Postgraduate School
Master of Science in Information and Communication Science M.Sc. Information and Communication Science
| Name | Status and Qualifications | Research Interest |
| A. M. Adeshina | Senior Lecturer & Ag. H.O.D., B.Sc. (Ilorin); MIT (Melaka, Malaysia); Ph.D. (Johor, Malaysia) | High-Performance Computing; Neuroinformatics; GPU-based Algorithms; Scientific Visualizations; Medical Visualization |
| Omenogo V. Mejabi | Professor, B.Sc. (Ibadan); PGD, M.Sc. (Aston); Ph.D. (Ilorin); MBA (Aston) | Information systems/ICT management; Information technology use; Information systems design and evaluations; Social informatics; E-business strategy |
| Rafiat A. Oyekunle | Reader, B.Sc. (ABU, Zaria); M.Inf.Sc., Ph.D. (Ibadan) | E-business, Social Informatics, Internet Studies, Mobile Services, Data Analytics |
| N. A. Balogun | Senior Lecturer, B.Sc. (UDUS); PDE (ABU, Zaria); MIT., Ph.D. (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) | Information Systems; internet and social media usage; technology in education |
| Oluyinka T. Afolayan | Senior Lecturer, B.Sc., M.Inf.Sc. (Ibadan); Ph.D. (Babcock) | Social informatics, E-Government, Human –computer interactions, information and knowledge management |
| Oloyede, M. O. | Senior Lecturer, B.Eng. (Ilorin); M.Sc.(London); Ph.D. (Pretoria, South Africa) | Information systems, biometrics, Business Informatics, Digital Technologies. |
| Adedoyin, A. | Lecturer I, B.Eng. (Ilorin); M.Sc. (Greenwich); Ph.D. (Brighton) | Business Intelligence, Information Systems, Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, fraud detection, data analysis and data mining. |
| *R. G. Jimoh | Professor, B.Sc.(Ilorin); M.Sc. (Ibadan); Ph.D. (Kedah, Malaysia) | Information Security, Information System, Human Computer Interaction, Research Methodology |
| *A. Tella | Professor, B.Ed., M.Ed., MLIS (Ibadan); Ph.D. (Gabrone, Bostwana) | Information Processing and Data Analysis |
| *A. Bajeh | Senior Lecturer, B.Sc., M.Sc., (Ilorin); Ph.D. (Perak, Malaysia) | Software Engineering, Metrics and Design Analysis, Maintenance and Evolution, Artificial Intelligence, Fuzzy Inference System |
* Lecturers from other Departments
B. Introduction
The M.Sc. Information and Communication Science programme is designed for graduates desiring advanced knowledge in selected areas of information and communication science. These areas which are currently cutting-edge areas in the digital society include social informatics, data analytics, business intelligence, web and mobile technologies, knowledge engineering, database and cloud technologies, information security, and e-business. Higher degree programmes and qualifications in information science are highly sought after in the Nigerian and global job markets.
C. Philosophy
The philosophy of the programme is producing graduates who will be able to lead innovative development and deployment of information technologies for improved business and public sector management. In order to actualize this philosophy, the programme curriculum is designed to emphasize the acquisition of domain knowledge, as well as research, professional and leadership skills; enable students to specialize in specific areas of their interest in information and communication science; and prepare students to assume entrepreneurial and leadership roles in the highly competitive information industry.
D. Aim and Objectives
The aim of the programme is to produce highly innovative professionals, researchers and motivated leaders in various specialized areas of information and communication science.
The objectives are to:
E. Admission Requirements
F. Duration of the Programme
This programme shall run on Full-Time basis for a minimum duration of eighteen (18) calendar months and maximum duration of twenty four (24) calendar months.
This programme shall run on Part-Time basis for a minimum duration of twenty-four (24) calendar months and maximum duration of thirty-six (36) calendar months.
