Master of Science in
Strategic Business IT
(Purely Distance Learning)
NCC Education
Postgraduate Diploma in Strategic Business IT
(Reg no. 251446)
University of Portsmouth (UoP)
The University of Portsmouth was inaugurated in 1992. The former Portsmouth Polytechnic, one of the largest and most successful education provider in the UK, it grew from the Portsmouth and Gosport School of Science and Arts, founded in 1869.
" The University of Portsmouth will continue to be a centre of excellence and innovation in education, student experiences and employability, aspiration-raising, research, knowledge transfer and community leadership. " - University of Portsmouth Mission Statement.
Uop has a total of five major faculties, including Portsmouth Business Schools, Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries, Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences, Faculty of Science and Faculty of Technology in which the University is now located at the forefront of a rapidly changing, thriving city, with a modern diverse campus, taking pride in its reputation among students for the friendliness and approachability of its staff, and for the provision of a well structured and supportive learning environment. The university is also a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU).
University Ranking
- Ranked 35th for Best IT Programme (Education Guidance 2004)
- Ranked 2nd Among All New UK Universities (Sunday Times 2002)
The National Computing Centre (NCC)
The National Computing Centre (NCC) is the single largest and most diverse corporate membership body in the UK IT sector.
NCC champions the effective deployment of IT to maximise the competitiveness of its members' businesses, and serves the corporate, vendor and government communities.
NCC delivers a continuum of services including; independent & impartial advice and support, best practice and standards, personal and professional development, managed service delivery, awareness raising and experience sharing.
These services are designed to support IT and IS professionals and their teams throughout their management careers and facilitate operational excellence in the industry. NCC is a social enterprise owned by and runs for the benefit of its members.
Aims and Objectives
The MSc in Strategic Business IT is a Joint Postgraduate course designed for candidates with Information Technology (IT) background by NCC and the University of Portsmouth.
The course provides a thorough knowledge about IT in business and will prepare the individual with the necessary academic skills and credits for the eventual continuation to a Master of Science (MSc) degree. There is a strong IT theme running throughout the course and an opportunity to build on existing technical competencies, to an advanced level. At the end of the course, students will have below abilities:
- To analyse the complex and interacting issues of a real world domain;
- To identify and be capable of analysis alternative approaches to address these issues;
- To select the most appropriate approach on the basis of experience and disciplined thought.
Course Structure
| Module |
Course Month |
Module Title |
Assessment |
1 |
1-3 |
IT - The Next Five Years /
Principles of Enquiry |
Assignment |
2 |
4-6 |
Task Management |
Assignment |
3 |
7-9 |
Strategic Business Analysis |
Assignment |
4 |
10-12 |
Computer Networking and Management |
Assignment |
Completed 4 modules --- NCC Edu Postgraduate Dip in Strategic Business IT |
5 |
13-15 |
Research Methodologies(Online mode) |
|
6 |
16-21 |
Dissertation(Online mode) |
|
UoP Master of Science in Strategic Business IT |
| Course Outline |
IT - The Next Five Years / Principles of Enquiry
|
This module is written to explore the broader context in which Information System(IS) operate and reflect on their implications within the IS design process, to identify both current and prospective external events which cause uncertainty within the IS design process, to assess and reconcile 'ethical' issues, such as failure consequence, professional codes of conduct and data accessibility.
On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:
- Apply and critically evaluate the approaches to problem investigation, examining key assumptions and the candidate's own prejudices;
- Discuss the current socio-political and economic issues, reflecting upon those which may impact the IS field;
- Critically appraise current and possible future technological innovation and assess the likely impact upon formulating IS strategies;
- Assess and reconcile the potential negative impact of consequences, by applying consequence analysis techniques as part of the initial IS design process;
- Critically assess the need to integrate real-world pressures and constraints into IS strategic planning, and IS development, using appropriate criteria to select and adopt suitable methods.
|
This module is written to equip candidates with the knowledge and skills necessary to handle the uncertainty of task management, reflecting specifically upon the features of information systems projects, and to assess the impact of human behavior and communication on task management and evaluate the approaches used to facilitate management activities, for example mentoring/coaching
On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:
- Evaluate the requirement and managerial (financial and temporal) constraints within which a task has been specified;
- Discuss the current socio-political and economic issues, reflecting upon those which may impact the IS field;
- Apply resource and time management techniques to plan and deliver achievable objectives, meeting the established requirements, within the stated constraints;
- Integrate the appropriate styles of leadership and human behavior into the task management process;
- Reconcile the issues and concerns of human communication within task management;
- Reflect upon the differing roles of mentoring and coaching by evaluating their benefits and difficulties from the perspective of both the mentor/coach and those assigned to them.
|
Strategic Business Analysis |
This module is written to explore the issues surrounding the application of IT to define and implement strategic objectives, and to reflect upon the purpose of strategic analysis and strategic planning and the application of tools and techniques during this process.
