Wellington’s Victoria University is to ditch its Bachelor of IT degree in favour of an engineering-based approach to computer science education.
Professor Warwick Clegg, the university’s pro vice-chancellor for IT, says the move was made following approval of a new Bachelor of Engineering programme which will begin at the university next year.
“We will still offer the Bachelor of IT in 2007, but it will be progressively phased out in favour of the BE,” he says.
The BE will have a strong ICT component, with specialisations available in computer system engineering, electronic engineering, network engineering and software engineering.
Clegg says the fact that the BE has been structured and designed so as to get IPENZ accreditation at the appropriate time should be a drawcard. He says the new degree “focuses on the design and implementation of real-world systems and gives an essential grounding in business management skills.” He adds that the BE was created in part as a response to declining ICT enrolments at the university. A work placement programme will be part of the course.