Global Co-Operation in the New Millennium. The 9th European Conference on Information Systems Bled, Slovenia, June 27-29, 2001

DESIGNING A POSTGRADUATE CURRICULUM IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS: A GREEK CASE [CASE STUDY]

Theodoropoulos Vassilis University of the Aegean, Department of Product and Systems Design, Ermoupolis, Syros, Greece, GR-84100 Tel.: +030-0281-97000, Fax.: +030-0281-97109 vgt@aegean.gr

Panayiotis Koutsabasis University of the Aegean, Department of Information and Communication Systems, Karlovassi, Samos, Greece, GR 83200 Tel.: +30-0273-82200, Fax: +30- 0273-82069 kgp@aegean.gr

Jenny S. Darzentas University of the Aegean, Department of Product and Systems Design, Ermoupolis, Syros, Greece, GR-84100 Tel.: +030-0281-79206, Fax.: +030-0281-97109 jennyd@aegean.gr

Thomas Spyrou University of the Aegean, Department of Information and Communication Systems, Karlovassi, Samos, Greece, GR 83200 Tel.: +30 -0273- 82200, Fax: +30-0273-82069 tsp@aegean.gr

John Darzentas University of the Aegean, Department of Product and Systems Design, Ermoupolis, Syros, Greece, GR-84100 Tel.: +030-0281-79206, Fax.: +030-0281-97109 idarz@aegean.gr

ABSTRACT

The design of an IS postgraduate curriculum may take as staring point existing model curricula and guidelines. However, the landscape of Information Systems, as well as the needs of the target market continuously changes. Additionally, the idiosyncrasies of the specific local academic and business environments (e.g. existing undergraduates programmes and local market needs), either purposefully or implicitly, pervade the design of curricula or influence their development. As part of the research undertaken to ascertain the content and direction for a new postgraduate curriculum in IS, several activities were carried out, including a study of existing curricula worldwide, a survey and study of the global and national landscapes of IS curricula, both undergraduate and postgraduate, and of the needs of local IS industry. This paper describes the approach taken and the resulting postgraduate IS curriculum, and highlights how this approach can be used by others and adapted to their needs.