Target group and skills: Who is the Bachelor's degree in Business Informatics at a university of applied sciences suitable for? What qualities and skills are required?

The Business IT Specialist course, which leads to a Bachelor's degree from a federally accredited university of applied sciences, is aimed at people with a commercial or technical education or professional experience who are interested in IT and business management issues and would like to take on management tasks or higher specialist responsibility in the IT sector.

If you are fascinated by IT and would like to move between IT specialists and people in senior management, you have very good prerequisites. If you also have a logical and abstract way of thinking, spatial imagination and the ability to concentrate, quick comprehension skills, good communication skills and a systematic, solution-oriented, precise way of working, you are well suited to this course.

Requirements for admission to the Bachelor in Business Information Systems FH degree program:

The respective universities of applied sciences decide independently who can begin a degree course in business informatics. In general, the universities of applied sciences offer direct, i.e. examination-free admission, as well as a so-called admission procedure (e.g. entrance examination, admission "sur dossier", i.e. examination of personal documents). In addition: Depending on previous education and experience, it is sometimes possible to have credits recognized. Here too, the decision lies with the universities of applied sciences.

As a rule, the following admission requirements apply:

• Federal certificate of proficiency (EFZ) in a field related to the field of study and vocational baccalaureate

Or

• Other completed apprenticeship (EFZ) with vocational baccalaureate and relevant one-year internship/work experience in a field related to the field of study.

Or

• High school diploma and relevant one-year internship/work experience in a related field of study

Or

• Degree from a university of applied sciences (HF) as a computer scientist / business IT specialist

Note:

• Some universities of applied sciences require a workload of 40-50% in a relevant job in the part-time study model.
• Many universities of applied sciences offer voluntary preliminary courses (e.g. accounting, mathematics, financial accounting) to prepare you ideally for your studies.

Subject matter and content of the course

Universities of Applied Sciences are basically free to design the Bachelor's degree program in Business Information Systems. There may therefore be differences in terms of course content and thematic emphasis.

Most universities of applied sciences offer various specializations and areas of specialization after the assessment/basic studies, i.e. in advanced studies (also known as advanced studies). For example, compulsory elective modules and elective modules allow students to set their own specializations according to their own interests. It is therefore worth comparing the various universities and their offerings in this regard.

The following is a selection of basic topics that are often covered in a Bachelor's degree in Business Information Systems:

• Business administration and economics (including strategic management, process management, marketing, human resource management, finance, logistics, leadership, business law)
• Computer science (including algorithms, programming, databases, data management, security, software engineering, operating systems)
• Mathematics
• Project management

Here are a few examples of possible specializations (not a complete list):

• E-Business
• E-Government
• Business Analysis
• Knowledge management
• Digital Business Management
• Data Science
• Project management and agility

Costs and financing of further training

The costs vary depending on the provider, training location and training model. In general, the following costs must be expected for the 6-8 semester business IT studies, further education and training:

• Course fees:between CHF 700 and CHF 900 per semester for Swiss residents. Students from abroad must expect to pay higher course fees.
• Application/registration fee:between CHF 200.- and 300.-
• Examination fees (per semester):are normally included in the course fees
• Additional costs:Some providers charge extra costs for teaching materials, training documents, copies/printouts, student ID/campus card, software licenses or expenses for excursions, block and seminar weeks or study trips.
• Certificates:If you complete additional certificates from reputable providers, you will also have to expect extra costs.

Duration of study, number of lessons, training model and learning effort

• Duration of studies and training modelThe Bachelor in Business Information Systems FH course is modular and lasts 6 semesters in the full-time model or 8 semesters in the part-time model (part-time).
• Number of lessonsStudy achievements are expressed in so-called ECTS points (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System Points), a kind of tool for the standardized study structure of Bachelor's and Master's degree courses at universities. As a rule, 180 ECTS points are required for a Bachelor's degree, which corresponds to 4,500-5,400 hours of work. (One ECTS point corresponds to a student workload of 25 to 30 working hours). This includes all study units such as lectures, tutorials, exercises, coursework, semester examinations, etc.
• Teaching formatIn addition to traditional classroom teaching, many universities of applied sciences now also offer online courses and forms of learning.
• Learning effort: You should allow sufficient time for preparation and follow-up of the lessons as well as for self-study - how much depends on your previous knowledge, working style, learning speed and chosen training model.

Degree, diploma and title

The modules of a Bachelor's degree program in Business Information Systems at a university of applied sciences all conclude with a performance assessment.

These qualifications take place throughout the course of study. This can besemester or module examinations, project or seminar papers, presentations, discussions and case studies. Some schools complete the foundation course at the end of the 3rd semester with an assessment exam, which must be passed before admission to the main course.

The business IT specialist study program, further education, training is offered with aBachelor thesisoften completed in the form of project work. In this part of the qualification procedure, the respective universities of applied sciences are also responsible for carrying out the performance assessments of modules.
At some schools, for example, the Bachelor's thesis is planned to be written after the subject lessons in the last semester, while at others it is possible to write it during the subject lessons. There are universities of applied sciences where the written Bachelor's thesis must also be presented orally.

In the Bachelor's thesis, students have the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge, skills and creative, interdisciplinary, networked and practical thinking. As a rule, students present a task according to a predetermined grid: Definition and analysis of the assignment, analysis of the situation, recommendation for a course of action to solve the problem, assessment of possible solutions. They write the assignment in individual or group work on a topic relevant to business informatics.

Diploma and title

Graduates of the degree program in Business Information Technology FH receive a Bachelor's degree from a federally accredited university of applied sciences and are entitled to use the title "Bachelor of Science [FH] in Business Information Technology".