Midlands State University Information Systems

Midlands State University Information Systems Course – Information Systems offered at Midlands State University (MSU)

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Information Systems (BComm)

INTRODUCTION

1.1 These regulations shall be read in conjunction with the General Regulations and the Faculty Regulations.

1.2 In this programme, theoretical, applied and practical aspects of computing are addressed. The theory is treated as a tool to support sound practical aspects of computing rather than as an end in itself. This degree programme is a basis for worthwhile careers in industry, commerce and research.

2. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

2.1 The aim of this unique programme is to combine an in-depth coverage of computing and its applications with a systematic approach to the design and construction of high quality software and systems.

2.2 By the end of the degree programme the student should be able to:-

– design and implement a programming task

– use a wide of range of tools available to the software engineer

– show knowledge of the current state of technology across a broad spectrum.

– demonstrate a sound educational basis to cope with future technological developments.

– pursue postgraduate degree(s) in the field of Information Systems

– analyse, design, implement and maintain information systems.

3. CAREER PROSPECTS

Graduates with the Bachelor of Science Information Systems Honours Degree will seek employment in Industry, Commerce and Research as: computer programmers, research scientists, software developers and consultants, systems analysts, and business analysts.

4. ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

4.1 Normal Entry In order to qualify for acceptance to the Bachelor of Science Information Systems Honours Degree, the candidate must have obtained the following qualifications:

A pass at `A’ level in at least two of the following subjects or their equivalents: Mathematics, Accounts and Management of Business

4.2 Special Entry Special entry may be granted to applicants with a National Diploma or Higher National Diploma in Information Systems or any related fields.

4.3 Mature Entry Refer to Section 3.3 of the General Regulations.

5. GENERAL PROVISIONS Refer to Section 4 of the Faculty Regulations

6. ASSESSMENT

In all semesters, formal examinations account for 70% of the totalb assessment. 30% will be continuous assessment broken down to: 20% tests and 10% assignments.

Midlands State University Information Systems Course – Information Systems offered at Midlands State University (MSU)

7. FAILURE TO SATISFY EXAMINERS

Refer to Section 9 of the General Regulations.

8. PROVISIONS FOR PROGRESSION

Refer to Section 7 of the Faculty Regulations.

9. WORK RELATED LEARNING

Refer to Section 10 of the General Regulations.

10. GRADING AND DEGREE CLASSIFICATION

Refer to Section 10 of the Faculty Regulations.

11. DEGREE WEIGHTING

Refer to Section 11 of the Faculty Regulations.

12. PROGRAMME STRUCTURE

N.B. * denotes core modules

Code	Description	Credits
*HCS 101	Introduction to Computers and Computer Applications	4
HCS 106	Fundamentals of Computer Architecture	4
HCS109	Communication in Business	4
HCS112	Fundamental of Economics	4
HCS210	Fundamentals of Accounting 1A	4
*CS 101	Communication Skills	4

Level 1 Semester 2

Code	Description	Credits
HCS 102	Introduction to Programming HCS101	4
*HCS 104	Systems Analysis and Design	4
HCS110	Financial Mathematics and Statistics	4
HCS111	Business Law I	4
HCS113	Fundamentals of Marketing	4
HCS114	Fundamentals of Accounting 1B	4

Level 2 Semester 1

Code	Description	Credits
* HCS212	Introduction to Management Information Systems	4
HCS213	Fundamentals of Accounting 2A	4
* HCS 203	Operating Systems (HCS 104)	4
HCS 205	Simulation and Modeling	4
*HCS 206	Models of Databases & Database Design	4
* HCS 207	Advanced Programming	4
*GS201	Gender Studies	4

Level 2 Semester 2

Code	Description	Credits
* HCS211	Costing Accounting	4
*HCS214	Fundamentals of Accounting 2B	4
* HCS202	Software Engineering (HCS 104)	4
*HCS204	Data Communications and Networks (HCS 201)	4
*HCS 208	Project 1 (HCS 104)	4
HCS 209	Internet (HCS 101) 4	4

Level 3 Semester 1 and 2

Code	Description	Credits
HCS 301	Work Related Learning Report	15
HCS 302	Academic Supervisor’s Report	15
HCS 303	Employer’s Assessment Report	10

Level 4 Semester 1

Code	Description	Credits
HCS 402	Object Oriented Programming I 4	4
HCS 404	Artificial Intelligence 4	4
*HCS 410	Decision Support Systems 4	4
*HCS 411	Management Information Systems	4
*HCS 428	Advanced Databases (HCS206)	4
HCS 403	Software Project Management ( HCS202)	4

Level 4 Semester 2

Code	Description	Credits
*HCS 401	Dissertation ( HCS202 HCS208)	8
HCS 405	Computer Security	4
HCS 406	Object Oriented Programming II	4
HCS 408	Computer Graphics	4
*HCS 412	Advanced Data Communications and Networks HCS404	4

13. MODULE SYNOPSES

HCS115 Introduction to Information Systems

Introduction: uses of Information Systems: Computer Hardware and software, Data Processing: Computer Networks and the Internet: network topologies, the internet, uses of the internet, E-business, word processors and spreads sheets, information systems, security and ethical challenges in Information Systems.

