i The new BSc Informatics degree at Sheffield.

Information School.

A member of the international iSchools Organisation.

i What is Informatics? Informatics is an exciting new discipline that responds to the opportunities and challenges of the digital age. Its focus is on understanding and enhancing the interactions between people and digital information in business and other organisational and social contexts – with the ultimate goal of advancing all aspects of human endeavour and well-being. Digital information today is ubiquitous, instant, mobile, multimedia and global. From enterprise content management systems to the semantic web, from 3G to open source software, from multilingual search tools to social networks, from the electronic patient record to the online resources of the local public library, access to

digital information empowers decision-making and enriches lives. It is crucial for economic development, and is the lifeblood of organisations in the knowledge society. Business, government, science and engineering, culture and the arts, healthcare and education are just some of the areas in which effective use of digital information is key. The explosion in digital information creates new opportunities but also challenges and risks. How can organisations ensure that effective decision-making isn’t compromised by information overload and complexity? How are new media changing social relationships, and how can this help societies and organisations create and share knowledge? What design features should digital information interfaces and infrastructures have for optimal usability and support for business processes? Expertise in using and designing digital information products, services and systems is at a premium in today’s organisations of all kinds. Your study of informatics on this programme will blend theory with practice. You will gain an understanding of key concepts relating to digital information in business and other organizational and social contexts alongside technical expertise in using and designing digital information tools and interfaces. Studying informatics at the Sheffield iSchool will give you a competitive edge when it comes to applying for jobs as you complete your degree programme. Our graduates are very successful in gaining employment in well-paid jobs.

Employability and Careers The degree is designed to give you a set of skills precisely balanced for careers at the cutting edge of new developments in the digital society. Informatics at Sheffield is strongly interdisciplinary in character, drawing on areas including information science, business and organisational science, psychology, computer science, economics and sociology. This means that students develop as well-rounded, flexible thinkers with the ability to bring multiple perspectives to bear on complex problems.

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Prepare yourself for a broad range of career options with a degree in a discipline that is vital to today's employers. Brand new for 2012, our innovative undergraduate programme in informatics draws on cutting-edge expertise from Sheffield’s internationally leading Information School (iSchool). It will equip you with a highly distinctive and valued profile perfectly suited to today’s diverse and fast-paced global employment market.

i As a graduate of this programme, you will have the intellectual qualities and skills to excel in what you want to do next, including skills of critical analysis, design, problem-solving, creativity, enterprise, evaluation and research. Informatics expertise is relevant to a wide range of roles in business and other organisations across all sectors. We expect graduates of our new programmes to be ready for diverse graduate traineeships in one of the UK’s or the world’s leading companies. Alternatively, you may choose to move on to one of the many specialist roles for people with informatics expertise. Just some of the current job titles for people with backgrounds in informatics include: information architect; systems analyst; business analyst; social networks engineer, cultural resources manager; information manager; research information manager; digital art curator; web designer; freedom of information officer.

Some of our graduates will wish to extend their knowledge and skills at Masters level in a specialist area of their choice. The Sheffield iSchool offers opportunities to progress from the undergraduate study to one of our specialist Professional Education Masters programmes in the information field.

Add Value with Languages and Career Skills The programme is designed so that you can add value to your specialism in informatics in a number of ways. For example, you could decide to study a modern language throughout the three years of the degree, or to take University-wide skills-based modules such as the one on enterprise, ‘Making Ideas Happen’.

Level 1 Examples of Elective Modules

Core 1 Informatics and Society Business Intelligence Digital Economy Digital Multimedia Global Information Access Informatics Internship Knowledge Management and Communities Information Management and Governance Programming for Informatics Web Authoring Web Applications

Core 2 Information Behaviour in Context

Core 3 Digital Technologies in Organisations

Core 4 Communities, Social Networks & Information

Core 5 Research in Informatics 1

Unrestricted 1 e.g. a modern language

Level 2

Core 7 Information Architecture The Research Spine

Core 8 Human Computer Interaction Research skills are important for academic study of informatics and for the workplace. The research spine is one of the special features of this degree, introducing you from the start to the way in which knowledge is created in the field and to the excitement of advances in the knowledge-base. The research spine develops your research and evaluation skills incrementally and culminates in an extended project at Level 3. At this level, you work under the supervision of academic staff on a topic of your own choice.

Core 9 Research in Informatics 2

Electives 2 to 3 iSchool electives

Unrestricted 2 e.g. a modern language or skills module

Level 3

Core 10 Research in Informatics 3

Core 11 Informatics Research Project

Electives 3 to 4 iSchool electives

Unrestricted 3 e.g. a modern language or skills module

BSc Informatics Programme Structure

A spine of core (compulsory) modules ensures that you gain a solid grounding in the fundamentals of the discipline. Level 1 emphasises foundations and core skills. As the degree progresses, an increasing amount of flexibility is built into the curriculum to allow for individual choice and specialisation. Academic tutors provide guidance to help you plan your module choices so that you can construct a pathway to suit your personal interests.

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i Real-world Scenarios and Activities The degree offers a range of opportunities for you to apply the principles of informatics to practical contexts. You will find that case scenarios based on real-world problems often are used in teaching. An Internship module allows students to work on an informatics project within a local organisation.

A Global Perspective and Study Abroad In a rapidly globalising world, it is important to have opportunities to approach informatics questions and themes from global perspective. On this programme, you will examine current trends in digital information an international level, including opportunities to address global issues in very practical ways. You might also decide to study abroad at one of the University’s international partners, perhaps in a North American iSchool, as part of your degree programme.

Who We Are The University of Sheffield is 2011 University of the Year in the Times Higher Education Awards. As a student on this programme, you will join one of the University’s top flight academic departments, with its long record of excellence and achievement. The iSchool is the best in its field in the country. It has a track record of excellence in teaching, as seen in its 2011 National Student Survey scores (90% overall student satisfaction) and has been rated top in research for over 25 years. The Sheffield iSchool has a truly global reputation for leadership in the field and was the first UK school of its kind to be invited to join the prestigious international group of research-led iSchools.

Want to know more?

IMPORTANT NOTE: This document provides an overview of a curriculum that is under development for launch in 2012-13. The information given here is not binding and all plans are subject to University approval. Please check our website for updates: www.sheffield.ac.uk/is June 2012

Email isug@shef.ac.uk

Phone 0114 222 2640

Web www.shef.ac.uk/is

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