To assist the students in course selection, Decision Support Systems (DSS) are available to guide the students during this crucial decision-making process. Nevertheless, despite their potential benefits, these systems have several technical constraints that limit their effectiveness. In addition to these technical limitations, the existing solutions compare students’ choices based on general similarities rather than individual preferences or interests. This generalisation is not appropriate due to the high individuality of the students. Consequently, the recommendations of these solutions may be biased and may lead the students in the wrong direction.

Students in the Master of Business Information Systems (BIS) programme at the FHNW University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland encounter similar challenges. This example is used as a case study in this thesis to propose a solution for the course selection process based on the student’s preferences or individual interests. To achieve this, focus group interviews were conducted to consider the course selection criteria from the students’ perspective. The results of the interviews were implemented in an Excel-based DSS prototype.

The evaluation phase of the proposed solution showed that it can assist BIS students at FHNW in their course selection process. Particularly, the accuracy and transparency of the DSS were highlighted. Thus, this thesis highlights the significance of considering students’ individual preferences and interests while developing DSS for course selection.