IT and Strategic Innovation with Management Studies – (M.Sc.)

Strategic innovation is now recognised as the major element in determining the eventual success or failure of an organisation. Building better business models depends both on understanding IT and on understanding how to use innovation to create more efficient value chains. However, the strategic management needed to encourage and use innovation is a rather new field, arising from the realisation that innovation in IT and other high-tech areas has its own distinctive features which differentiate it sharply from other industries, such as the creative arts.

There is an acute shortage of people with a technical background who are able to understand the characteristics of high-tech innovation and combine this with the leadership and management values necessary for entrepreneurship or successfully creating and managing strategic innovation in an organisation. This course is designed to allow you to tailor your learning to suit your individual career development, industry background and/or the requirements of your business or organisation.
In response to the needs of the industry, the course is offered with a management studies option. This innovative new combined course will enable you to develop key business and management skills and is ideal for students with a background in IT/computing who wish to specialise in a chosen area of IT while also developing the broad skill set and knowledge needed to fast-track their career in leading and managing successful teams and projects.

What will you study?

You will study the types and characteristics of innovation, as well as the major barriers to the spread of innovation. This will enable you to recognise and welcome the increased rate of change and instability in the business and technology fields. You will gain an understanding of how innovation can be encouraged, captured and managed within an organisation, how this relates to knowledge management, decision making, organisational goals and objectives.

Case studies and team working are emphasised throughout the course and modules are regularly updated to ensure quality and relevance to industry. The Research Methods module prepares you for work on your project/dissertation, which often takes the form of a business plan.
Following the 'with management studies' route, you will learn the fundamentals of marketing, finance and/or managing people and organisations, which will set your technical knowledge in a management context.