Apologies for cross posting.

     University of Central England in Birmingham
     Faculty of Computing and Information Studies

        SCHOOL OF INFORMATION STUDIES

                  A revised and extended programme for 1998

          Study part time or full time

The BA(Hons) Information Studies programme has been revised and
extended this year and enrolments will commence in September 1998.

The revisions and extensions are substantial and take account of the
increasing importance of information and knowledge as underpinning
elements in our changing society.

The new programme is designed to provide educational opportunities
that will prepare students for work in information and library services,
and also in the wide and increasing range of commercial, industrial and
professional environments in which the effective and efficient provision,
management, organization and control of information and knowledge
are critical success factors.

 When the full programme is underway, there will be seven degree routes.
Enrolment in September will provide the opportunity to select from four
routes in the programme.

These four routes are:

1. BA(HONS) INFORMATION STUDIES.

Students who graduate with this degree will be high level generalists,
capable of entering any situation in which information is critical to
success.
Additionally, they will be able to assess information and knowledge
environments and thus determine the nature of services and systems
necessary to satisfy the requirements of any particular organization.
They will then be able to specify, design, implement and monitor
appropriate services and systems or upgrades to existing services
and systems.

The range of possible employment of these graduates will be very
wide and include legal, architectural, scientific, health, pharmaceutical,
and management information services and systems, and research
environments in which the provison of accurate, current and precise
information is valued and critical to success.

2. BA(HONS) INFORMATION AND LIBRARY STUDIES.

Graduates with this degree will have high levels of competence and
knowledge in, for example, interpersonal skills, management,
evaluation and use of information technology and in the management
of finance and people. Additionally, they will have the ability to apply
this knowledge and understanding to a range of services in all types
of academic and public library environments.

The range of possible employment of these graduates will include
school, college, university and public libraries and voluntary sector
organizations providing information services to ethnic, cultural and
religious minorities, and to sectors of the populations such as the
physically and mentally disadvantaged.

3. BA(HONS) BUSINESS INFORMATION SYSTEMS.

Graduates with this degree will be business information specialists
with a high level of knowledge and understanding of both busines
information services and business information systems. They will bring
understanding of the value and importance of information to
business, its acquisition, organization and dissemination, and of the
design, establishment and evaluation of appropriate information
systems. This degree course integrates study of information sources,
services and technology based systems. It , thus, provides a necessary
bridge between the more traditional business information courses, which
concentrate upon the ability to organize, locate and retrieve
information and the technology based information systems courses
which provide strongly information technology focused studies.

There is a strong demand for business information specialists and
so the range of opportunities for graduates with this degree is
correspondingly wide. These opportunities include Chambers of
Commerce and Industry, Business Links, business information units in
medium and large companies, local and national government
departments and agencies, business and management consultancies,
and research and development in the financial services sector.

4. BA(HONS) MULTIMEDIA, COMMUNICATION & CULUTRE.

The multimedia communications and leisure oriented society of today
embraces many complex dimensions and encompasses many
industries, servics and activities. Communications, media and
technology are dominant features of modern society.

Fundamental to this society is information. Without creative, innovative
and enterprising use of information, the economies created and
sustained by the multimedia communications society, as we know it,
would cease to exist. Information in this context is a defining
characteristic of our modern society.

Graduates with this degree will have a broad knowledge of
multimedia and communications and their significance in a cultural
context. Additionally, they will have the ability to analyse and
synthesise knowledge and information from widely differing situations
and to design and provide services and systems to support information
users working in these situations.

The range of possible employment of these graduates will include
media planning, heritage, multimedia research and development,
and both traditional and electronic publishing.

GENERAL POINT.

The syllabi of all these degrees include a very substantial grounding
in research skills and project management. These match very well with
the demand for all organizations, in both the private and public sectors,
to be creative and innovative in the products and services which they
exist to offer. It is not unusual, therefore, to find "information
researcher"
or "research analyst" posts attached to or an integral part of an
important project or contract. With an increasing focus on knowledge
management, as distinct from information management, many of the
skills and abilities gained on all these course will be substantial
preparation for those wishing to develop a career in knowledge
management.

ADMISSON REQUIREMENTS

This programme is "mode neutral". This means that it is possible to
study on it as either a part time or full time student.

Candidates for the programme will normally be expected to fulfil the
standard requirements for entry to a degree course, namely GCSE
and Advanced level GCE passes, or their equivalent. However, it
is recognised that some candidates may offer other qualifications
and/or significant experience as alternative. These candidates
should make early contact with the Admissons Tutor to the
programme for clarification of their position.

Appliation forms for the programme and further information about
the degrees may be obtained from:

Denis F Reardon
Admissions Tutor
BA(Hons) Information Studies programme,
School of Information Studies
University of Central England in Birmingham
Dawson Building
Perry Barr
BIRMINGHAM B42 2SU

Tel.: 0121 331 5622 (or 0121 331 5625 - leave a message)
Fax.: 0121 331 5675
email: [log in to unmask]








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