DEGREES AVAILABLE: Major
Offered jointly with The Paul Merage School of Business
As the business environment becomes increasingly global and information-centric, the need has increased for graduates who understand and can use technology that gathers and provides information, who are able to distill and recognize patterns in that information, and who can apply those analyses to achieve business objectives.
The undergraduate Business Information Management (BIM) major administered by the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences is a collaborative, interdisciplinary degree program between the Bren School and The Paul Merage School of Business.
It seeks to educate students to understand and then apply the theories and concepts of a broad, integrated curriculum covering computing, informatics, business fundamentals and analytical decision-making.
› Is Business Information Management for me?
› What do I take?
› What can I do with this degree?
› What are the pre-major requirements
› Special Programs and Learning Opportunities
› Still not sure?Is BIM for me?
Graduates of the program will:
- Learn the fundamentals of information and computer science, including the rudiments of software design and construction with an emphasis on data management
- Grasp the business fundamentals, covering all the functional areas in the business school, provide a background and context in which information and its analysis will be applied.
What do I take?
The curriculum is presented across three general academic areas:
An undergraduate degree diagram for the Business Information Management degree is available.
- Computing (computer science, informatics and software)
- Business Foundations (accounting, finance, marketing, strategy and operations)
- Analytical Methods (mathematics, statistics, economics, management science and decision analysis)
This is just one example; students may complete these courses in any order that is consistent with the prerequisites and the actual offerings each year.
A full listing of courses required for the major can be found below:
Major Requirements
Lower-Division:
- Informatics 41, 42 and 43 or ICS 21/CSE 21/ICS H21, ICS 22/CSE 22/ICS H22 and ICS 52
- Mathematics 2A-B
- Mathematics 6D/ICS 6D
- Mathematics 6G
- Statistics 67/Mathematics 67
- Economics 20A-B
- Management 10, 30A, 30B
Upper-Division Core:
- Management 101, 102, 105, 107, 109, 110, 169, 173, 178, 181
- Informatics 141/CS 121, Informatics 143
- CS 122A/EECS 116
- CS 122B
- CS 134
Electives:
Three upper-division electives taken within or outside of the Bren or Merage Schools.
Upper-division courses completed via the UC Educational Abroad Program may also be utilized toward this requirement upon prior approval by the Bren School of ICS Student Affairs Office.
Students are encouraged to consult an academic advisor in the Bren School of ICS to determine the coursework designed to meet their educational goals.
NOTE: Students majoring in Business Information Management may not double major in Business nor minor in Management, Informatics or Information and Computer Science.
What can I do with this degree?
The major prepares students for a wide variety of careers and life experiences.
Business Information Management majors can pursue careers in the for profit and not-for-profit sectors or can proceed to graduate school in several disciplines, including information systems, computing, economics, business and law.
The fundamentals of information and computer science, including the rudiments of software design and construction with an emphasis on data management, provide the foundation for understanding, describing, and evaluating the technology through which most business information is gathered and presented.
The business fundamentals, covering all the functional areas in the business school, provide a background and context in which information and its analysis will be applied.
What are the pre-major requirements?
Requirements to Declare the BIM major:
- Complete the prerequisites listed below.
- New freshmen starting Fall 2007 and current students who have earned fewer than 60 units (excluding AP or IB exam units) interested in pursuing this major must submit their official petition to change majors to the ICS Student Affairs Office prior to September 1, 2008.
Students will be evaluated and admitted on a competitive basis; only 10 students will be admitted as a change of major into BIM each academic year.
Petitioning from ICS Undeclared is not a requirement but if space is limited, priority may be given to those students.
Students interested in declaring the BIM major should meet with a counselor in the ICS Student Affairs Office in ICS 352 to discuss their academic plan ensuring timely progress within the BIM major .
ICS academic counselors can be reached at ucounsel@uci.edu or call (949) 824-5156 to schedule an appointment or verify walk-in advising schedule.GPA (Students must meet BOTH requirements):
- Minimum 2.0 GPA overall
- Minimum GPA of 2.0 in the quarter immediately preceding the change of major.
