Curriculum and regulations for the Master programme Informations Technology (Information studies), 2016

1: Preface

In pursuance of Act No. 367 of 25 March 2013 on Universities (the University Act) with subsequent amendments the following regulations and curriculum are stipulated for the Master’s Programme in Information Studies at Aalborg University.

2: Basis in Ministerial orders

The Master’s programme is organised in accordance with the Ministry of Higher Education and Science’s Order no. 1328 of November 15, 2016 on Bachelor’s and Master’s Programmes at Universities (the Ministerial Order of the Study Programmes) and Ministerial Order no. 1062 of June 30, 2016 on University Examinations (the Examination Order). Further reference is made to Ministerial Order no. 111 of January 30, 2017 (the Admission Order) and Ministerial Order no. 114 of February 3, 2015 (the Grading Scale Order) with subsequent changes.

3: Campus

The programme is offered in Aalborg and in Copenhagen. 

4: Faculty affiliation

The Master’s programme falls under Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Aalborg University.

5: Study board affiliation

The Master’s programme falls under Study Board of Communication and Digital Media

6: Affiliation to corps of external examiners

The Master’s programme is associated with the external examiners corps on Communication and Experience Design

7: Admission requirements

Due to the “dimensionering”, the admission of a student to the MSc Programme in Information Studies at Aalborg University Copenhagen only applies to Aalborg University Copenhagen and not Aalborg University, Aalborg. The same restriction applies to students admitted to the MSc Programme in Aalborg, which means that they are solely admitted to the MSc Programme in Aalborg.

Admission to the Master’s Programme in Information Studies is reserved for students who have completed a bachelor degree in Communication and Digital Media with specialization in Information Studies (Informationsvidenskab) or another relevant bachelor degree or professional bachelor degree. A relevant bachelor degree is defined as a degree from a bachelor programme whose central subject areas ensure competence to an extent equivalent to not less than 60 ECTS points within the disciplinary area of information studies (communication theory, philosophy of science and epistemology, ICT, learning and organisational theory, programming methods, design and human-computer interaction).

Applicants with a legal right of admission (retskrav) 

• The Bachelor Programme in Communication and Digital Media with specialization in Information Studies (Informationsvidenskab) from Aalborg University will provide access for students to be admitted to the Master’s Programme in Information Studies

Applicants without legal right of admission

• The following bachelor programmes from Aalborg University may provide access for students to be admitted to the Master’s Programme in Information Studies: Informatics; Medialogy; and IT.
• The following bachelor programmes from other universities may provide access for students to be admitted to the Master’s Programme in Information Studies: Information Science; and Information Science and Cultural Dissemination.
• The following professional bachelor programmes may provide access for students to be admitted to the Master’s Programme in Information Studies: Web Development; and E-concept Development.

Applicants who do not fulfil the conditions stipulated in subsection 1 may be accepted on condition that the Study Board considers that the applicant possesses comparable educational qualifications, on the basis of an assessment of the case in question. In such cases, the Study Board may call in the applicant for an interview.

For further information, visit www.uddannelsestjekker.aau.dk (only available in Danish)

8: The programme title in Danish and English

The Master’s programme entitles the graduate to the Danish designation Cand.it. i informationsvidenskab. The English designation is: Master of Science (MSc) in Information Science (Information Studies).

9: Programme specifications in ECTS credits

The Master’s programme is a 2-year, research-based, full-time study programme. The programme is set to 120 ECTS credits.

10: Rules concerning credit transfer (merit), including the possibility for choice of modules that are part of another programme at a university in Denmark or abroad

The Study Board can approve successfully completed (passed) programme elements from other Master’s programmes in lieu of programme elements in this programme (credit transfer). The Study Board can also approve successfully completed (passed) programme elements from another Danish programme or a programme outside of Denmark at the same level in lieu of programme elements within this curriculum. Decisions on credit transfer are made by the Study Board based on an academic assessment. See the Joint Programme Regulations for the rules on credit transfer.