G. Detailed Course Description
ICS 801 Research Methods 2 Credits
Nature and forms of research in information science; Research principles and techniques for model building, theory development, and problem solving; Research methods: sciences, social sciences and humanities; Scientific research process: aims and procedures; Research designs; Data collection methods; Ethical issues and strategies; Presentation of research findings; Structure and content of a research proposal; Technical writing and presentation. 15h (T);45h (P); C
ICS 802 Quantitative Analysis 2 Credits
Basic descriptive and inferential statistical techniques; Use of computer statistical packages; Regression and correlation: simple linear, multi- linear, nonlinear, exponential and logarithmic; Analysis of variance: one-way design, block design, two-way design, multi-factor design, and nested design; Introduction to symbolic logic; Introduction to operations research: queuing, theory modelling and simulation, inventory control, and clustering. 15h (T); 45h (P); C
ICS 803 Information Science and Technology Theories 2 Credits
Information in society; Origins and relationships of information science to other disciplines; Information divergence and coding: coding theory, Huffman/arithmetic/Ziv-Lempel coding; Information sources and channels; Channel characteristics, channel capacity, channel models; Entropy as a measure of semantic content; Ergodicity, conditional entropy and mutual information; Lotka and Zipfian theories; Relevant theories in the mathematical, natural and behavioural sciences; Information user theories. 30h (T); C
ICS 804 Ethical and Legal issues in Information and Communication Science 2 Credits
Ethical concepts – values versus ethics, descriptive versus normative aspects; Philosophies and theories of ethics; Philosophical, cultural and legal concepts of privacy in computer and Internet transaction data; Surveillance, Freedom of Information, copyright, privacy and data protection legislation in Nigeria and developed and developing; Emergence of surveillance in law enforcement, workplaces, institutions, families, and self-tracking contexts; Introduction to cyberspace regulation; Domain Names and Internet Governance; Consumer Protection; Internet Jurisdiction; Case studies: technology transfer, medical informatics and patient records, genomics and cloning, safety of medical devices; Professional ethics and codes of conduct in information and communication technology related occupations. 30h (T); C
ICS 805 System Analysis, Design and Evaluation 2 Credits
Information systems concepts; Procedures for development of information system; Techniques for analysing and describing systems; Object modelling; A user- cantered design; Development of design specifications for data capture, data computation, data record structure and storage, search and reporting, interfacedesign, software, hardware, human resources, system changeover, backup and security, physical and policy system environments, etc; Selection of hardware; Selection/development of software; Design of system-user interfaces; Techniques for evaluation system interfaces, files, processing, etc; Project Management, Risk Management Cost Estimation; Modelling & Specification Tools; Evaluation (implementation standards and quality control). 15h (T);45h (P); C
ICS 806 Computer Programming Concepts 2 Credits
Decision making: problem types and analysis; Computational solution design and development process: computer-based problem-solving, structured programming logic and techniques, algorithm development, program design; Program flowcharting, algorithms, input/output techniques, control structures (sequence, selection/decision and repetition/looping), modularization, procedures/functions/ methods, file handling, control breaks, pseudo coding, user documentation; Basic concepts of object- oriented programming: classes, objects, polymorphism, etc; Introduction to numerical methods; Practical design, implementation and testing of computer programs. 15h (T); 45h (P); C
ICS 807 Human Computer Interaction 2 Credits
Interaction design and ergonomics concepts; Psychological and related theories for human computer interaction (HCI) design; HCI theories and principles; User experience research; Usability design; User interface analysis and evaluation; Practical design and implementation of human computer interfaces using software Tools. 15h (T); 45h (P); C
ICS 808 Information Technology Policy and Strategy 2 Credits
Strategy and policy: concepts and relationships; Ethical and sociological theoretical of policies and practices; Legal, economic, socio-political contexts of cyberspace; Electronic commerce trends and requirements; Trends in national and global regulation and governance of electronic commerce; International agreements on transborder flow of information and information technology; National information and information technology policies and laws: issues, challenges, case studies; Corporate information technology strategies and policies: issues, challenges, case studies. 30h (T); C
ICS 809 Special Topics in Information & Communication Science 1 Credit
Current and emerging issues in information science, technologies, systems and industry, and may feature guest lecturers from industry and seminars. 45h (P); C
ICS 810 Seminar 1 Credit
Each student will undertake a rigorous study of an assigned area of information science, systems or technology and prepare and submit a report on a topic in the area which shall be presented in a seminar in the course. 45h (P); C
ICS 811 Information Technologies 2 Credits
Information technology (IT) concepts and developments: strategic military and business uses, e-business applications; Computer technologies: architectures, storage, processing and input/output devices, performance parameters; Computer software: system, application, open source Software acquisition/development; Computer networks: standards and configurations; Communication technologies: media, standards, protocols, configurations, implementation, security; Wireless and mobile networks; IT in society: ethics, legal, security and policy issues; IT applications in education, health, government, etc; IT diffusion and digital divide in Africa. 15h (T);45h (P); C
ICS 812 Electronic Governance 2 Credit
