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Programme Structure
Students have two options for completing the MSc in Information Studies programme:
By Coursework and Dissertation
| • |
In this option, students take three core subjects, two electives from Group A, another four electives from either Group A or Group B, and a project on which the student must submit a dissertation. |
By Coursework Only
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In this option, students take three core subjects, two electives from Group A, another five electives from either Group A or Group B, and H6699 Critical Inquiry in Information Studies. |
The three core courses provide the common essential knowledge and skills for all the information professions. Students then choose two of the Group A electives that provide foundational knowledge and basic competencies for particular areas of the information studies field. Group B electives are more advanced courses that build on the core courses and Group A electives. Some are small seminar courses that do not have final exams.
Additional Group A electives can be taken in-lieu of the required number of Group B electives. Furthermore, two of these electives may be chosen from courses offered in the MSc (Knowledge Management) programme, MSc (Information Systems) programme and other Master's level courses offered in the University, subject to approval of the School.
Information available on this page:
Course Load and the Academic Unit System
With the introduction of the Academic Units system in the university,
the student in the MSc (Information Studies) programme has to accumulate a total of 32 Academic Units (AUs) to graduate.
Each course in the curriculum carries 3 AUs, with the exception of H6604 (Professional Seminar) which carries 2 AUs, and
Dissertation Project which carries 6 AUs. A 3-AU course comprises 39 contact hours of lectures, tutorials and laboratory work.
can be completed within one academic year (two semesters) by taking 5 courses (3 core courses and 2 Group A electives) in
Semester 1, and 4 Group B electives plus Disssertation Project in Semester 2 -- or 5 Group B electives plus H6699 Critical Inquiry in Information Studies for coursework-only students.
The maximum candidature for the full-time programme is two academic years.
The part-time programme can be completed within two academic years (four semesters) by taking 3 core courses in Semester 1,
and 2 Group A electives in Semester 2 in the first year of study. In the second year, coursework+dissertation students
can take 2 Group B electives in Semester 1, 2 more Group B electives in Semester 2, and carry out the Dissertation
Project concurrently. Coursework-only students can take 3 Group B electives in Semester 1 of the second year,
and 2 Group B electives plus H6699 Critical Inquiry in Information Studies in Semester 2.
Students can decide to complete the programme according to their preferred pace of study by accumulating and meeting the necessary AU requirements for graduation. However, the maximum candidature for the part-time MSc (Information Studies) programme is four academic years.
Suggested course load for full-time and part-time students taking the coursework+dissertation option:
A total of 6 AUs are accumulated for successful completion of Project that includes the submission of a dissertation not exceeding 15,000 words.
Grade Point Average Requirements
From the academic year 2005, the university adopted a Grade Point Average (GPA) system of calculating the
overall academic performance of a student in a particular semester and for the whole programme.
Letter grades obtained for courses are assigned grade points of 0 to 5.0 as follows:
| Letter Grade |
Grade Point |
| A+ |
5.0 |
| A |
5.0 |
| A- |
4.5 |
| B+ |
4.0 |
| B |
3.5 |
| B- |
3.0 |
| C+ |
2.5 |
| C |
2.0 |
| D+ |
1.5 |
| D |
1.0 |
| F |
0 |
The Term Grade Point Average (TGPA) represents the grade point average for all courses taken by a student in a particular semester. The Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) represents the grade point average for all the courses
taken by the student
To graduate from the MSc in Information Studies programme, a student must:
| 1. |
Complete all the requirements for the programme of study, and |
| 2. |
Attain a minimum CGPA of 2.50 (equivalent to C+ average) at the completion of the programme of study. |
A student is considered to be making satisfactory progress in any semester of study if he attains a minimum TGPA of 2.50. A student who obtains a TGPA of less than 2.50 in 2 consecutive semesters of study will be dismissed from the programme.
The Dissertation
Harnessing the knowledge, skills and attitudes acquired in the courses and
applying them to solve information-related research problems, create new
knowledge or develop new information products or services is an essential part
of the programme. A student who opts for the coursework+dissertation option has
to undertake a Project under the supervision of a faculty member and submit a
dissertation of up to 15,000 words. The Project can be in any of the disciplines
of the information studies area. However, students are advised to work on a
Project that is related to their chosen area of concentration. A student who
opts for the coursework only option has to take H6699 Critical Inquiry in
Information Studies which includes a small research study. In this option, the
student is not required to submit a dissertation.