11: Exemptions

In exceptional circumstances, the Study Board study can grant exemption from those parts of the curriculum that are not stipulated by law or ministerial order.  Exemption regarding an examination applies to the immediate examination.

12: Rules for examinations

The rules for examinations are stated in the Examination Policies and Procedures published by the faculty on their website.

13: Rules concerning written work, including the Master’s Thesis

In the assessment of all written work, regardless of the language it is written in, weight is also given to the student's formulation and spelling ability, in addition to the academic content. Orthographic and grammatical correctness as well as stylistic proficiency are taken as a basis for the evaluation of language performance. Language performance must always be included as an independent dimension of the total evaluation. However, no examination can be assessed as ‘Pass’ on the basis of good language performance alone; similarly, an examination normally cannot be assessed as ‘Fail’ on the basis of poor language performance alone.

The Study Board can grant exemption from this in special cases (e.g., dyslexia or a native language other than Danish).

The Master’s Thesis must include an English summary (or another foreign language: French, Spanish or German upon approval by the Study Board). If the project is written in English, the summary must be in Danish (The Study Board can grant exemption from this). The summary must be at least 1 page and not more than 2 pages (this is not included in any fixed minimum and maximum number of pages per student). The summary is included in the evaluation of the project as a whole.

14: Requirements regarding the reading of texts in a foreign language

This programme will be conducted in English. A further condition is that both Danish and English speaking applicants must have English at B-level as a no less than or have passed an English-language test of the equivalent competence level approved by the University.

15: Competence profile on the diploma

The following competence profile will appear on the diploma:

A Candidatus graduate has the following competency profile:

A Candidatus graduate has competencies that have been acquired via a course of study that has taken place in a research environment.

A Candidatus graduate is qualified for employment on the labour market based on his or her academic discipline as well as for further research (PhD programmes). A Candidatus graduate has, compared to a Bachelor, developed his or her academic knowledge and independence so as to be able to apply scientific theory and method on an independent basis within both an academic and a professional context.

16: Competence profile of the programme

The Master’s Programme in Information Studies is a research based experimental full-time programme that provides students with a basis for the execution of professional work functions and qualifies for admission to PhD studies.

The overall objective of the Master’s Programme in Information Studies is to educate graduates who are capable of adapting and developing ICT solutions that have been considered in relation to a wide spectrum of solutions and variables, including their adaptation to users and the organisational contexts into which they will enter. The Master’s Programme in Information Studies builds on and supplements the knowledge and skills that students have acquired in the course of the preceding bachelor education. The object of study for Information Studies is ICT systems, their theoretical basis and their integration in human and organisational practices. Particular emphasis is given to communication, learning and knowledge processes in relation to ICT.

Students become co-creators of their own academic profiles by following their particular interests within the field of Information Studies in the following ways: by choosing elective courses from a wide range of options on the 7th and 8th semesters; by choosing specific problem formulations, theories and methods within the thematic frame in the project modules on the 7th and 8th semesters; by choosing a practice oriented course and focus for the project report on the 9th semester; and by choosing the focus of their Master’s thesis on the 10th semester.

Knowledge

Through the Master’s Programme in Information Studies, students will acquire

• theory and method as regards the understanding of human practice in relation to the use of ICT
• theory and method as regards the development and design of ICT
• theory and method as regards categorisation and formalisation in relation to the design of ICT
• theory, methods and concrete ICT based tools for ICT based data collection and analysis
• theory, methods and concrete ICT based tools for managing learning, knowledge and other types of content through ICT systems
• theory of science related to the discipline
• the correlation between the theory of science related to the discipline, scientific method and choice of theory in scientific studies within the field of informatics; on this basis they will be able to reflect on the knowledge of the discipline and identify scientific issues
• the competence requirements of the discipline in relation to professional work

Skills

Through the Master’s Programme in Information Studies, students will acquire

• assessing, choosing and applying relevant strategies, methods and ICT based tools for collecting, processing and handling data in order to identify human practice in relation to the usage and development of ICT
• assessing, choosing and applying relevant strategies and methods for developing ICT to and with specific user groups
• using formal models for developing and communicating system development and system design
• developing and applying new methods for examining human practice in relation to the usage and development of ICT
• communicating knowledge and solutions founded in the field of informatics, including research, development and design results to peers and laymen
• engaging in critical dialogue on research, development and design results with peers and laypeople
• working in practice with a basis in the field of informatics, including being capable of identifying research and development needs on the basis of the theory and methods of the discipline
• organising and undertaking scientifically based studies on the basis of informatics.