E-government and e-governance: issues and trends; Public sector: structure, culture, stakeholders, economics, politics, conflicts; National development and governance objectives, plans, strategies, CSFs; Government information resources: assets, availability, quality, access; IT use in the public sector: initiatives, experiences; E-government philosophies, aspects, theories, models and goals, requirements, standards and services; E- administration, e-procurement, access to governmental databases and services; E-democracy; Official secrecy, freedom and privacy of information legislations; E-government implementation requirements; Policy formulation and project management; Evaluation of e- government initiatives: indicators, measurement; Case studies. 30h (T); C
ICS 813 African and Global Development Information Systems 2 Credits
Concepts of growth, development, development information; Africa’s development goals; Orature in African development; African regional development initiatives; Information for African policy analysis and development management; Major African sources of African development information; Required information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructures at national and continental levels; Major ICT networks and systems for African development; ICT for African Development: views, frameworks, models, plans, experiences, lessons; Country and regional case studies in ICT for African development. 30h (T); C
ICS 814 Health Informatics 2 Credits
History and relationships of health informatics and health information management; Overview of the health care delivery system in general and in Nigeria; Types of health care information; Fundamentals of patient records and electronic health information systems; Clinical vocabularies, classification systems, health care data sets, standards; Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource (FHIR) standard; E-health prospects and challenges including ethical, legal, security issues; Rural and Remote Health Informatics; Role of health informatics in contemporary health care services;
Health informatics research, methods, case studies. 15h (T); 45h (P); E
ICS 815 Business Intelligence and Decision Support Systems 2 Credits
Developments of DBMS, MIS, DSS and BI; MIS/DSS spectrum: decision types, problem-solving processes and information requirements; Datatypes, audience, system capabilities; Business environments: goals, functions, resources, markets, laws, Value chain, competitive forces, SWOT models; BI-related systems: Data Warehousing and OLAP Systems; Research and Development systems; Decision support systems: concepts, methods and tools; Experts systems as extension of DSS; Case studies of BI systems; Decision analysis using OLAP, Spreadsheet, DSS software. 15h(T); 45h(P); C
ICS 816 Information Retrieval 2 Credits
Contrast of fact/information retrieval (IR), and IR, DBMS and hypermedia systems; IR system architectures; Text indexing for IR; IR models: Boolean, vector space, Naive Bayes, Nearest Neighbour, decision tree, probabilistic, natural language; Feature selection, semi-supervised learning, information filtering; Semantic search: annotations, indexing, retrieval, tools; Evaluation of IR; Query negotiation and expansion, relevance feedback; Image/multimedia retrieval; Web retrieval: search engines, web crawling, static ranking, PageRank; HITS, Query log analysis, SEO; Practical use and evaluation of advanced and specialized information retrieval software. 15h (T); 45h(P); C
ICS 817 Data Mining 2 Credits
Goals and related disciplines, technologies, processes, methods, applications; Data mining issues and challenges; Data types and sources; Data pre-processing; Knowledge representation for big data and data mining; Data Warehousing and OLAP; Information visualization; Attribute-oriented analysis; Data mining algorithms; Clustering; Machine learning; Text mining: extracting attributes, structural and Bayesian approaches; Web mining: classifying web pages, extracting knowledge, Web mining and log mining applications; Data mining software and applications; Practical data mining with WEKA and other software. 15h (T); 45h (P); C
ICS 818 Data Visualization 2 Credits
Data types; Data and task abstraction; Cognitive, communication and graphics models, principles; Designing visualizations: visual variables, marks and channels, design guidelines, colour theory; Designing visualizations: tables, spatial data, networks, trees, text, documents; Designing data interactions: coordinated, interactive and animated views; Handling big data; Visual analytics and critical visualization; Specialized applications: business analytics, personal visualization, narrative visualization, time series, biological data, small/large displays, scientific data, geographic data; Practical evaluation of data visualization outputs, use of data visualisation software, design/programming of data visualizations. 15h (T); 45h (P); E
ICS 819 Web Analytics 2 Credits
Web resources and tools: email, blog, social networks, search engines, advert channels, etc; Web tracking: concepts, methods and tools; Search and marketing tracking; First/third party tracking: strengths and weaknesses; Web Analytics Service Providers: services, metrics, strengths and limitations; Practical use of web analytic tools; Search Engine Optimization (SEO) methods and tools; Web spam, Google‘s Pagerank, Hub and authorities (HITS); Trends in IR on the Web; Web services and analytics for digital marketing; Marketing concepts and marketing mix models; Internet marketing and presence management. 15h (T); 45h (P); E
ICS 820 Advanced Data structures & Algorithm 2 Credits
Basic data structures in computing; Efficient data structures: concepts, principles and metrics; Data abstraction and types; File structures; Efficient data storage, query optimization, NP-completeness; Algorithms: divide-and-conquer, recursion/backtracking, network flow, linear, integer and dynamic programming, large-scale search, heuristics; Introduction to runtime analysis and big-oh notation; Object oriented programming (OOP) languages and concepts; OOP language fundamentals, syntax, expressions, control structures; Programme design; File and text processing; Practical applications and project using an appropriate OOP language. 15h (T); 45h (P); C
