Professional - Sheffield university steps in to fill e-commerce

Sheffield Hallam University has responded to criticisms that academia is not addressing e-commerce by launching an MSc postgraduate degree course that relies on input from vendors.

As reported last week in Network News (15 March), universities have been criticised for failing to prepare undergraduates for the realities of e-business. Online shopping firm CountdownArcade.com recently found that only two universities - Salford and Brighton - teach a dedicated e-commerce course. The company had tried to recruit e-commerce talent, but was disappointed to find poor awareness in potential recruits.

But last week the School of Computing and Management Sciences at Sheffield Hallam announced that it was launching a MSc programme integrated with vendor qualifications from Oracle, SAP, Sterling Software and the SAS Institute.

Dr Geoff Cutts, head of postgraduate programmes at Sheffield Hallam, said the average age of students on the courses is about 35. He explained that the programmes will allow students to become certified e-commerce consultants while also receiving an MSc in IT and management.

However, he said that there is still a need for generic IT degrees in the industry. "People can still do the MSc without the vendor component," he said.

Alan Bullock, operations manager at training provider Forbes, said higher education has always been slow to catch up with market demands. "The whole face of the industry can change in the time of a three-year course," he said.

The courses take approximately one year to complete, with around six months generic training from the university and six to eight weeks training from a vendor. Students study IT management concepts and carry out practical work on live systems installed in the university. To complete the degree, students must successfully implement a five-year project with a sponsor or employee.