On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:
- Facilitate the strategic planning process and development of strategic plans;
- Evaluate an organization's opportunities and threats and apply the tools and techniques of environmental and competitive analysis;
- Evaluate an organization's strength and weakness by applying the tools and techniques used to analyse its resources and competitive capabilities;
- Reflect upon and revise current and potential strategies integrating the knowledge obtained in strategic analysis to provide sustainable competitive advantage;
- Apply the knowledge and skills obtained in this unit to real-world scenarios matching an organization's strategic capabilities to its competitive environment.
|
| Computer Networking and Management |
This unit is written to equip the candidates with knowledge and skills in the underlying principles of networking with special focus on internetworking, while at the same time emphasizing Internet protocols and network applications.
On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:
- Introduce networking from a new perspective;
- Understand the top down approach which begins at the application layer and works its way down towards the physical layer;
- Understand and place emphasis on the application layer, which has been the high growth area of computer networking, including the Web, audio and video streaming, and content distribution;
- Understand the network applications and the network services needed to support these applications;
- Identify a number of fundamentally important issues in transport layer and network layer;
- Integrate principles and practice drawn from the internet architecture.
|
| Research Methodologies(Online mode) |
This module is written to promote an appreciation of the theory of Strategic Information Systems and an understanding of methods of research appropriate to issues/problems concerning Information Systems. On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to select and justify a research method appropriate to an issue/problem in the domain of Strategic Information Systems; to use a software tool (e.g. MS Excel) to analyze statistical data; and to prepare a report, describing a problem/issue of a strategic nature in an organization or industry, and evaluating an appropriate method to research and analyze the problem.
On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to select and justify a research method appropriate to an issue/problem in the domain of Strategic Information Systems; to use a software tool (e.g. MS Excel) to analyze statistical data; and to prepare a report, describing a problem/issue of a strategic nature in an organization or industry, and evaluating an appropriate method to research and analyze the problem.
|
| Dissertation(Online mode) |
This module is written to expose students to a significant project that needs management under real world constraints, to promote good project management and research skills, both in terms of dealing with a real world problem environment and the academic support required to underpin any proposed solution, to develop written reporting skills in a focused and supportive environment, to provide opportunities to liaise and relate to external 'clients' in a commercial, industrial or academic environment, and to promote the integration and enhancement of all the theoretical and practical skills developed during the taught course.
On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to analyze and solve a significant practical or theoretical problem arising out of the material in your current programme of studies; plan and manage a significant project over an extended period of time; to evaluate research material effectively in the solution of the problem, and to produce a written academic report of the project activities.
Supervision
Students will be allocated a supervisor by University of Portsmouth who has many experiences in supervising projects in which he/ she knows the required standard and the difficulty of the task. The supervisor's role is to guide students through the project process and help students should they have problems in their writing at the dissertation.
|
Duration
There are 4 intakes per year, commencing in January, April, July and October for full-time and part-time mode of study.
Students are encouraged to complete their courses within the specified timetable.
NCC Postgraduate Diploma in Strategic Business IT is 12 months.
Master of Science in Strategic Business IT is 9 months.
Assessment
The programmes are assessed by assignments and dissertation.
| Year 1 |
4 assignments of 4,000 words each. Progress to Year 2 depends on successful completion of the first year of study. Successful candidates would have the award of the NCC Education Postgraduate Diploma in Strategic Business IT after completion of 4 modules in Year 1.
|
Year 2 |
Students who complete module 5 would proceed to the dissertation. Candidates for the Master of Science in Strategic Business IT are required to complete a 15,000 words dissertation on an approved topic.
|
Program Fee
Installment Plan |
Installments |
Amount |
| Due upon acceptance |
1st instalment
(Course Fee + Registration Fee + Administration Charges) |
HK$29000 |
One month before the enrollment of 2nd module |
2nd instalment |
HK$10000 |
One month before the enrollment of 3rd module |
3rd instalment |
HK$10000 |
One month before the enrollment of 4th module |
4th instalment |
HK$10000 |
| |
Total |
HK$59000 |
Admission Requirement
- F5 or F7 graduates with 5 years of relevant work experience in IT field or
- Bachelor Degree holders with 3 years of relevant work experience in IT field or
- Bachelor of Science in IT; and
- Proficiency in English*
*Proficiency of English includes:
- Grade C in English in GCSE or
- TOEFL score of 550 or
- IELTS score of 6 or
- Grade C in English in HKCEE (Syllabus B) or
- Grade D in English in HKAL
Exemption
Exemptions of particular modules may be given to holders of MCSE, CCNP, CLE and CNE, subjected to the final approval from NCC or University. *
* Exemption given will not be entitled for course fees reduction.
Application Procedure
The University of Portsmouth and NCC will undertake the selection of suitable candidates. Normally, it takes 2 weeks to process each application. Selected candidates will be officially notified. Thereby, it is advisable for potential students to apply for admission prior to the closing date.
Completed application form should be accompanied by:
- Original copies of degree and official transcripts
- 2 sets of copies of degree and official transcripts (to be certified by Raffles International College)
- 2 letters of reference in related to IT field
- 2 passport size photos
- A copy of your resume or curriculum vitae
- A non-refundable processing fee of HK$500 payable to "RAFFLES INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE (HK) LIMITED" .
Enquiry
To find out more about the programme, please do click
HERE |
It is a matter of discretion for individual employers to recognize any qualification to which this course may lead.
The University of Newcastle and Raffles International College reserves the right to change the information, programme structure, curriculum, assessment, schedule and fees without prior notice. |
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