The largest growth in most economies is coming from 'information' industries. The success of such knowledge-based organisations lies in their information systems. Also, forced by technological change and globalisation of markets, many manufacturing industries are also placing increasing emphasis upon information systems. Information systems are more than just computer programs. Though information and communications technologies are playing an increasing role in meeting organisations’ information needs, an information system is a much more general concept. It refers to the wider systems of people, data and activities, both computer-based and manual, that effectively gather, process, store and disseminate organisations’ information.

Information Systems not Computer Science

Information systems, as a discipline, focuses on exploring the interface between management, information science and computer science. Computer Science focuses on information technology: software. Information Systems mediates the two opposing worlds of human activity systems and information technology.

Career prospects in Information Systems

A recent survey by the Association for Computing Machinery established buoyancy in the IT jobs market, exceeding that of the market at the peak of the IT boom, six years ago. Also, throughout the current decade, salaries in this area have increased, year on year. Consequently, knowledge of the state of the art in information systems development, application and management is at a premium in the workplace. This knowledge can be deployed in a range of professional positions, including information systems consultancy, systems analysis and design, and information systems project management. There are also positions in research and education concerned with advanced studies in information systems.

What can you get from an Information Systems course?

The value of the information systems professional stems from a breadth of knowledge and skills. Requirements of an information system are to do with the people and organizations that the system must serve, as well as IT capabilities. Consequently, the field is a multidisciplinary one, which requires specialist knowledge of the computer world, the world of organisations and people for whom the system must process information, and the professional skills and knowledge to make the former work for the latter. Not least, the information systems professional will have communication and interpersonal skills, for example, needed to elicit those requirements and communicate analyses and designs to decision makers.

A graduate from an information system programme will have studied each of these aspects to acquire theoretical and practical knowledge which they will be able to apply confidently in organizations of all kinds. Reflecting the multidisciplinarity of the field, Information Systems degree programmes offer a carefully chosen mix of social, management and technical aspects, such as: information systems within the contexts of organisations, management and the information society; computing knowledge and skills in programming, computer architectures and networks; techniques for information systems analysis and design, including database design methods, and related professional and legal knowledge.

After completing, graduates may go on to take up a specialist information systems management positions - such as information systems manager, IT manager, corporate IT administrator or information systems consultant, to name but a few possibilities - but more broadly you will gain a solid foundation for taking up a variety of work roles in this rapidly changing society.