How WBS is preparing Master's students for AI and digital transformation

It is hard to think of an exciting innovation that doesn’t have a digital component to it. The new LEGO Smart Brick, Chinese streaming platform QQ Music and Waymo self-driving cars are all great examples of how our everyday life has been transformed through digital.

“Almost every business and organisation has experienced some sort of shake-up due to the accessibility of digital transformation and the growing capabilities of generative AI,” says Bo Kelestyn, Associate Professor of Information Systems and Analytics.

“As a result, organisations are no longer asking whether to adopt digital tools and AI, but how to deploy them strategically, responsibly and at scale.”

It is this outlook – the ‘how’ rather than the ‘whether’ – that defines Warwick Business School’s MSc Management of Information Systems & Digital Innovation (MISDI). Dr Kelestyn, who is the Course Director, says the degree is not only for aspiring technologists or consultants. It is designed for a new breed of leader: one who understands system architecture and cloud ecosystems but who also recognises the human, organisational and societal implications of every digital decision.

“Digital innovation goes beyond adopting new technologies,” she says. “It demands a different kind of mindset that spots and generates opportunities to redesign and reimagine.

“That’s why MISDI explores how organisations design, codesign and implement digital solutions that enhance customer experiences, improve efficiency and open new opportunities for business growth, while also considering ethical, sustainability and governance challenges.”

Modules on the cutting-edge course, she says, will enable students to develop hands-on, pragmatic skills such as how to use AI and to programme. Students will also “hone their ability to align technology with business goals, ensuring that digital investments deliver real value”. 

Managing information systems

Take some of the core modules. On the Programming Solutions for Enterprise module, students don’t just learn basic concepts in agile software development. Using Python, one of the world’s most in-demand languages, students learn to build intelligent solutions to real-world problems, including agentic AI tools that can act, decide and assist in real business contexts. Whatever the experience level, this module gives students essential programming skills for future jobs as well as computational thinking, which is critical for understanding digital innovation and entrepreneurship in today's information age.

At the same time, the Management of Information Systems: Foundations and Critical Perspectives module adopts a broad view of managing information systems, looking at the complex, integrated constellations of hardware, software and data, and also offering practical examples and hands-on activities.

“MISDI brings together the latest digital innovation industry cases and grounds them in cutting-edge information systems management scholarship,” says Dr Kelestyn.

Meanwhile, the Cybersecurity in Business module explores the role of people, processes, and technology in cybersecurity. While it is not a technical module, it provides a good understanding of important technical aspects of cybersecurity such as backup recovery, intrusion detection, system monitoring, firewalls, patch management and cryptography. Each year the module reflects the latest cases in the media, which there is never a shortage of, and industry perspectives, thanks to senior practitioner workshops.

Digital strategy

Further modules develop key skillsets in change management, IT governance and digital strategy.

The Managing and Leading Digital Innovation module involves students applying a theoretical framework to concrete examples of digital innovation in product, process and service arenas. Through participatory role-play exercises, case studies and group activities, students see how a better understanding of the social and technological dynamics of the innovation process can result in more effective management practice. The module also allows students to explore their leadership and decision-making styles.  

A key part of the Digital Business Strategy module, meanwhile, covers digital transformation and how firms can accomplish change management by leveraging digital technology. This area of the module includes a group project that deals with the strategic planning of digital transformation.

A starting point of this module is that platforms and platform ecosystems are increasingly important as firms strategise.

Many digital ventures have developed new platform-based business models that challenge traditional ones. For instance, Airbnb has challenged the traditional hotel business, and Turo has challenged the traditional rental car business. At the same time, established and successful firms like General Electric are making significant attempts to transform themselves by using platform-based models.

"High-energy discussions, twists and turns in case studies, and industry perspectives are what define this module, most loved by the students," says Dr Kelestyn. 

One possible way for students to personalise the programme based on their interests and ambition is through a focus on data analytics. In the Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence module, students learn about the effective use of enterprise, web, and 'internet of things' data to meet the needs of modern firms as well as gaining a sound appreciation of the salient factors affecting data-driven decision-making in organisations.

Using visual analytics software such as Qlik they will get hands-on experience of how to deal with large datasets and make informed decisions based on them.

Sustainability is also an important element of the Master’s course. Although the theme permeates the entire programme, its distinctiveness is also defined by a dedicated module, Sustainability and Innovation, allowing students to put their toolkits and knowledge to the test when it comes to decision-making and problem-solving.

Similarly, the new Creating AI Start-ups module will ‘speak’ to those seeking to challenge themselves, whatever their career ambition.  

Human-centred by design

The gathering of technological, pragmatic and managerial skills aside, though, Dr Kelestyn is keen to remind us that MISDI is trying to build a different kind of mindset.

“The key principles of the programme are critical, human-centred, value-driven,” she says.

“By critical, we mean questioning the status quo, being critical of evidence and insights, holding each other to a high standard, committing to due diligence and holding awareness of our stewardship of the outcomes for the decisions we make.

“By human-centred, we mean putting people at the heart of innovation, through value co-creation, empathy-driven innovation, and including diverse voices in the process of problem solving to ensure sustainable, desirable, viable and feasible innovation."

Dr Kelestyn views these lessons and values as the real differentiators of the programme.

“By value-driven, we mean developing a self-awareness and an appreciation of our own digital leadership so that we are able to make decisions that are driven by one’s values, regardless of technology, competition or trends.”

Her view of digital leadership, then, is not only about mastering the tools but also about understanding their implications.

Career opportunities for WBS graduates

Armed with this strong philosophical core and new skills, MISDI graduates have gone on to secure roles including AI Product Manager, Data Engineer and Senior Manager of Strategy and Reporting at employers such as EY, Google and Mastercard.

They have been helped by the close relationships the course has with IT and consulting organisations such as PA Consulting and Deloitte, and by the MSc Careers Plus & Employers Relations team, which provides dedicated job search support.

The MSc Employment Report for the Graduating Class of 2025 points to an average salary of $70,141 for MISDI graduates, after being adjusted for international purchasing power parity (PPP).

All in all, Dr Kelestyn points to MISDI’s focus on digital business strategy, managing digital innovation and information systems, cybersecurity, data analytics, as well as the role of emerging technologies in enabling sustainability, as being key to course participants’ success in securing high-paying jobs or, indeed, in creating digital start-ups.

Then, there is that mindset, she reminds us, that the course has nurtured – the mindset that “spots and generates opportunities to redesign and reimagine”.

As boardrooms from London to Singapore and beyond grapple with the accelerating pace of digital transformation, they will require leaders who can combine technological fluency with exactly that kind of thinking.

Discover more about Warwick Business School’s Master's Courses.