Bachelor of Information Systems (Degree with Honours)

The honours program in the Department of Information Systems is designed to:

• broaden students' knowledge of a range of more advanced topics in information systems;
• provide an introduction to the process and practice of research in information systems;
• enable the acquisition of research skills and current knowledge in specific areas of information systems;
• extend students' ability to think critically and independently;
• improve oral and written communication skills and other professional competencies; and
• provide a finishing year which is attractive to employers.

Honours coordinator

Dr Reeva Lederman

Duration and commencement of course

This particular honours program is undertaken on a full-time basis. The program commences in February and finishes in November. Part-time enrolments or mid-year commencement may be possible, subject to the approval of the Honours coordinator.

Assessment

Course Requirements

To qualify for the BIS (Honours) degree students must:

• pass 100 points at the honours level (or a level deemed appropriate for an honours student); and
• achieve a grade of at least 65 percent for each honours subject completed.

Hurdle assessment requirements

In addition to the honours degree Course requirements, students enrolled in the information systems honours program must also satisfy the hurdle assessment requirements listed for the Information Systems Research Project below.

Components of assessment

Honours comprises a research project subject and four advanced coursework subjects. These subjects with their relative weightings are as follows:

Information Systems Research Project subject = 50 percent

Advanced Coursework subjects: four at 12.5 points each = 50 percent

The marks achieved for the Information Systems Research Project subject and each of the advanced coursework subjects will be recorded on the student's academic transcript. Students will also receive an overall mark for the course.

Research project

This subject requires regular weekly meetings with a supervisor and the completion of a research project. The research project usually involves an empirical study.

An oral presentation providing a summary of research findings is a hurdle assessment requirement for the Information Systems Research Project.

The assessed item for the Information Systems Research Project is a written research report, of approximately 12,000 words, submitted at the end of the subject.

Advanced coursework

As mentioned above, students complete four advanced coursework subjects. Students will need to devote about seven hours per week for each subject to complete the required reading plus three hours class-time per week. Students will also need to allow additional time for the reading required for the Information Systems Research Project.

One of the four advanced coursework subjects is compulsory. The compulsory subject is 615-610 Research Methods in Information Systems. This subject increases the students' understanding of effective information systems research methodologies.

The remaining three advanced coursework subjects are chosen from a range of advanced coursework subjects. Information about these subjects is available at http://www.dis.unimelb.edu.au

Elective Options

Applications are invited from students who have completed a degree in information systems, or a related field, with a 65 percent average in at least 62.5 points (or five subjects) of 300-level information systems or an equivalent level of studies. Admission is highly competitive and depends in part on the department's capacity for supervision. For University of Melbourne graduates, the standard path to the Bachelor of Information Systems (Degree with Honours) program is via either the Bachelor of Information Systems degree or a combined information systems degree.

Honours offers a pathway to a PhD.

Graduates will have:

• drawn together the theory and practical skills gained in previous undergraduate studies;
• developed new research and professional skills to take into the workforce or further study; and
• gained an in-depth knowledge in a particular discipline.