Information sciences spans most of our daily lives and this will only increase as the world becomes more connected. Be part of one of the fastest growing industries in the world and choose an exciting, innovative career solving real-world problems with technology.
At Massey University you can follow your interest in computing in a friendly and flexible learning environment.
Massey is a New Zealand leader in IT education and is the only university in New Zealand to offer both information systems and information technology majors in an undergraduate programme.
We are also one of the few where your information sciences qualification covers all three disciplines of computer science, information technology and software engineering. These majors are not isolated and you can choose to have more or less of these three areas as part of your study, depending on your area of interest or career ambitions.
The Bachelor of Information Sciences is one of the few computing degrees in New Zealand to be accredited by the IT industry. The Massey BInfSc is endorsed by the Institute of IT professionals, the professional body for those working in the IT industry. Accreditation ensures that courses are relevant to the industry, for example, the compulsory capstone course in the final year of study.
Accredited by the Institute of Information Technology Professionals and part of the Seoul Accord, the Massey BInfSc is a first-class, internationally-recognised qualification allowing you to take your career around the world.
The Massey BInfSc is the only degree in New Zealand that features all five majors in one programme, giving you core technical knowledge across the whole information sciences spectrum. This means you have the flexibility to study across all majors to learn how an application is developed from conception right through to finished product, ensuring you graduate as a creative, adaptable and high-value employee.
You’ll learn a broad spectrum of skills from business management through to developing software and hardware. So you’ll emerge from your studies at Massey with a well-rounded understanding of the whole industry as well as the specialist skills you’ll need to become an excellent ICT professional.
You may be thinking about studying in this area, but are not sure what major to choose. At Massey you have the flexibility to change your major right up until the end of your first year. So you can complete the first year of study, and once you’ve experienced the different subjects, make up your mind after that.
Employers are always seeking increasing numbers of staff. Look at the SEEK website to see the demand for ICT professionals in New Zealand. The majority of the hiring is taking place because of increased demand and new projects.
High demand areas are software development, business analysis, project management and data/database. These are the key areas of information sciences you can study through the Bachelor of Information Sciences at Massey.
When you study the BInfSc you’ll join small classes, where interaction with the lecturer is commonplace. You will be able to ask questions of the lecturers and get their support and advice.
The Massey BInfSc allows you to choose a minor in any subject across the university - so personalise your degree and stand out from the crowd with unique minors such as public health, molecular biology, statistics or entrepreneurship and small business. Massey is also the only university in New Zealand to offer a Games Programming minor.
You can start your three-year degree at the beginning of the year, or in Semester Two (starting July). Or if you’d like to do your degree in a condensed period of time you can complete extra courses during our Summer School (November to February), allowing you to complete your degree in less time. Once you graduate you can move on to advanced study in the Postgraduate Diploma in Information Sciences or the Master of Information Sciences.
A 2017 Ministry of Education publication The post-study earnings and destinations of young domestic graduates showed that those who complete a qualification in a science, agriculture, technology, computer science, engineering or mathematics field of study have high relative earnings after they complete their study compared to the national median. Earnings can be substantially more than other graduates.
The Bachelor of Information Sciences, includes a range of topics such as computer science, software engineering and information technology. It is the perfect degree if you would like to pursue a career as a computing professional. The Bachelor of Science (Computer Science) allows computer science to be combined with other science subjects such as mathematics, statistics and physics.
Most Bachelor of Information Sciences majors are available as minors. To see what courses are needed for a minor, check the regulations and scroll to the subject you are interested in.
There are also two additional minors listed for the BInfSc as outlined below. For details on campus and distance availability please see the Minors page or contact a student adviser.
Gain a broad introduction to a range of core business skills.
Massey is the only university where you can take courses that focus on the programming of computer games. You will gain the technical skills sought after by the industry including working with games engines.
“I have always been interested in technology, right from when I was a six-year-old pulling apart telephones, speaker systems, even the family computer…”
I had heard good things about Massey’s computer science offerings, particularly its coverage of lower level concepts. I wanted to gain an understanding of these concepts before using the tools based around them. My Computer Science studies prepared me for the concrete and code writing tasks, whereas my Information Technology major has given me a grounding in the higher level, more abstract concepts so I can see how it all fits together.
The company I work for delivers a variety of Microsoft based software solutions for clients around the world. This is performed both with pre-existing platforms which we can adapt and integrate to fit our customer's needs, or by developing bespoke solutions from the ground up. I’m fortunate enough to work as part of the team that builds custom solutions. Designing a custom software solution requires both an understanding of the code you are writing in order to develop a solution as well as how that solution will benefit the customer.
University isn’t easy, but the help that you need to get through is there. My fondest memory at Massey was going to see one of my lecturers about something I didn’t understand. By the end of our meeting he could see I still wasn’t 100% with the topic and insisted I return the same time tomorrow and eventually the day after. On the third day, the material finally hit home and I got a grasp of what I had been struggling with up until that point. I made it through the exam with flying colours and I owe it to the fact that he wouldn’t let me off the hook until we were both convinced I knew what I needed to know.
There is huge demand for people with information sciences skills.
Massey Bachelor of Information Sciences graduates continued to find employment even during global recessions when graduates in other fields struggled.
Today there are more employment opportunities in information communication technology (ICT) than any other sector in New Zealand. The same often applies internationally.
Don’t take it from us - take a look at the SEEK website – large numbers of ICT jobs in New Zealand are advertised at any time on this website.
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