinations, practical programming assignments, written assignments, technical reports, presentations, in-class tests, peer assessments and case studies.

Employability & Careers

The primary aim of this degree programme is to develop your knowledge and expertise in the analysis, development and application of information systems. It will showcase the wider impact and importance of informatics and technology to both society as well as the UK and global digital economy, alongside developing highly transferable computational thinking, analytical and problem solving skills, as well as a broad range of business and data skills.

Business Information Systems graduates will find a wide variety of career opportunities across both the traditional IT and telecoms sector, as well as the majority of the other industrial sectors, including the digital/creative industries, financial and professional services, management consultancy and across the wider public sector. Real world experience can be obtained as part of your study by completing an optional sandwich year placement / industrial internships. Over the past few years, our students have been successful in obtaining placements in nationally competitive schemes with Microsoft, HP, General Electric and the Met Office.

On successful completion of this degree programme, there are also further taught postgraduate study options across information systems, computing and business & management here at Cardiff Met, as well as research and PhD programmes.

Entry Requirements & How to Apply

Typical Offers

​The following requirements are based on typical offers relevant to entering year 1 of the degree.

If you do not meet these entry requirements, we also offer a Foundation Year which allows progression to Year 1 upon successful completion.​

  • Tariff points: 104-112
  • Contextual offer: See our contextual offers page.
  • GCSE: Five GCSEs at Grade C / 4 or above to include English Language / Welsh First Language, Mathematics / Mathematics – Numeracy.
  • English Language Requirement: Academic IELTS 6.0 overall with at least 5.5 in all elements, or equivalent.
  • A level subjects: Minimum three A levels to include Grades CCC. No specific subjects required. Welsh Baccalaureate – Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate considered as a third subject.
  • BTEC National / Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma: DMM
  • T Level: Merit. No specific subjects required.
  • Access to Higher Education Diploma: No specific subjects required.
  • International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma: 2 x H5. No specific subjects required.
  • Irish Leaving Certificate: 2 x H2 grades. No specific subjects required. Higher level subjects only considered with a minimum grade H4.
  • Scottish Advanced Highers: Grades DD. No specific subjects required. Scottish Highers are also considered, either on their own or in combination with Advanced Highers.

Combinations of the above qualifications are accepted if they meet our minimum requirements. If your qualifications aren’t listed, please contact Admissions or refer to the UCAS Course Search.

Further information on Overseas qualifications can be found here.

If you are a mature applicant, have relevant experience or RPL that you would like us to consider, please contact Admissions.


How to Apply

Further information on how to apply can be found here.

Contact Us

For general enquiries please contact the Admissions Team on 029 2041 6044 or email askadmissions@cardiffmet.ac.uk.

For course specific enquiries, please contact the Programme ​Director, Joel Pinney:
Email: JPinney2@cardiffmet.ac.uk​


We endeavour to deliver courses as described and will not normally make changes to courses, such as course title, content, delivery, and teaching provision. However, it may be necessary for the university to make changes in the course provision before or after enrolment. It reserves the right to make variations to content or delivery methods, including discontinuation or merging courses if such action is considered necessary. Please read our Terms and Conditions for the full information.

Key Course Information

UCAS Codes:
G5N1 - 3-year degree
G5NF - 4-year degree (including foundation year)

Place of Study: Llandaff Campus

School: Cardiff School of Technologies

Course Length:
Three years full-time.
Four years full-time if undertaking year-long industry placement.
Four years full-time if undertaking foundation year.
Five years full-time if undertaking foundation year and year-long industry​ placement.​

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