ICS 821 Web Architecture, Design and Development 2 Credits Web application development (WAD) and management concepts, trends, models and frameworks; Principles of ethical and user-centred design; Design and technical writing skills for writing and editing for the web; Basic syntax of HTML and CSS; Understanding of file structures; Practical use of web design and development software tools: HTML, CSS, XHTML, DHTML, JavaScript, Adobe flash, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Content Management Software; Web technologies: services, browsers, websites; Object-relational mapping, transactions, model view controller architectures, web services integration, security, deployment, web presentation layer technologies; Setting up and using styles, CSS style switcher; Client-side programming and PHP fundamentals for server-side programming. 15h (T); 45h (P); C
ICS 822 Multimedia and Web Services 2 Credits
XML, XML Schema, XSLT, XPATH, Web Services Protocols (SOAP, WSDL, UDDI, etc); Web Services Security Protocols (WS Security, XML Key Management, XML Signature, Security, Assertion Markup Language); Web Services Orchestration & Execution (Web Services Choreography Interface, Business Process Execution Language for Web Services, WS –coordination, WS –Transaction); Web Services Interoperability; XML editors & mappers, relationship between XML & J2EE, MS;NET and XML Databases; Internet of Things (IoT) technologies and systems. 15h (T); 45h (P); C
ICS 823 Corporate Knowledge Management 2 Credits Knowledge management (KM) developments, KM systems and technologies: architecture, repositories and applications; Organizational knowledge and intellectual property; Scientific, social, indigenous and corporate knowledge networks; institutional and socio-political aspects of knowledge; Concept of Knowledge management: definitions, contexts, levels, activities; KM processes; Economics of knowledge creation and use; Knowledge transfer diffusion and innovation processes; Knowledge sharing behaviours and barriers; Capturing and documenting tacit and explicit knowledge; Knowledge policies and strategies in organizations; KM policies and strategies in organizations, KM philosophies, theories, principles; Research, development and innovation practices; Information and knowledge audits, inventories, maps. 15h (T);45h (P); E
IIC ICS 824 Database Design and Implementation 3 Credits
Rationale, evolution, contexts; Database system environment and architectures; Data independent, abstraction, and mapping; Data structuring and modelling; Physical data structures and storage organizations; Query optimization techniques; Logical data models; Relational data model: concepts, rules; Relational algebra and calculus; Database design; Entity-Relationship Models; Database normalization; Structured Query Language (SQL; Object-oriented database systems; Conceptual and technical understand and practical use of database management systems (DBMS) for creation, manipulation, access, control, concurrency control and database security management in single-user and distributed database implementations, including MS Access, Oracle and MySQL; Strengths and limitations of different DBMS. 30h (T);45h (P); C
ICS 825 Distributed and Operational Database 3 Credits
Database environment: single-user, multi-user, distributed architectures; Distributed database concepts, design, models and principles: transparency, fragmentation, heterogeneity, query optimization; Operational distributed databases: technologies, implementation, query processing and optimization; Data administration roles; Database administration roles and tools; Distributed Database issues and strategies; Transaction and concurrency, reliability protocols management, failure recovery, privacy and security; Pervasive and mobile distributed database management; Database security; Interoperability and componentization. 15h (T); 90h (P); C
ICS 826 Data Security 2 Credits
Data security goals: Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability, etc; Security problems in computing; Malware and malicious hackers; Data security strategies – cryptography,, NP-completeness and security of cryptosystems, assurance, authentication, digital signatures and database security mechanisms, DES, IDEA, hashes and message digests, RSA, authentication of people and systems; Signature schemes; Access controls, information flow controls, and inference controls; Security models and practice; Organisational data security policy and privacy implementation. 15h (T); 45h (P); C
ICS 827 Network and Cyber Security 2 Credits
Overview of computer, telecommunications and cyber networks: concepts, technologies, systems; Cybersecurity principles, architecture, risk management, attacks, incidents; Distributed-Applications Security: Database security, e-mail security, and social network security; Integration of cybersecurity systems with organizational information security systems, information systems audit, management and operational practices; Emerging IT and IS standards and technologies; Role of information security professionals. 15h (T); 45h (P); C
ICS 828 Information System Auditing and Forensics 2 Credits
Computer crime: concepts, laws, agencies; Overview of auditing, logging, forensics, and related software; Legal principles such as chain of evidence, electronic document discovery, eavesdropping, and entrapment; Societal and legal impact of computer activity: computer crime, intellectual property, privacy issues, legal codes; Risks, vulnerabilities, and counter measures; Methods and standards for extraction, preservation, and deposition of legal evidence in a court of law; Practical use of digital forensics tools. 15h (T); 45h (P); C
ICS 829 E-Business Strategy Design and Implementation 3 Credits
E-business technology; E-business markets and models; E-business economics; Reengineering internal and external business processes with IT; E-commerce: infrastructure, legal, privacy, trust and security issues; E-business and e-commerce strategy: formulation, implementation and maintenance, evaluation, change management, global issues; Overview of electronic commerce: concepts and trends; Business and social issues and models in e-commerce; Legal, ethical and tax issues; Launching an e-commerce business; E-commerce business analysis project.
