Master of Science in Business Informatics
Utrecht University
Key Information
Campus location
Utrecht, Netherlands
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
2 years
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
EUR 2,209 / per year **
Application deadline
Request info *
Earliest start date
Request info
* Non-EU/EEA students: 1 April
** EU/EEA, Surinam or Swiss students; €20,750: International students
Scholarships
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Introduction
Do you ever wonder...
- How you can design and evolve the software systems we use in servers, laptops, smartphones, and wearables?
- How an organization can make effective use of the sheer amount of data and derive actionable insights?
- How you can model, extract, and implement the business processes that make organizations work?
If you are interested in questions like these, then the Business Informatics Master’s program at Utrecht University might be your choice!
Successfully Aligning ICT with Business Processes
Organizations often run into problems when implementing new ICT systems. It is vital for them to rely on professionals who do not only know technologies but are also able to implement them in an organization. Both technological and organizational insights are indispensable for successfully aligning ICT with business processes.
Combines Information and Computing Science
The MBI program focuses on the design and use of theories, methods, techniques, and tools from information and computing sciences, and on the application of these in business and organizational domains. This requires a holistic approach that considers the organization as a whole to ensure that business and ICT are properly aligned.
Curriculum
One Program, Many Themes
Business informatics is a broad field, and the students are encouraged to specialize by choosing one specific theme as primary throughout their studies:
- Software: How to design and maintain the complex software products that are used by millions of users?
- Data: How to enable organizations collect, clean, summarize, analyze, and visualize data in order to derive actionable insights?
- Processes: How to manage, design, discover, and embed the business processes that are the heart of successful organizations?
The Master’s program Business Informatics (MBI) is a two-year program (120 EC). The first year consists of 60 EC coursework. In the second year, you are required to conduct research and write a Master’s thesis (45 EC). Furthermore, you also choose two elective courses in the second year (15 EC).
Year 1 - Course Work (60 EC)
The course work of the program consists of:
- 4 compulsory Business Informatics courses (30 EC)
- 3 mini-courses including Introduction to Business Informatics (2 EC)
- 4 elective courses (22,5 – 45 EC)
Year 2 – Electives and Thesis Research Project (60 EC)
During the second year of the Master’s program, you are expected to conduct research, write a Master’s thesis, and participate in seminars.
Research can be done on all subjects related to the list of courses or related to the interests of the staff of the department, with a focus on information science. The Master’s thesis will contain both a scientific and an applied study on a specific business informatics topic. Students often carry out their research in collaboration with an external organization, i.e. a knowledge or IT-intensive company.
The thesis results are presented and discussed in the Master’s program colloquium, in which all graduating students and staff meet biweekly. The research project and Master’s thesis can be started when all compulsory and elective courses have been completed. Exceptions need to be approved by the program coordinator.
In addition to the Master’s thesis and research project, the second year of the Master’s program also consists of two elective courses (15 EC).
Career Opportunities
You are ready to integrate human, organizational, and technical skills in real-life contexts and will have no problem finding a suitable job, such as:
- Business analyst
- Enterprise architect
- ICT project manager
- Software production manager
- Business consultant
- ICT consultant
- Software entrepreneur
- Information analyst
Academic Careers
Your degree will allow you to pursue an academic career by continuing your education as a Ph.D. student. One out of twelve MBI students chooses to do so.
Professional Careers
Positions in industry obtained by our graduates include:
- ICT Researcher (Organisation & Information, Utrecht University)
- Business consultant (Deloitte, Morgan Chambers)
- ICT consultant (Capgemini, GX)
- Product software entrepreneur (AfasPersonal.nl, WappZapp.tv, Google, Microsoft, IBM)