Master of Business Informatics

Master of Business Informatics (MBI) is a postgraduate degree in Business Informatics (BI). BI programs combine information technology (IT) and management courses and are common in central Europe ^[1]. The first master programs in Business Informatics were offered by the University of Rostock, as a face-to-face program, and by the Virtual Global University (VGU) together with the European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder) as an online program (see virtual education). An MBI programme, which includes inter-cultural studies impacting on business operations in European markets, was first offered by Dublin City University. Within the Bologna process, many Central European universities have been, or are in the process of, setting up master programmes in Business Informatics. Due to legal frameworks and restrictions, however, most of these programs are forced to award an M.Sc. degree instead of an MBI degree.

Example

A typical MBI program is the VGU's "International Master of Business Informatics" program in Germany. Since this program was set up and accredited in accordance with nation-wide guidelines for content and structure, it reflects well the state-of-the-art of Business Informatics master programs. If studied fulltime, the MBI program is a four-semester program and can be composed of courses from the following areas of study^[2]. Another typical MBI program is the MIAGE ^[3] (Méthodes Informatiques Appliquées à la Gestion des Entreprises) program in France, for example the Grenoble MIAGE

Typical areas of study

• Basic Technology:

Courses may include topics like applied computer science, computer networks and Internet technology, website engineering, programming, or information security.

• Business Informatics Methods:

Courses may focus on information systems development, database management, information systems architectures, business intelligence, or business process modelling.

• Management:

Management oriented topics may be studied in courses on management information systems, information management, management control, knowledge management, management and organization of IT departments, or software engineering management.

• Applications:

Important application domains of Business Informatics may be investigated in courses like enterprise resource planning, e-commerce and e-business networking, industrial information systems, or electronic finance/electronic banking.

Typical positions for MBI graduates

Graduates in Business Informatics can fill positions like information manager, systems analyst, systems designer, project manager, business solutions developer, IS specialist, consultant in areas like enterprise resource planning, supply chain management, customer relationship management, or knowledge management.

References

1. ^ Doukidis, G., et al. (Hrsg.): Proceedings of the 3rd European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS '95). Athens 1995, pp.1295–1297
2. ^ www.vg-u.org
3. ^ fr:MIAGE

See also

• Virtual Global University
• Virtual education
• Virtual University
• Business Informatics