ICS 830 Online Consumer Behaviour and Digital Marketing 3 Credits
Philosophical, behavioural theories of consumer behaviour; Human needs, experience, attitude and motivation theories; Influence of demographic, work, cultural and environmental factors; Theories of planned behaviour, reasoned action and compulsive behaviour; Consumer rationality and choice; Mathematical models of consumption behaviour; Online consumer demand; Diffusion of Innovation and Technology Adoption theories; Advertising; Ethical and legal issues in consumption, marketing research and advertising; Traditional versus digital communications; Overview of digital marketing, benefits, space, assets, channels; Digital marketing strategies and tactics; Ad words: concepts, strategies and tools; Search, display, video, mobile, and shopping adverting concepts and strategies; Digital Analytics: theory and practical applications; Strategy planning and implementation; Case studies. 30h (T);45h (P); C
ICS 831 Infopreneurship 2 Credits
Information society and economy; Information industry concepts, subsectors and models; Macroeconomic concepts and models; Roles and interconnections of information and non-information industries in national economies; Cross-border flows of goods, services and investments in information industries; Infopreneurship: characteristics and processes; Innovation and creativity; Identifying and developing infopreneurship opportunities/ideas, IT ventures; Venture registration processes; Developing the business plan; Strategies for sourcing finance and for growth; Developing information systems to support the business; Case studies of successful ICT businesses and entrepreneurs focusing on strengths and opportunities, weaknesses and threats, competitive advantages and strategies for success. 30h (T); C
ICS 832 Open Systems and Technologies 2 Credits Open technologies, systems and products: definitions, characteristics; Open systems: features, elements, lifecycle, data interchange standards, OSI; Open data concepts, standards and systems; Open access concepts, principles and technologies; Open courseware concepts and technologies, Open source software: – evolution, trends; Open software platforms for databases, web servers, office productivity, etc; Evaluation of open access, open courseware, open data, open source systems; Limitations of open systems and technologies. 30h (T); E
ICS 899 Dissertation 6 Credits
Each student will be required to collect, analyse and interpret appropriate data on an approved topic in information science towards contributing new theoretical or empirical knowledge to the field, or study a specific information-flow problem or information system and design an appropriate system that solves the problem. 270h (P); C
A candidate qualifies for the award of Master of Science in Information and Communication Science after having passed all the general core courses (26 credits), plus minimum of 6 credits of specialization core courses, and at least one elective from the specialization 2 Credits up to a minimum of 34 credits.
I. Summary
Twelve (12) General Core Courses totaling 26 Credits:
ICS 801 (2); ICS 802 (2); ICS 803 (2); ICS 804 (2); ICS 805 (2); ICS 806 (2); ICS
807 (2); ICS 808 (2); ICS 809 (1); ICS 810 (1); ICS 831 (2); ICS 899 (6)
II. Specialization Core Courses (Students are to offer 6 units from their specialization area):
ICS 811 (2); ICS 812 (2); ICS 813 (2)
ii. Data Analytics and Business Intelligence (6 Credits)
ICS 815 (2); ICS 816 (2); ICS 817 (2)
iii. Web Application Development and Management (6 Credits)
ICS 820 (2); ICS 821 (2); ICS 822 (2)
iv. Database Management and Administration (6 Credits)
ICS 824 (3); ICS 825 (3)
v. Information Security (6 Credits)
ICS 826 (2); ICS 827 (2); ICS 828 (2)
vi. E-Business (6 Credits)
ICS 829 (3); ICS 830 (3)
ICS 814 (2); ICS 818 (2); ICS 819 (2); ICS 823 (2); ICS 832 (2)
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