Major study areas for Master of Business Information Systems Professional

BUSINESS APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONAL TRACK (Caulfield, off-campus)

Business application developers are responsible for the design, development and implementation of information systems and related applications. Business application developers will work in small and large organisations, governments and other areas. Areas covered include developing database applications, interface design, applications for Web-based systems and programming.

The goal of the Business Applications Development track is to prepare students for work as professional application developers in a wide range of areas. Graduates from this track will have strong skills in developing applications and will be employable across a range of roles from entry-level programming positions through to senior managers leading business application development teams. They will be employed in government, private enterprise, large and small organisations.

In addition to entry-level system and analyst/programmer knowledge and skills and the desirable generic graduate attributes identified by the university, graduates should be able to: develop a range of applications using current programming tools; manage applications in business and other environments; maintain a wide variety of systems; develop applications for a variety of Web environments; employ techniques for developing effective and usable user interfaces; and design, develop and implement database applications.

BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE PROFESSIONAL TRACK (Caulfield)

Business intelligence (BI) professionals use information systems to improve the processes and outcomes of human decision-making. Areas covered include personal decision support systems, business intelligence systems, executive information systems, online analytical processing systems, group decision support systems, data warehousing, customer relationship management systems, financial modelling and computer modelling for business systems.

The goal of the Business Intelligence professional track is to prepare students for professional practice in supporting management decision-making using IT. Depending on their qualifications and experience prior to graduate study and the nature of their elective study, graduates could be employed in a variety of roles ranging from entry-level BI positions through to senior management consulting.

In addition to entry-level system analyst/programmer knowledge and skills, and the desirable generic graduate attributes identified by the University, graduates should be able to: understand business operations and project management techniques and calculations including the financial aspects involved in quoting and operations management tasks; understand and provide advice on functional and process oriented structuring of business processes and systems; use new technology and techniques for understanding customers and customer needs, and be able to advise management on these issues; understand and use core technologies that support financial analysis and decision making and advise management on these issues; and carry out business process modelling and analysis using new technology and tools to provide advice on business process design and re-engineering. Graduates of this track will also have a strong theoretical knowledge of decision support so that they can adapt quickly to changes in technology and methodology.

BUSINESS SYSTEMS PROFESSIONAL TRACK (Caulfield)

Business analysis helps a business organisation to improve how it conducts its functions and activities in order to reduce overall costs, provide more efficient use of scarce resources, and better support customers. It introduces the notion of process orientation, of concentrating on and rethinking end-to-end activities that create value for customers, and this task is carried out by a business analyst. It is essential that the modern business analyst has strong IT skills and is capable of approaching these tasks from an information perspective. The main focus of units in this track is to provide students with the practical IT skills and knowledge of latest techniques and technology to effectively carry out business analysis, and managerial advisory duties in business organisations.

The goal of the Business Systems professional track is to provide students with essential skills required by the current day business analyst. Depending on their qualifications and experience prior to graduate study and the nature of their elective study, graduates could be employed in a variety of roles ranging from business systems analyst, systems analyst, and functional analyst through to senior management and management advisory roles.

In addition to entry-level system analyst/programmer knowledge and skills, and the desirable generic graduate attributes identified by the University, graduates should be able to: understand business operations and project management techniques and calculations including the financial aspects involved in quoting and operations management tasks; understand and provide advice on functional and process oriented structuring of business processes and systems; use new technology and techniques for understanding customers and customer needs, and be able to advise management on these issues; understand and use core technologies that support financial analysis and decision making and advise management on these issues; and carry out business process modelling and analysis using new technology and tools to provide advice on business process design and re-engineering. Graduates of the track will also have a strong theoretical knowledge of systems thinking, business dynamics and business processes as well as latest cutting edge intelligent data mining and customer relationship management technology. This will enable them to easily adapt to the fast changing and evolving field of business IT - an essential requirement for a modern day business analyst.

CORPORATE INFORMATION AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL TRACK (Caulfield, off-campus)

This professional track is designed to produce skilled information and knowledge management (IKM) professionals, including information and knowledge managers, information architects, information policy developers, information project managers and information consultants for business and government organisations. It focuses on: strategic IKMinformation policy, IKM governance, strategy, standards and frameworks; IKM principles; enterprise information architecture and web content management; planning and developing IKM systems to support key business processes; managing information and knowledge resources and services.