Course Grades Students must complete the following requirements with an average GPA of 2.7 or higher at the time of application:
Other
- Mathematics 2A-B
- Informatics 41/42/43 or ICS/CSE 21/22 and ICS 52*
*ICS 52 requires that ICS/CSE 23 be completed with a grade of C or better
- If the eligible pool exceeds the number of students that can be admitted to the major, the following additional criteria will apply:
1. Cumulative UC GPA.
2. Grades in all required information and computer science and mathematics courses.Special Programs and Learning Opportunities
There are several ways to add depth, scope, and experiential learning to your academic program of study. An academic counselor will help you determine the most efficient way to add another major, minor, or concentration to your academic plan, and will refer you to other campus programs and resources that support your interests and future goals.
» CONCENTRATIONS:
» MINORS
- Game Culture and Technology
Admission, by a competitive review process, is open only to continuing students majoring in Computer Science, Informatics, Information and Computer Science, and Studio Arts. The concentration exposes advanced students to an influential and expanding sector of media culture, contemporary art and technology practice; facilitates students’ media literacy in relation to an increasingly prevalent art and entertainment form; and enables students to be critical consumers and producers of new media art and culture.
Selection Process:
Students may apply for admission no earlier than the end of their freshman year, and no later than the end of their junior year. Students will be selected by a competitive review process which occurs at the end of spring quarter. Each applicant must submit the following materials to the Program Director, c/o their School’s Student Affairs Office: (1) a written statement of purpose; (2) portfolio or project samples that demonstrate an interest in the area; and (3) transcripts of UCI and other college coursework.Applicants will be notified of the selection process outcome by the beginning of the fall quarter. A maximum of 12 students will be admitted per year in an effort to ensure access to Game Culture and Technology Laboratory research and development facilities in the Claire Trevor School of the Arts, Calit2, and the Institute for Software Research (ISR), all of which may be used to support student projects.
Requirements:
Students must complete a total of eight courses (32 units) from within the two schools, which may also be used to satisfy existing requirements.
- A. Three courses (12 units):
- Studio Art 135 (Gaming Studies)
- Studio Art 166 (Advanced Collaborative Projects)
- Computer Science 113/Informatics 125 (Computer Game Development)
- B. Three courses (12 units) chosen from:
- Studio Art 106 (Interactive Digital Media)
- Studio Art 110 (Interdisciplinary Digital Arts)
- Studio Art 138 (World Building)
- Studio Art 175 (Digital Art Aesthetics)
- Informatics 43 (Informatics Core Course III) or ICS 52 (Introduction to Software Engineering)
- Informatics 121 (Software Design I)
- Informatics 131 (Human-Computer Interaction)
- Informatics 132 (Project in Human-Computer Interaction and User Interfaces)
- Computer Science 112 (Computer Graphics)
- Computer Science 171 (Introduction to Artificial Intelligence)
- Computer Science 175 (Project in Artificial Intelligence)
- C. Two courses (8 units) chosen from:
- Studio Art 197 (Internship)
- Studio Art 199 (Independent Study)
- Computer Science H198 (Honors Research)
- Computer Science 199 (Individual Study)
- Informatics H198 (Honors Research)
- Informatics 199 (Individual Study)
- Engineering and Computer Science in the Global Context
All Bren School majors in good standing may propose an academic plan that demonstrates the ability to complete the concentration and other requirements for graduation in a reasonable timeframe.The globalization of the marketplace for information technology services and products makes it likely that Bren ICS graduates will work in multicultural settings or be employed by companies with extensive international operations, or customer bases. The goal of the concentration is to help students develop and integrate knowledge of the history, language and culture of a country or geographic region outside the United States, through coursework both at UCI and an international host campus, followed by a technology related internship in the host country.