List of Courses
Core Courses (Compulsory)
Electives (Group A)
Two to be selected with the approval of the Head of the Division.
Electives (Group B)
For the coursework+dissertation option: Four courses to be selected.
For the coursework only option: Five courses to be selected.
H6699 Critical Inquiry in Information Studies
Project (Dissertation)
Not all the elective subjects will be offered in any given semester. While the Division will endeavour to offer as many elective subjects as possible, it cannot guarantee that students will be able to take all the elective subjects of their choice.
Course Descriptions
Core Courses
H6602 Information Sources & Searching
Primary, secondary, and tertiary information sources, in print and electronic formats. Dictionaries, thesauri, and books of quotation. General and subject encyclopaedias. Biographical sources. Geographical information sources: maps, atlases, globes, satellite images. General reference works. Information access: bibliographies, catalogues, indexing and abstracting services. Online information: OPACs, CD-ROM, online databases and WWW resources. The Invisible Web. Searching: search strategies, query formulation and refinement.
H6603 Information Storage & Retrieval
Basic concepts of information storage and retrieval systems. Design and structure of textual and bibliographic databases. Information organisation: classification, cataloguing, and data encoding. Basics information retrieval models. Automatic indexing and file organisation techniques. Subject approach to information and controlled vocabulary tools. Image, hypertext and multimedia information retrieval. Evaluation of information retrieval systems. Trends in information storage and retrieval techniques.
H6604 Professional Seminar
A series of seminars designed to provide an overview of the areas relating to the field of information studies. The seminars cover three main themes: professional practice, technological trends, and innovative industry applications. Speakers are drawn from industry and professional organizations.
Electives (Group A)
H6611 Human-Computer Interaction
Introduction to HCI. User interfaces: design requirements and guidelines. Human issues: cognitive and psychological issues of interaction design, mental models and interaction styles. Creative design techniques: task and user requirements analysis, scenario-based design and claims analysis. Usability evaluation techniques: usability inspection methods, analytic techniques and experimental techniques. New design guidelines from the cultural, ethical and legal perspectives.
H6612 Information Management
Information management in learning organisations. Learning modes and the organisational learning cycle. Information needs and information seeking in organisations. Information management activities. Managing human, textual and online information resources. Information systems in organisations. Information sharing in organisations. Marketing of information products and services to organisation's staff and stakeholders. Outsourcing of information management activities. Information auditing and management of information related projects.
H6613 Information Organisation
Organisation of information in different information settings. Principles of describing documents. Functions and purpose of catalogues, indexes and other access services. Tools and standards for preparing bibliographic records. Processes for determining access points and authority control. Subject analysis. Using classification schemes and subject headings. Cataloguing support systems. Peculiarities of organising information in the network environment.
H6692 Introduction to Archival Informatics
This course covers the theory and practice of archiving multimedia, hypertext, and hypermedia content, and their applications. General concepts of digital curation, including selection, description, preservation and access to the archives collection. History of multimedia development and multimedia basics: text, still images, animation, sound, video, and virtual worlds. Methodology and technology of archiving multimedia, hypertext and hypermedia content. The student will acquire the competencies to develop a multimedia archives project and manage archives programmes in organizations.
Electives (Group B)
H6614 Internet & Web Technologies
Basic networking concepts including local area networks, wide area networks, routing and hardware. Internet communication protocols such as TCP/IP, FTP, SMTP and HTTP. Client-side technologies for Web pages: HTML, JavaScript, cascading stylesheets and dynamic HTML. Basic Web page design: page layout, use of graphics, colour, typography and usability. Server-side technologies: Web servers, CGI, databases and XML.
H6615 Archives & Records Management
Archives: conservation principles, methods, techniques and technologies. Arrangement, standards and management. Non-textual materials: maps, drawings, photographs and AV resources. Records management: procedures, manuals, staffing, planning and scheduling. Records retrieval: file pattern, indexing systems, procedures and equipment. Records protection and disposition: inventory and analysis, scheduling, archival management and security. Record management technologies.
H6631 Collection Development & Management
Key concepts related to collection development and management. Community analysis and user liaison for information needs assessment. Policy formulation. Tools for the selection of materials. Procurement of and access to specialised information materials. Access and management of electronic information resources. Policy formulation and planning for collection development. Financial planning for collection development. Evaluation of collections. Materials deselection and weeding.