The goal of the Corporate Information and Knowledge Management professional track is to prepare students for professional practice in business information, knowledge and content management and appreciate the role of the modern ICT in achieving efficient strategies for managing personal and organisational knowledge. Depending on their qualifications and experience prior to graduate study and the nature of their elective study, graduates could be employed in a variety of roles ranging from entry-level document management analysis through to senior knowledge and information management consulting.

In addition to entry-level system information specialist knowledge and skills, and the desirable generic graduate attributes identified by the University, graduates should be able to: analyse the need and requirements for a knowledge management initiative; contribute productively to the development of sustainable IKM organisational strategy; evaluate the sources and potential value of knowledge within an organisation; critically analyse the state and current organisational requirements for recommending appropriate knowledge management solutions; and identify suitable software package or develop components of IKM systems. Graduates of the track will also have a strong theoretical knowledge of information and knowledge management principles that they can apply in designing appropriate technology and policies.

ENTERPRISE SYSTEMS PROFESSIONAL TRACK (Caulfield)

This track produces business analysts and information systems analysts who work in small to medium enterprises, large companies, financial organisations, government agencies and consultancy firms. Units are designed to provide management and technical expertise in the design, development, and implementation of enterprise systems, including information systems, financial systems, integrated business systems, web-based systems and systems that support e-Commerce, e-Government and e-Business.

The goal of the Enterprise Systems professional track is to prepare students to perform as business or information systems analysts in small to medium enterprises as well as large organisations.

In addition to entry-level system analyst/programmer knowledge and skills, and the desirable generic graduate attributes identified by the University, graduates should be able to: design an appropriate solution for a business including traditional information systems to e-Business solutions; plan the development and implementation process of an enterprise system for an organisation; use accepted e-Business models for the development of solutions for an organisation; design and implement enterprise systems. Graduates of the track will also have a strong theoretical knowledge of systems development so that they can adapt quickly to changes in technology and methodology. LIBRARY,

ARCHIVAL AND RECORDKEEPING SYSTEMS PROFESSIONAL TRACK (Caulfield, off-campus)

Graduates who specialise in this professional track work as information service providers, librarians, archivists and records managers in business, government and community organisations. Recognised as a professional qualification by the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA), the Records Management Association of Australasia (RMAA) and the Australian Society of Archivists (ASA), the track focuses on the design, development, implementation, management and use of library, archival and recordkeeping systems and services. It also addresses a range of professional and ethical issues, and includes a professional practice placement. The track comprises the core units required for ALIA, RMAA and ASA professional recognition. Library and information services units focus on: information contexts and environments; information and knowledge flows; information seeking behaviours; information access; information sources and resources; information organisation and information architecture. Records and archives units prepare records managers and archivists for the digital age, focusing on the knowledge and skills required to ensure that vital records of organisational activities in all media are created, effectively managed and made accessible.

The goal of the Library, Archival and Recordkeeping Systems professional track is to prepare students for professional practice as librarians, records managers, archivists and other information and knowledge professionals in business, government and community organisations. Depending on their qualifications and experience prior to graduate study and the nature of their elective study, graduates could be employed in a wide variety of information/knowledge-related roles, such as: information manager, information services manager, librarian, teacher librarian, community information officer, research analyst, indexer, cataloguer, metadata analyst, records manager, archivist, office systems manager, document manager, enterprise content manager, information architect, knowledge manager, chief information officer, chief knowledge officer.

In addition to the desirable generic graduate attributes identified by the University, graduates should be able to: develop and manage information services, collections and electronic resources; plan, develop and implement an organisation's information strategy and information policy; analyse information requirements/user needs and develop programs and services to meet those needs; design and develop systems for organising information and facilitating access to information resources in physical collections and digital/web-based repositories; and manage the processes associated with the creation, storage, recall and dissemination of an organisation's business records. Graduates will have a sound theoretical knowledge of information management principles that will enable them to adapt readily to technological, organisational, and environmental change.