Business Informatics is a discipline that combines business studies with informatics as the study of creating, applying and communicating business information. A growing number of universities, particularly in central and northern Europe, is offering undergraduate and particularly postgraduate degrees in business informatics. The success of the subject derives from the powerful synergistic benefits that arise when business administration concepts are integrated with computer science technologies and software engineering principles to form a coherent methodological approach. This unique combination makes business informatics a highly persuasive proposition for today's employers.

Why aren't existing courses sufficient?

Universities have traditionally offered courses in management, business studies, computing and computer science. Computing and computer science (e.g. basic informatics) degrees teach technical and theoretical bases of information technology and software engineering (the technological component). Graduates of these courses are familiar with the use of computer technology and generally find positions in technology-oriented teams in the computing departments of large enterprises as well as positions as software engineers. Business- and management-oriented degrees provide knowledge of the principal functions of management and focus on business operations and decision-making (behavioural and organisational component).

What is missing is the combination of the theoretical work of computer science and operations research with a practical orientation towards building systems and applications, which support business processes that are aligned with business strategies and corporate goals. This is the area of business informatics, which complements information system studies that focus on explaining real world scenarios, engaging constructively to develop solutions tailored to business problems. Business informatics takes an active role in aligning business strategy, business processes and information technology. The core element of business informatics is a methodological approach for describing, explaining, predicting and designing information and communication systems. The main task involves the development of terminologies that are explicit and sharable among many people resulting in models and architectures.

The overall aim of the course is to educate students who already have a degree in computer science, software engineering or a cognate discipline in business informatics enabling them to analyse business problems and develop information system solutions.

• The course will equip students to analyse business problems from both technological opportunities and business requirements.
• The course will equip students to develop solutions to business problems using ICT to its full potential.
• Students will learn methodologies that enable a clear understanding of business problems and the function of ICT in business.