H6632 Cataloguing & Classification
Theories of cataloguing and classification. Development and use of bibliographic tools. Application of a variety of classification systems and control vocabulary tools. Developing and maintaining computerised bibliographic databases. Cataloguing of digital resources and metadata standards. Evaluation of bibliographic tools. Management of cataloguing operations in libraries and information centres.
H6633 Client-Centred Information Services
Information needs assessment of client populations. Service provision planning and implementation. Information products and services in the digital environment. Design and delivery of value-added services. Information packaging and proactive delivery of products and services. Evaluation methods and techniques for information services assessment. Strategies for effective information services marketing.
H6634 Business Information Sources & Services
The demand for business information. Organisation of business information. Company information, prospectuses, annual returns, annual reports, and company directories. Market research and market intelligence. Regulation and legislation. Intellectual property. Country information. Business intelligence and information gathering techniques. Census. Statistical information. Financial information. Standards. Public registers. Online databases. Business information services.
H6635 Management of Information Organisations
Principles of management and their application in information institutions. Managerial roles of information professionals. Managing people, processes, resources, technologies, and services in information organisations. Organisational structures and organisational behaviour dimensions. Strategic and operational planning. Human resource management. Communicating and directing. Fiscal management. Measurement and evaluation.
H6637 Digital Libraries & Information Portals
Basic concepts and evolution of digital libraries and information portals. Design, content and technical infrastructure. Information organisation and metadata. Information retrieval, information seeking behaviour and user interface issues. User requirements with regard to access control, management and evaluation. Technologies for building digital libraries and information portals. Management of digital information resources including preservation, copyright and security issues.
H6638 Evaluation of Library & Information Services
Role of performance measurement and evaluation in libraries and information centres. Performance measures, assessment methods and techniques. Criteria for evaluating information activities. Approaches to the evaluation of information resources and services. Use of evaluation data for decision making and planning. Special considerations for performance measurement in digital libraries.
H6651 Instructional Role of School Media Specialists
Role of school media specialists in fostering resource based learning. Integration of MRL (Media Resource Library) resources with the school curriculum. Developing alliances with teachers, students, parents, and other community members. Production of materials for supporting classroom instruction. Use of the Web and other media for classroom teaching and student projects. Developing reading habits and skills. User education for MRL resources, services and facilities.
H6652 Information Sources & Services for Children & Young Adults
Introduction to literature and information services for children and young adults. Identification of reading needs and interests for developing resources and services. Familiarity with the body of literature, both print and electronic, for children and young adults. Collection development: selection tools, resource utilisation, censorship, and evaluation. Strategies for planning, implementation and evaluation of programmes and services for children and young adults.
H6662 Digital Preservation
Problems, issues, and decision-making for the preservation of digital information including electronic records and multimedia documents. Creation and maintenance of digital libraries and information on the Web. Digitisation of materials for preservation. Creation of electronic surrogates for records and artefacts. Strategies and techniques for digital preservation. Policy and legal issues.
H6663 Archiving of Multimedia Information
Development of multimedia information archives. Methods of deposit and collection of multimedia archives: national policies, administrative problems, centralisation versus decentralisation. Relationship between the production archive and the deposit archive. Conversion and medium management. Legal issues, policies and standards. Indexing and access control. Conservation and maintenance of multimedia information. Media assets management.
H6671 Database Management Systems
Overview of database models including hierarchical, network, distributed, object-oriented and XML database models. Data modelling using the entity-relationship diagram. Relational database model. Database design. Database operations: relational operations, SQL, QBE. Web access to databases: ODBC, CGI and ISAPI, application scripting. Data warehousing and OLAP. Database administration. Transaction processing and concurrency control.
H6672 Web-Based Information Systems
This course covers the technologies, design and development of web-based information systems and web services, design of enterprise systems using service-oriented architecture, and XML and semantic web technologies. Topics include: Server-side scripting for web interactivity using C# and ASP.NET; Client-side scripting using AJAX technology; Web services and service-oriented system architecture, and supporting specifications, including SOAP, WSDL, UDDI, WS-Coordination, WS-AtomicTransaction, WS-BPEL; XML and related specifications, including XML Schema, XSLT, RDF/XML, RDFS and OWL; Semantic web and enabling technologies such as ontology and metadata schema.