Competencies

Through the Master’s Programme in Information Studies, students will acquire

• managing complex and unpredictable work, research and development situations that require new solutions within the field of informatics as regards the study of human practice in relation to ICT and the development of ICT
• independently initiating and engaging in disciplinary and interdisciplinary collaboration on studying human practice in relation to ICT and the development of ICT, with a professional approach
• working independently and engaging in disciplinary and interdisciplinary collaboration on the planning of informatics-related studies and research projects, with a professional approach
• taking an analytical, reflective and critical approach to the study of human practice in relation to ICT and the development of ICT
• taking an analytical, reflective and critical approach to ICT tools for data collection and analysis as well as managing learning, knowledge and other content
• identifying own learning needs and structuring own learning on the basis of problem based learning (PBL) and other types of learning in relation to the field of informatics.

17: Structure and Contents of the programme

The Master’s programme spans four semesters (7th to 10th semester). Students become co-creators of their own academic profiles by following their particular interests within the field of Information Studies in the following ways: by choosing elective courses from a wide range of options on the 7th and 8th semesters; by choosing specific problem formulations, theory and method within the thematic frame in the project modules on the 7th and 8th semesters; by choosing a practice oriented course and focus for the project report on the 9th semester; and by choosing the focus of their Master’s thesis on the 10th semester. The programme may include a study placement abroad.

The Master’s Programme in Information Studies is compiled of modules and structured as a problem based and project organised study programme consisting of obligatory project modules, obligatory study subject modules and the obligatory Master’s thesis. In addition, the programme comprises two elective modules.

Obligatory modules, with certain options

Elective modules, of which students must select two*

*Students may choose electives offered by the Study Board of Communication and Digital Media (see the appendix Elective modules for Master’s programmes under the Study Board of Communication and Digital Media), or apply to the Study Board for permission to substitute one or both of the elective modules with electives offered by other study boards at Aalborg University or other universities. Under all circumstances, elective modules must always represent a total of 10 ECTS credits. The elective modules listed are offered as determined by the Study Board. This means that not all elective modules will be offered every year.

The 7th semester of the programme comprises a 5 ECTS credits module in “Professional Inquiry”, a project module of 15 ECTS credits in “User Practice, User Analysis and Pilot Studies”, a 5 ECTS credits study subject module “ICT Based Data Collection and Analysis” and a 5 ECTS credits elective module.

The 8th semester of the programme comprises a project module of 20 ECTS credits in “Development and Design of ICT”, a 5 ECTS credits study subject module “ICT for Learning, Knowledge and Content Management” and a 5 ECTS credits elective module.

The 9th semester of the programme comprises a project module of 25 ECTS credits in “Information Studies in Practice”, and a 5 ECTS credits study subject module “Research Methodology”.

In the 10th semester of the programme, the student will, under supervision, prepare a Master’s thesis within the disciplinary area of the programme.

18: Overview of the programme

19: Additional information

The Study Board displays and maintains more detailed information on the programme, including examination, on its website here www.aau.dk/uddannelser/kandidat/information-studies

20: Commencement and transitional rules

These regulations were recommended by the Study Board of Communication and Digital Media and approved by the dean. The regulations will take effect from 1 September 2016 and apply to all students who commence Master’s studies on or after this date.

Previous regulations will apply to students who have commenced their studies before 1 September 2015.
The Study Board of Communication and Digital Media and/or the Faculty of Humanities will determine when the last examinations will be held in accordance with these regulations.

21: Amendments to the curriculum and regulations