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Driving the knowledge economy
A major factor behind the popularity of programmes such as those offered by Claremont is the employability of students graduating in the field. According to the US Bureau of Labour Statistics, close to 2.8 million are currently employed in the broad category of ‘Computer and Mathematical’ related professions in the US, with approximately 13,000 vacancies in the field being filled between September and November 2003. Dr Edgar Whitley, Reader in Information Systems at the London School of Economics, backs up these figures. “Companies as varied as Accenture, Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein, Samsung Electronics and Shell International recruit students from the Department of Information Systems' graduate programmes to positions such as business analysts or information systems managers in organisations both large and small.”
Locating the study of information sciences within the broader context of the social sciences lends a unique edge to the programmes taught by LSE in this area. Offering a popular and highly sought after taught masters programme in the Analysis and Design of Information Systems in addition to a range of research degrees, the emphasis in the Department of Information Systems is on examining the issues, approaches and tools for information systems development and operation within a range of organisations, seeking to present a balance between the management and technical themes that have an impact on the practice and theory of information systems. Dr Whitley maintains that LSE's approach is vital in the current information age. “With computers becoming increasingly important for all modern organisations, many of the problems they create are far more wide ranging than simply questions about the technology. Instead, the main issues for organisations surround the introduction and management of new computer systems and the effects they have on how organisations work. The field of information systems takes this organisational role of technology as its central focus.”
What makes the LSE programme exceptional is both the motivation of the students coming to study the discipline and the diversity of the student body. Whitley continues, “with typically 40 nationalities represented every year, our student body is typically made up of three groups: those wishing to continue their information systems undergraduate education, those more technically minded who wish to grasp more organisational issues, and those with a broad management background who wish to better appreciate the role of technology in organisations.” Like similar programmes in Australia and the US, the LSE class is recruited from both fresh graduates from undergraduate degree programmes and those candidates with a period of work experience.
Matthew Abrams, Partner at Cumberland Consulting Group and expert in the application and management of information systems in the healthcare field, indicates one of the reasons why programmes such as those offered by LSE and the Claremont Graduate University are so popular. “The US healthcare industry has outpaced the growth of the rest of the US economy for several years and continues to see significant growth. Many hospitals have returned to profitability and are beginning to invest significantly in information systems projects, all of which require very well qualified and skilled staff to manage and develop them. The same is true in the UK, with the National Health Service’s intention to create a central electronic patient record over the next few years leading to an ongoing demand for suitably qualified managers in the IS field.”
Without doubt, the information science and systems field is one of the most attractive for potential graduate students internationally. With flexibly delivered programmes and an increasing demand for skilled graduates in this area, popularity is unlikely to decline in the near future. As corporate bodies seek to become more technologically advanced, further consideration for a workforce equally highly skilled is certain to continue.