HCS101 Introduction to Computers and Computer Applications

Basic Computer Concepts. Data Processing Cycle. Number Systems. Computer Arithmetic. Types of Computers. Computer Peripherals. System Software and Application Software. Data Communications. Introduction to Application Packages:-Word Processors, Spreadsheet, Graphics, etc.

HCS102 Introduction to Programming

Writing simple programs using assignment. Variables. Simple types. Operators and expressions. Conditional and repetitive statements. Input and output. Simple functions. Program Structure and organization. Definition and scope. Introduction to classes and objects, structures, arrays, text validation.

HCS106 Fundamentals of Computer Architecture

Variations in Computer Architectures including buses, internal and external Memory, I/O and Interfacing, Instruction Sets, RISC Computers

HCS 104 System Analysis and Design

System development methodologies. System Analysis. System Design. System Implementation. System evaluation. System maintenance.

HCS108 Principles of Management

History and development of management thought, functions of management, organization structure, decision making, communication, centralization and decentralization delegation, leadership, and motivation, controlling budgetary and non-budgetary controls.

HCS109 Communication in Business

Development of student’s ability to communicate effectively and concisely in written, oral and any other forms of communication. Different styles in the use of English in a business setting. Information Systems will also include definition of business communication skills, verbal and non-verbal, letter writing, business writing style, types of business writing, speech styles, element of good oral communication, and use of questionnaires, note taking meeting, minutes, summarizing, developing effective presentation skills, types of presentations, informative presentations, persuasive presentations, dealing with Business Communication challenges, active listening, conflict resolution.

HCS110 Financial Mathematics and statistics

An introduction to statistical and related techniques which are widely applicable to business management including collection and presentation of numerical information, business calculation, frequency distribution, probability sampling, time series analysis, regression and correlation and linear programming.

HCS111 Business Law

This module is intended to enable students to; Understand and appreciate basic economics principle. For example, students will be exposed to the principle of supply and demand and shown how this affects the management of human resource.

HCS112 Fundamentals of Economics

Basic Economic concepts, scarcity, opportunity costs and production possibilities, specialization and comparative advantage, the nature and functions of product markets, supply and demand, models of consumer choice, firm production, costs, revenues, product pricing and outputs both in the individual firm and in the market. Efficiency and government policy toward imperfect competition, factor markets, derived factor demand, determination of wages and other factor prices, efficiency, equity and the role of government, externalities, public goods.

HCS113 Fundamentals of Marketing

Marketing functions, the environments of marketing, marketing information systems and marketing research. The marketing mix, consumer behavior, the social responsibility of marketing, public policy with respect marketing practices, a general survey of the major marketing methods, techniques, institutions and practices.

HSC 114 Fundamentals of Accounting 1B

This module aims to provide basic understanding of problem solving related to incomplete accounts, partenership accounts, accounts for non profit making organization, manufacturing accounts and departmental accounts.

HCS210 Fundamentals of Accounting 1A

The module is designed to give students an understanding of the basic principle of accounting and their application to sole traders. Topics to be covered include accounts for a sole trader, accounting for assets, accounting for liabilities and accounting the effect of transactions on the basic accounting equation. Emphasis is given on the accounting cycle.

HCS211 Costing Accounting

Basic concept in cost accounting; standard costing, absorption costing, marginal and breakeven analysis, capital investment appraisal.

HCS212 Introduction To Management Information Systems

Concepts, information, systems strategies and planning, management support systems, information requirement definition at organizational and individual levels, information systems development and project management, and control of information as an organizational resource: this includes use of business software e.g. network systems, database implementation, statistical packages, forecasting and simulation.

GS201 Introduction to Gender Studies

Refer to the department of Gender Studies

HCS 202 Software Engineering

Issues of quality and productivity in software engineering: Software engineering principles for the development of complex systems: Cost and schedule estimation, software metrics, software process models. Formal specification techniques. Quality of process and products: reviews, inspections, testing, statistical reliability estimation, formal method, risk management, software requirements engineering, software design, software issues.

