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Study Information Science at Otago

We live in an increasingly complex world with vast amounts of information created every day.

Information scientists are vital to the capture, processing and communication of this information to help people and organisations operate effectively.

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Why study Information Science?

Information Science sits at the intersection of technology, people and organisations. It is a broad discipline that combines solid technical foundations with an understanding of the ways in which organisations use information.

Information scientists analyse, develop, integrate, test and evaluate information systems. They also gather, prepare, model and interpret data to support informed decision- making in organisations. Information systems are omnipresent – every organisation depends on usable and reliable information systems.

Information Science is an exciting and rapidly changing discipline – it requires strong foundations and a life-long approach to learning.

What subjects go well with Information Science?

The concepts taught in Information Science are an excellent complement to other subjects, preparing you for the modern work done in these disciplines. Examples of well- suited subjects include: Accounting, Finance, Marketing, Management, Law, Psychology, Mathematics and any of the natural or applied sciences.

Career opportunities

People with Information Science skills are in high demand because of the vital role that information and information systems play in modern organisations. There are many and varied career opportunities in fields such as business management and analytics, science and data science, education, research, finance, health, manufacturing and automation, media production and user experience technology, music and entertainment, and engineering.

Information Science at Otago

The first year

The Information Science programme is available in the Bachelor of Commerce (BCom), Bachelor of Science (BSc), Bachelor of Arts (BA) and the Bachelor of Arts and Science (BASc) degrees.
During the first year of your Information Science degree you will study COMP 101 and one of COMP 161 or 162:

COMP 101 Foundations of Information Systems

In this course, you will learn about the fundamentals of our information and computer science disciplines, which include topics like computability, data analysis, information storage and processing, and database management techniques. There are no prerequisites for this course, but a basic mathematical understanding will be needed – you might want to consider MATH 151 before or alongside COMP 101.

COMP 161 Computer Programming

An introduction to computer programming suitable for beginners with little or no prior experience. Introduces the Java programming language, basic object oriented concepts and simple graphical applications.

COMP 162 Foundations of Computer Science

An introduction to computer programming suitable for beginners with some prior experience. Builds on and extends basic Java and object oriented programming. Introduces broader programming concepts and other languages.

(Students are exempt from COMP 161 if they have gained entry to COMP 162 by passing COMP 151 with a grade of at least B or via an Advanced Placement Test.)

Teaching style

Your classes will consist of lectures, tutorials and practical laboratories. In the third year you will work on a team project with an industry partner. We have award-winning teaching staff who are recognised experts in their fields and who are considering technological, ethical, professional, societal and behavioural factors of our discipline.

Information systems are complex in terms of scale and changing dynamics, so our teaching focuses on practical skills and complex problem solving usually found in real-world tasks. Through practical lab work, our teaching will prepare you for the ever-changing world of Information and Communication Technology.

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Background required

There are no formal prerequisites for studying Information Science. You do not need to have studied digital technologies at school. However, it is advantageous if you are interested in and have taken background subjects in Digital Technology, Science, Mathematics, Accounting or English.

Requirements

Information Science as a minor subject for a BA, MusB, BPA, BTheol, BSc, BCom, BEntr, BHealSc, BACom, BASc or BComSc degree

Available as a minor subject for a Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Music (MusB), Bachelor of Performing Arts (BPA), Bachelor of Theology (BTheol), Bachelor of Science (BSc), Bachelor of Commerce (BCom), Bachelor of Entrepreneurship (BEntr), Bachelor of Health Science (BHealSc), Bachelor of Arts and Commerce (BACom), Bachelor of Arts and Science (BASc) or Bachelor of Commerce and Science (BComSc) degree

LevelPapersPoints
100-level

COMP 101 Foundations of Information Systems

One further 100-level COMP paper

18

18

200-levelAny two 200-level papers from INFO or COMP36
300-level

Any 300-level INFO paper or SENG 301 Software Project Management

From 2018 the 300-level requirements will be: Any 300-level INFO paper

18
Total 90

INFO papers

Paper Code Year Title Points Teaching period
INFO130 2024, 2025 Fundamentals and practice of spreadsheets 18 points Semester 1, 1st Non standard period (11 November 2024 - 13 December 2024), 1st Non standard period (10 November 2025 - 13 December 2025)
INFO201 2024 Developing Information Systems 1 18 points Semester 1
INFO202 2024 Developing Information Systems 2 18 points Semester 2
INFO203 2024, 2025 Human-Computer Interaction and User Experience 18 points Semester 1
INFO204 2024, 2025 Introduction to Data Science 18 points Semester 2
INFO250 2024, 2025 Special Topic 18 points Not offered in 2024, expected to be offered in 2026, Not offered in 2025, expected to be offered in 2026
INFO301 2024 Applied Project 18 points Semester 2
INFO302 2024, 2025 Information Systems Strategy and Governance 18 points Semester 2, Semester 1
INFO303 2024 Enterprise Information Systems Infrastructure 18 points Semester 1
INFO304 2024, 2025 Advanced Data Science 18 points Semester 2
INFO305 2024, 2025 Advanced Human-Computer Interaction and Interactive Systems 18 points Not offered in 2024, Not offered in 2025
INFO310 2024, 2025 Software Project Management 18 points Semester 1
INFO350 2024, 2025 Topics in Information Science 18 points Semester 1, Semester 2
INFO351 2024, 2025 Special Topic 18 points Not offered in 2024, Not offered in 2025
INFO352 2024, 2025 Special Topic 18 points Not offered in 2024, Not offered in 2025
INFO353 2024, 2025 Special Topic 18 points Not offered in 2024, Not offered in 2025
INFO390 2024, 2025 Research Topics 18 points Not offered in 2024, Not offered in 2025
INFO407 2024, 2025 Agent-based Software Technologies 20 points Not offered in 2024, Semester 2
INFO408 2024, 2025 Management of Large-Scale Data 20 points Semester 2, Semester 1
INFO410 2024, 2025 Interactive and Immersive Systems 20 points Not offered in 2024, Not offered in 2025
INFO411 2024, 2025 Machine Learning and Data Mining 20 points Semester 2
INFO420 2024, 2025 Statistical Techniques for Data Science 20 points Semester 2
INFO424 2024, 2025 Adaptive Business Intelligence 20 points Semester 1
INFO451 2024, 2025 Special Topic 20 points Not offered in 2024, Not offered in 2025
INFO452 2024, 2025 Special Topic 20 points Not offered in 2024, Not offered in 2025
INFO470 2024, 2025 Advanced Topics in Information Science 20 points Semester 1, Semester 2
INFO490 2024, 2025 Dissertation 40 points Full Year
INFO501 2024, 2025 Applied Project 40 points 1st Non standard period (26 February 2024 - 14 February 2025), 2nd Non standard period (15 July 2024 - 4 July 2025), 1st Non standard
INFO580 2024, 2025 Research Project 40 points 1st Non standard period (26 February 2024 - 14 February 2025), 2nd Non standard period (15 July 2024 - 4 July 2025), 3rd Non standard period (15 July 2024 - 4 July 2025), 1st Non standard

More information

Contact us

School of Computing

Email  computing@otago.ac.nz
Website  otago.ac.nz/school-of-computing

Studying at Otago

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Regulations on this page are taken from the 2024 Calendar and supplementary material.

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