H6673 Multimedia Information Systems
Introduction to multimedia, hypertext, hypermedia and their applications. Multimedia basics: text, graphics, animation, audio, video and file formats. Multimedia products and applications. Selection and evaluation of multimedia hardware, software, and authoring tools. Design of graphics and multimedia content. Development of multimedia information systems. Multimedia and CD publishing. Copyright in multimedia.
H6675 Systems Analysis & Design
Information system design environment. Overview of typical information systems. The life-cycle development process. Problem and concept formation. Requirements analysis and systems specification. Structured Systems Analysis and Design Methodology (SSADM) and Object-Oriented Methodology (OOM). Structured systems modelling and analysis tools. Fundamentals of object-oriented analysis. System design: structured design and object-oriented design. Software testing. Productivity tools for system development. Successful IT project management.
H6676 Computer Programming for Information Professionals
Programming fundamentals, basic data types, arrays, control structures, input and output. Object-oriented programming: classes, methods, inheritance and polymorphism. File and database access, exception handling, data structures and network programming. Program development: code design, style, standards and techniques. Basic algorithms for information storage and retrieval: searching, sorting, stemming, indexing, classification and abstracting.
H6677 Information Mining & Analysis
Principles and concepts of information and data mining. The knowledge discovery process. Data preparation. Supervised and unsupervised learning. Multivariate statistical analysis. Machine learning: decision tree induction, rule induction, nearest neighbour categorisation, cluster analysis, Bayesian learning and neural networks. Time series analysis. Information mining software and tools. Applications of information mining.
H6690 Special Topic: Information Security & Digital Forensics
Data integrity, privacy, and security from legal issues, social and ethical concerns, and standards perspectives. The government impact on laws and public policy; defense and business risk. The Internet & surveillance and terrorism: cyberattacks, cybercrime, and cyberterrorism. Information security tools and methods: cryptography, public-key infrastructure, security protocols, firewall, intrusion detection system, anti-hacking tools, and security protection in operating systems.
H6691 Special Topic: Mobile Applications Development
Wireless networking: cellular wireless networks, mobile IP, IEEE 802.11 Wireless LAN and Bluetooth; Mobile applications architectures; Mobile device applications development with Java 2 Platform Micro Edition (J2ME): Mobile Information Device Profile (MIDP) and Connected Limited Device Configuration (CLDC); User interface programming; Persistent storage and databases; network programming and wireless messaging; Mobile applications: Mobile commerce, mobile gaming, location-based services; Security issues.
H6696 Special Topic: Music Libraries
This course introduces the field of music librarianship. Topics include the nature of musical knowing, the literature of music, the types of music libraries, collection development and acquisition, principles and techniques of music cataloguing and classification, technology in music libraries and music digital libraries, promotion of music libraries, music publishing and recording, intellectual property issues, music literacy, and the functions of the music librarian. In addition to readings, students are expected to spend time listening to assigned audio files and watching assigned movies.
H6697 Special Topic: Information Entrepreneurship
Information entrepreneurship is an area of entrepreneurship that focuses on the development of innovative ideas in the information and technology sector. The course is designed to help students gain an appreciation of the challenges, risks and rewards of entrepreneurship, and understand the transformation that one needs to undergo when moving from an executive/managerial career into the entrepreneurial lifestyle. Topics include: Entrepreneurship theory, and the entrepreneurial process; Developing successful business ideas, identifying markets and sources of revenue, industry and competitor analysis, and understanding the value chain; Developing an effective business model, creating a venture team, and marketing, sales and financial plans; Developing an efficient operations model, getting financing and funding, and strategies for growth; Managing partners and investors, staff and suppliers, and customers.
H6698 Special Topic: Science & Technology Libraries
Information sources and services in physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics and engineering, and their evaluation and use. Formal and informal channels of scientific communication; Emerging methods of publishing scientific information. The communication patterns, information needs and information seeking behaviour of scientists and engineers. Measurement and mapping of science and technology. The role of the library in promoting science literacy.
H6699 Critical Inquiry in Information Studies
H6699 Critical Inquiry in Information Studies
This course provides students with an overview of how to design and conduct a simple research study (project) for practical application on a selected topic in the areas of information services and systems. It covers study design, preparation of proposals and manuscripts, intellectual property and ethics. Students are introduced to the main types of research methods, with a more in-depth examination of a few useful methods, to address information service/system problems.
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Semester
One