On the back of the recent success in a number of global ranking systems, comes another victory for the University of Johannesburg (UJ), with it attaining and sustaining full, international, accreditation for its BSc Honours Information Technology (IT) degree.
The BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, based in London (UK), has accredited UJ’s IT honours degree for the fourth consecutive time. The accreditation now also includes the alternative path to the honours qualification via the four-year Bachelor of Science Computer Science and Informatics route. This follows a visit by the BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT’s accreditation panel to the University earlier this year.
UJ’s BSc Honours IT degree met, above threshold, the education requirements for Chartered Information Technology Professional (CITP) registration for a period of five intakes, from the 2019 intake up to and including the 2023 intake.
“The international accreditation, not only highlights the standard of the University’s teaching and learning programmes, but also reflects its Academy of Computer Science and Software Engineering’s (ACSSE) drive to ensure that the University’s graduates are fully equipped to join industry, locally and internationally. The Academy fortifies IT research and strengthens innovation and skills development, which could translate into job creation within the IT industry, which is prioritised in the National Development Plan driven by the Presidency,” says Professor Elize Ehlers, ACSSE’s department head.
Furthermore, the BCS accreditation panel recommended that UJ’s Centre for Cyber Security, a dedicated centre that acts as a central point for all aspects related to cyber security and critical information infrastructure protection in Southern Africa, be held as an example of best practice.
In 2003, UJ was the first institution to achieve the prestigious and exclusive BCS accreditation, ahead of any of its peers. Currently, UJ is one of two universities, in South Africa, with BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT accreditation. Other international universities accredited include the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge.
The accreditation means that UJ students, who successfully complete this degree, can join the BCS as professional members and later achieve the international Chartered Information Technology Professional (CITP) status.
Currently more than 80% of the staff at the Academy are professional members of the BCS.
Says Professor Ehlers on how students can obtain professional status: “Students should complete either the BSc Information Technology or the BSc Computer Science and Informatics degree at UJ to obtain entrance to the BSc Honours Information Technology degree.”
READ:UJ Prof to join the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Cybersecurity