Application:
Each student’s proposed program of study, specifying coursework and a guided internship experience in a region outside the U.S., must be approved in advance by the Bren School of ICS Associate Dean for Student Affairs. It is expected that each student’s proposal will reflect a high degree of planning that includes the guidance of academic counselors and those at the UCI Center for International Education regarding course selection, as well as considerations related to internship opportunities, housing and financial aid. The academic counselors and the Associate Dean will be available to assist qualified students with the development of a satisfactory academic plan, as needed.
Requirements:
- A. A minimum of eight courses at UCI or at the international campus with an emphasis on the culture, language (if applicable and necessary), history, literature of the country that corresponds to the international portion of the program, international law, international labor policy, global issues, global institutions, global conflict and negotiation and global economics;
- B. A one or two semester sequence of technical courses related to the major and, possibly, cultural, history, and literature courses taken at an international university;
- C. A two month or longer technical internship experience in the same country as the international educational experience.
Students inside and outside of the Bren School of ICS may want to pursue a minor, a coordinated set of courses which together take a student well beyond the introductory level in an academic field, subject, and/or discipline. Note: Some minor requirements may be fulfilled by the student’s major requirements. Some major/minor combinations are not allowed.
- Biomedical Computing (10 courses)
- Informatics (8 courses)
- Information and Computer Science (7 courses)
- Statistics (7 courses)
» OPPORTUNITIES FOR HONORS-LEVEL STUDY
Students who are majoring in Biomedical Computing, Business Information Management, Computer Science, Computer Science and Engineering, and Information and Computer Science, and ICS Undeclared Pre-Majors are invited to apply for admission to the Bren School of ICS's introductory honors sequence (ICS H21/H22/H23). These courses provide a uniquely challenging and intimate learning environment in which conventional course material is explored in greater depth.A student must meet at least one of the following criteria to be eligible to enroll in ICS H21:
- Minimum 620 on each of 2 of 3 sections of the SAT; or
- Member of the UCI Campuswide Honors Program; or
- Verification of score of 3 or higher on AP Computer Science A exam; or
- By petition to, and approval from the Bren ICS Associate Dean for Student Affairs
Eligible students will be provided an authorization code (required) for course enrollment at the time of their summer orientation/registration session.» BREN SCHOOL OF ICS HONORS PROGRAM
Allows juniors and seniors majoring in Computer Science, Computer Science and Engineering, Informatics, or Information and Computer Science to pursue advanced work in one of many research areas.Students admitted to the program participate in an honors seminar, conduct independent research under the guidance of a faculty member, and write a research paper.
More information about eligibility criteria and benefits of successful completion of the honors program is available at the Honors program web site.
» INDEPENDENT RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
The School encourages all majors to take advantage of this valuable experience, and faculty advertise many research opportunities every year.Students are also encouraged to participate in the campus Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), which offers guidance and grant funding for student-proposed independent research, and sponsors programs which provide summer stipends for students working on faculty-guided research.
» CAMPUSWIDE HONORS PROGRAM
Available to selected high-achieving students from all academic majors from their freshman through senior years. For more information see the CHP web site.» EDUCATION ABROAD PROGRAM
Upper-division students have the opportunity to experience different cultures while making progress toward degree objectives through the Education Abroad Program (EAP).EAP is an overseas study program which operates in cooperation with host universities and colleges throughout the world.
» OTHER PROGRAMS OF INTEREST
- UCI SAGE (Student Achievement Guided by Experience) Scholars Program
- UCI California Teach Initiative
- UCI Washington Academic Internship Program
- UC/DC Internship Program
- UCI Administrative Intern Program
Still not sure?
Prospective and current students interested in learning more about the Bren ICS degree options are encouraged to meet with the Associate Dean, counselors and student ambassadors in the Bren ICS Student Affairs Office.
They will help you determine which of our majors and minors best support your academic strengths and interests.
CONTACT:
Bren ICS Student Affairs Office
Information and Computer Science Building I, Suite 352
Irvine, CA 92697-3430
Phone: (949) 824-5156
Email: ucounsel@uci.edu
