The education and training of future information systems professionals: an undergraduate programme in Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, the application of information technology (IT) in both the public and private sectors is essential to maintaining Hong Kong’s position as one of the world’s leading financial and commercial centres. IT or IS (information systems) professionals working in the IT industry, with technical know‐how and business acumen, are key elements to the success of most IT projects. A major concern is that there are not enough of these IS professionals to cope with the growing demand. The Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Information Systems (BAIS) was implemented at City University of Hong Kong (CityU) to meet this shortfall. The programme aims to produce a new breed of IS people who are experts in areas of IT and IS; those who realize the importance of business functions and understand how to fit IT and IS into a business, helping it to gain strategic advantages over its competitors. Looks at IS professional requirements in Hong Kong, and presents an introduction and an initial report on the BAIS programme currently being offered at CityU.