HCS 203 Operating Systems

Operating System evolution and functions. Process management. CPU/Process scheduling, memory management, process synchronization, paging file management, popular operating systems, Linux, windows NT, Vista, Unix, Open source software.

HCS 204 Data Communications and Computer Networks

The study of remote access between communicating Computers. Computer Network architectures and Topologies; communication protocols and interfaces, functional layers; transmission facilities including communications equipment, line utilization, switching, and error handling; standard protocols, network interfaces including routing and flow control; point- to- point, broadcasting, and local area networks theory; high-level protocols; reliability and security, encryption, security in wireless networks.

HCS 205 Simulation and Modelling

Brief introduction to models, applications areas of simulation and modeling, discrete event simulation, input analysis, output analysis, random number generation, Kolmogorov- Sminorv test, Queuing models.

HCS 206 Models of Database and Database Design

Review of the relational data model and introduction to distributed database. DBMS architectures. Data dependencies, decomposition algorithms. Data dictionaries. Concurrency., integrity, security and reliability issues. Query decomposition, optimization, and evaluation strategies. Physical database design.

HCS 207 Advanced Programming

Event driven vs. Traditional Programming. VB IDE Elements. Application Building. VB Language concepts and structure. File handling. VB and Databases.

HCS 208 Computer Project

Students will work on a systems analysis and design project under the supervision of a department member and submit a suitable report on the work carried out.

HCS 209 The Internet

The use of the Internet for research and for enterprise-wide computing. Topics include history and composition of the internet; programming on the internet; fundamental communication concepts; LANs and Client-server; security, privacy, viruses, electronic mail, World-Wide web, FTP; Searching techniques. Introduction to PHP and MYSQL ,basic PHP Syntax, variables in PHP, PHP operators, conditional statements, arrays in PHP,PHP loops etc.

HCS 213 Fundamentals of Accounting 2A

Partnering dissolution, introduction to company accounts requirements, financial statements for companies, statement of changes in equity, income statements, balance sheet, statement of cashflows position.

HCS 214 Fundamentals of Accounting 2B

Aimed at imparting knowledge on how to create and manage contracts, consolidation of two companies, the capital reconstruction of a company after either the issue of share redemption Information Systems also looks at the management of companies, branch and joint venture accounts. After completion of this module students are equipped with practical industry related accounts.

HCS 402 Object-oriented Programming

Fundamental concepts of object-orientation; analysis and design; object-oriented languages and programming. Object-oriented languages such as C++ and functions, classes, inheritance and polymorphism, graphics.

HCS403 Software Project Management

Introduction, definition of project, project management, project shareholders, cash flow forecasting, net profit, payback period, ROI, net present value, project evaluation, CPM,PERT, software development methodologies, software effort estimation, risk management, software quality, managing contracts, tenders and procedure.

HCS 404 Artificial Intelligence

Scope of Artificial Intelligence. Heuristics. Natural language processing.

HCS 405 Computer Security

Accidental and malicious damage; viruses, hacking and fraud; physical security, authentification procedures; backup and recovery regimes; encryption and decryption; privileges and access control schemes; memory protection; surveillance and eavesdropping, network and communications security; computer auditing, legislation.

HCS412 Advanced Data Communications and Networks

Review of data communications and Networks, Digital Analog Transmission, wireless LANS, students will discuss IEEE 802.11 and Bluetooth LANS, cellular Telephones and satellite Networks, security protocols in the internet, IP level security, transport layer security, application layer security, firewalls, virtual private networks.

HCS 428 Advanced Databases

Database Design. Data Modeling. UML approach. Relational Model. SQL. Transaction Management. Relational Algebra. Query Processing and optimization. Distributed Databases. Database Security Issues.

HCS408 Computer Graphics

Introduction to computer graphics, applications of computer graphics, video display devices, color CRT monitors, output primitives, point and lines, line drawing algorithms etc, two dimensional geometric transformation, basic transformation, homogenous coordinates, composite transformation, two dimensional viewing, viewing pipeline, window to viewpoint coordinate transformation.

HCS 410 Decision Support Systems

Using DSS Software for decision support. DSS and Electronic Spreadsheets. Developing DSS.

HCS 411 Management Information Systems

Refer to Computer Science department

HCS 406 Object Oriented Programming 11

Refer to Computer Science department

HCS 401 Dissertation

The programme finishes with a supervised project which allows the student to design systems of specific interest to him/her. Its weight is equivalent to that of two core modules. The dissertation should be presented to a panel comprising of 3 members from the Departmental Board who will determine the score.

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