Bachelor of Information Sciences

General Information

The Bachelor of Information Sciences (BISc) program is by design an interdisciplinary program involving core courses taken primarily from Business Administration, Computer Science, Economics, Mathematics and Statistics. The core subjects are particularly relevant to the collection, treatment, understanding and management of data (information) encountered in other academic disciplines as well as in business, industry, government and other areas. Emphasis is placed on the statistical methods and modern computing techniques of handling these data, the design and application of mathematical models, and the management of information within organizations.

This four-year degree program is offered in cooperation and in conjunction with departments in the Faculty of Science, Applied Science and Engineering, the Faculty of Business and the Faculty of Arts.

For general regulations on admission, please consult the appropriate section of the University calendar. Transfer into the BISc from another UNB degree program is not permitted if the GPA for the most recent assessment period is below 2.0. For transfer from another university, a CGPA equivalent to 2.0 at UNB is required.

UNB Saint John also offers a Bachelor of Arts with a Major in Information and Communication Studies. This interdisciplinary program explores the influences of communication technology, the media industries and information policy on society. Additional detail and program requirements can be found in this section of the Calendar under Bachelor of Arts, Information and Communication Studies.

General Regulations

It is recommended that students read the General University Regulations, Section B of the calendar, and in particular the subsection headed “Grading System and Classification.”

Curriculum

The basic curriculum of the degree consists of a specified set of core courses and a set of regulations governing the choice of others. A student's program is chosen in consultation with a faculty advisor. Two specializations are offered. Years 1 and 2 are the same in all specializations. In Years 3 and 4, students must choose to follow the Decision and Systems Science Specialization, or the Decision and Business Management Specialization.

I. Required Courses

Years 1 and 2

BA 1501 , BA 1216 , BA 2504 , CS 1073 , CS 1083 , CS 1303 , CS 2043 , INFO 1103 , ECON 1013 , ECON 1023 , ECON 2013 , ECON 2023 , MATH 1003 , MATH 1013 , MATH 2213 , STAT 1793 , STAT 2793 .

Years 3 and 4

Decision and Systems Science Specialization
BA 2303 , CS 2113 , or CS 3113 , CS 2253 , CS 2383 , CS 3403 , CS 2998 , CS 3983 , CS 4525 , DA 4993 , ECON 3665 , MATH 2903 , MATH 2913 , MATH 3343 , STAT 3083 , STAT 3093 , STAT 4703.

Decision and Business Management Specialization
BA 2123 , BA 2217 , BA 2303 , BA 2858 , BA 3425 , BA 3623 , BA 3672 , ECON 3013 , ECON 3023 , ECON 3665 , ECON 4645 , MATH 2903 , MATH 2913 .

II. Regulations Governing Course Selection


  1. At least 6 ch of courses selected from HUM 2003, HUM 1021 , HUM 2021 , ICS 1001 , ICS 2001 , ICS 3001 , ICS 3005 , any ENGL course, WLIT 2503 , PHIL 1053 and PHIL 2111.   

    Decision and Systems Science Specialization   

  2. At least 3 ch of courses must be chosen from upper-level Computer Science, Mathematics or Statistics courses. These courses are in addition to those listed in I.
  3. Three credit hours (3 ch) from either MATH 3753 or MATH 3903 .
  4. Three credit hours (3 ch) in upper-level Statistics. These courses are in addition to those listed in I or chosen to fulfill II.2.
  5. At least 3 ch selected from disciplines in Arts or Business to be approved by faculty advisor.  

    Decision and Business Management Specialization
  6.     At least 12 ch of courses selected from disciplines in Arts, Business or Science, Applied Science and Engineering to be approved by faculty advisor.
  7.     Twelve credit hours (12 ch) of courses selected from CS 2253 , CS 2998 , CS 3033 , CS 3403 , CS 3423 , CS 4033 , CS 4525 and DA 4403.

A grade of C or better is required in all required courses and all courses selected under II.1-II.7

An example of what would typically be taken by a student in the first year of the degree program follows:

BA 1501 Introduction to Business (1st term)
BA 1216 Accounting for Managers I (2nd term)
MATH 1003 Intro to Calculus I (1st term)
MATH 1013 Intro to Calculus II (2nd term)
CS 1073 Intro to Computer Programming I (in Java) (1st term)
CS 1083 Intro to Computer Programming II (in Java) (2nd term)
ECON 1013 Introduction to Microeconomics (1st term)
ECON 1023 Introduction to Macroeconomics (2nd term)
Plus specified Arts electives (Regulation II.1) equivalent to 2 term courses.