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Driving the knowledge economy
Making computers work is one thing. Knowing how to apply their capacity and capabilities to best advantage is another. Hence the mushrooming growth of information science as well as of information technology. Tim Rogers investigates some top opportunities for postgraduate study in the sector.
The provision of information and the ease and speed at which we share ideas might well be, when we come to look at these things fifty years hence, the signature of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Reflecting these broader societal changes, the popularity of academic programmes related to this area is increasing year on year, particularly as organisations of all types implement wide-ranging technological solutions all of which need to be supported, managed and, somewhat unexpectedly, better understood.While the growth of computer science programmes – those concentrating predominantly on hardware and technical issues – has been growing exponentially for many years, internationally undergraduate and graduate students alike are also enrolling in large numbers in the now established area of information science and systems.
The academic area of information systems is particularly established in the USA, with institutions such as UC Berkeley's School of Information Management and Systems and Carnegie Mellon's interdisciplinary masters in Information Systems Management amongst the highest rated programmes in the world. Another US institution, the School of Information Sciences at Claremont Graduate University, is amongst the global leaders in this academic field. Successfully recruiting students from many parts of the world since 1983, the School of Information Sciences offers both innovative and flexible MS and PhD degrees. Recognising that many potential graduate students interested in the subject area are either currently engaged professionals seeking career or intellectual development, a flexible and versatile approach to offering degree programmes has benefited enrolled students. Both the MS and the PhD degrees in Information Systems are offered on full or part-time basis with sufficient flexibility allowing the student to customise their own academic concentration in the areas offered by the school. Currently this amounts to some six competency and core areas including Organization as Information Processing Systems, Information Analysis and Design and the Management of IT; and a further 36 courses covering the broad areas of Electronic Commerce, Telecom and Networking, Systems Development, Knowledge Management and Artificial Intelligence and Data Mining. Having leading faculty members in these academic areas also ensures that the blend of teaching and cutting-edge research being conducted at the School of Information Sciences directly benefits the students enrolled on its programmes.
“I chose the information systems field because my undergraduate degree in computer science was quite technical and I wanted to get a broader and more strategic overview which would enable me to move up the career ladder and become a manager” reports Thomas Mueller, a German national currently enrolled on the MS programme at Claremont. “This programme is perfect since it is flexible and allows me to chose my particular emphasis.” Al Sargent, a PhD candidate in the same department, echoes this view at the research level. “I chose Claremont for three main reasons – strong faculty, extremely diverse student body and flexible course offerings that allow students to choose their own pace and course selection – essential for me as that flexibility allowed me to continue working while attending the programme.”
Go Yoshida, Director of Recruitment at the School of Information Sciences, supports the attractiveness of their programmes for international students. “No matter what country you are in, every organisation has an IT department and with the rate of new technologies and updates coming out, IT professionals need constant training.” Students are certainly secure in the knowledge of Claremont's pedigree. “The School of Information Science is one of a kind: we have a legacy of leading edge faculty, we have graduated the most PhDs of any IS school in the world in the last ten years, we are small, diverse and highly collaborative.” With 43% of the current student body of 125 coming from outside of the USA, the School of Information Science can also be confident in a growing international network and reputation creating a significant awareness of its programmes.
