MRes Informatics

This research-oriented programme is designed to address an increasing demand from industry and academia for professionals with interdisciplinary knowledge and skills in information management. It combines theory, methods and techniques for the creation, management and utilisation of information in organisational and business contexts, enabling students to design, implement and evaluated information services for organisations. This general course builds on various areas of excellence within the University and offers specialist options (or pathways).

Graduates are well equipped to become competent researchers or information specialists in the fields of business and management, biodiversity, construction management, information systems for business intelligence, and knowledge management.

The course is open to participants from a variety of backgrounds, including people already in industrial employment who wish to extend their knowledge and expertise in information management. Research training is provided through taught modules and a dissertation project under supervision. The course is suitable for those who wish to pursue further careers in information-intensive organisations, which require strategic deployment of technologies and methods to support operations and decision making in specialist domains. The course will prepare students up to the quality required for embarking on a PhD degree.

Structure:

The course is delivered in a flexible and modular framework. There are two exit points: a Postgraduate Certificate (PGC) and an MSc degree.

This course unites several areas of excellence within the University and offers application through the dissertation topic in domains including biology, health, computing, construction. The dissertation, a major piece of applied research, is encouraged to be undertaken in an industrial environment.

Research Dissertation:

The research dissertation is a major piece of research work in this course. It enables the participant to conduct research and apply the knowledge into practice through an independent project. The participant should show a detailed understanding of informatics concepts and methods in the chosen subject domain. The project will involve a survey of recent developments in the field, a critical analysis of these developments and a prognosis of future developments. Supervision for the dissertation project will be jointly provided by IRC and associated Schools with their special collaborative expertise.

Qualification exit points:

This course allows participants to achieve their qualifications at two exit points: a Postgraduate Certificate (PGC) (when 60 CATs are accumulated); or an MRes (180 CATs). For the PGC, there will be no research dissertation project required.

Mode of Study:

In addition to the full-time mode, this course also provides the opportunity for part-time study. No constraint is placed on the sequence of the optional modules undertaken.

Career Prospects:

Graduates will be able to pursue multidisciplinary careers. They will be qualified for a variety of positions, such as:

• information specialist / advisor 
• business application consultant / architect 
• information resource manager / consultant 
• project manager 
• knowledge management specialist 
• IT operations manager 
• systems analyst / developer 
• business analyst in various specialist areas (e.g., biodiversity, business process modelling, construction management, enterprise modelling) 
• software engineer 
• researcher / educator / trainer

This course is particularly recommended as a preparation for students aiming to pursue a PhD degree in information management.