Interested in exploring your options in IT?

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1 Interested in exploring your options in IT? Illinois State offers a variety of courses for students interested in becoming betterprepared for the future by becoming more knowledgeable about IT. These courses can be found in several different major and minor programs, and many can be taken by students who are not already decided on an IT major or minor. Why might you care? Knowledge about how IT works can be an advantage in getting hired, and in advancing in your career, in a great many different fields. In the US and other developed nations, IT is being applied in education, government, business, and industry more and more, and in many new ways. Careers in IT can be very rewarding on a personal level, since most IT work is socially important and provides opportunity for creativity and imagination. Working in teams is common, and some IT jobs allow for considerable flexibility in scheduling and sometimes working from outside the office. IT careers are often quite financially rewarding, and may offer considerable job security. IT offers one of the few realistic career opportunities for a six-figure income potential with just a bachelor s degree (assuming you stick with it and keep up in your field). There is a huge projected shortage of trained IT professionals in the US. This means that IT professionals are not only likely to be in high demand for years to come, but also that those who enter IT professions are making an important contribution to the well-being of the US. Planning Strategies Some possibilities Keep your major and beef it up with a few IT courses that might relate to it. (Talk to an advisor, and look at the lists of majors and minors below. Find out what courses they require, and whether they have prerequisites.) Add an IT minor to your non-it major. (See below for info about IT minors.) Try out an IT major. In many cases you could explore the major without declaring it, by taking some of the lower-level courses it requires. (See below for more info about IT majors.) Commit to an IT major and go for it!

2 Majors and minors offered within the School of Information Technology The School of Information Technology offers three majors, as well as associated minors. The majors come in several flavors, called sequences. Here are some modified excerpts from the ISU Undergraduate catalog, describing these programs. MAJOR IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS The Information Systems (IS) Major is designed to prepare technically proficient professionals in Information Systems. This degree focuses on the use of computer technology and information management methods to solve business problems. This requires an understanding of both the organizational context of the problem and the technologies, methodologies, and tools typically utilized. There are four sequences within this program: Information Assurance and Security Sequence Designed to give students the knowledge and tools necessary for protecting information and information systems from security breaches and attacks. Integration of Enterprise Systems Sequence Designed for students who wish to pursue both technical and practical skill in large-scale business computing systems. (Example: Getting Amazon s Web presence hooked up with inventory control, bank credit card operations, and Amazon s shipping departments.) Systems Development/Analyst Sequence Provides breadth and depth in analysis and software and system design techniques preparing students to work in a variety of environments. (Example: creating a hotel reservation system.) Web Application Development Sequence Emphasizes the development of Web/Internet-based business information systems. (Examples: think of the Web presence of just about any medium-sized business you may have dealt with. Someone has to design those Web sites and make sure they keep working right.) MINOR IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS The Information Systems Minor is designed for people who will use computers as tools in their chosen profession or provide limited computer support for their work group, but not be computing professionals. (Note: MAT 120 partially satisfies the Mathematics requirements for the above programs.)

3 MAJOR IN COMPUTER SCIENCE This degree is designed for students who wish to pursue a comprehensive study of computer science that blends theory, abstraction, and design in a variety of traditional and current areas. Graduates will be prepared to work for a variety of companies including those that have a scientific, engineering, or mathematical focus. It would also prepare students to pursue graduate studies in Computer Science. In other words, this major is more high-powered than the Information Systems major described above. There are two sequences within this program: General Computer Science Sequence Designed for students who wish to pursue a broad education in the fundamental ideas and theories of computer science. Enterprise Computing Engineering Sequence Designed for students who wish to pursue both technical and practical skill in large-scale, multi-platform enterprise computing systems. (Think: Amazon, E-bay.) MINOR IN COMPUTER SCIENCE This minor provides a solid foundation for using the computer as a tool in any discipline and may be of particular interest to majors in mathematics or the natural sciences. It provides an opportunity for students to gain knowledge in a specialized area such as graphics, parallel processing, or artificial intelligence. (Note: MAT 120 does not satisfy the Mathematics requirements for Computer Science major programs.) MAJOR IN TELECOMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT Telecommunications Management is concerned with information systems, telecommunications technology, computer technology, business practices, policy issues, and psychological/social considerations involved in voice, data, image, and facsimile transmission. This multidisciplinary program prepares undergraduate students to enter the telecommunications industry in entry-level positions with adequate preparation to assume management positions once work experience is gained. Graduates will possess an in-depth technical understanding of computer networks and telecommunication systems as well as an appreciation of the economic and public policy issues that are important in the design and development of local and wide area networks, and national and multinational telecommunication systems. (Note: MAT 120 partially satisfies the Mathematics requirements for the above program.) KEY COURSE FOR THESE MAJORS/MINORS IS: IT 177 (for Computer Science major only, use IT 168 instead)

4 Major and minor offered within the Technology Department The information given below comes from the current program description. This information is subject to change, as the Technology Department moves toward formally separating the IT major and minor described below from the Industrial Technology major and minor. The expected changes are designed to clarify the identity of the major and minor, and give it a new name, but will not affect the basic purpose. In the following context, understand the word industrial very broadly. For example, one of the recent graduates of this program now works for State Farm Insurance as a person who works with others in the company Command Center to keep the company s vast private network up and running, as that network connects all the corporate offices nationwide. MAJOR IN INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY Industrial Computer Systems Sequence The Industrial Computer Systems sequence focuses on developing individuals with the knowledge, communication skills and management ability to interface with computer industry professionals in a variety of industrial and business settings. Positions for graduates of this program are available in Local Area Network management, technical support/sales, software support/training, applications design, Web development, systems design, computer interfacing, and applications programming. Program graduates understand the following: Electronics, to be able to interact with electronic engineers or technical support Programming structures and syntax, to be able to correct or modify code Network systems, to enable management of local networks or Internet connections Program graduates have the ability to integrate the knowledge of these four defined areas of instruction: Network Connectivity and Management Programming Software Hardware /Media Communication System Management MINOR IN INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY (tailored to IT interests) This minor is currently tailored through advisement to individual student interests, and may be tailored to become a minor in Computer Systems. (Note: MAT 120 partially satisfies the Mathematics requirements for the above programs.) KEY COURSE FOR BEGINNING THESE PROGRAMS IS TEC 151

5 Majoring in the College of Business? Because of the importance of IT in the business world today, all students majoring in the College of Business are required to demonstrate a basic ability to use a spreadsheet and to create and give PowerPoint presentations, and to complete ACC 270: Information Systems in Organizations. Don t be misled into thinking that this level of preparation is enough if you want to be proficient in the business IT field. People who create business information systems do a lot more than program spreadsheet software to make a graph of some data. They have in-depth knowledge of the details of how business IT systems work, and how they can help a business to function well. Major in Business Information Systems Although administered through the Accounting Department, this is a distinct major, with its own course requirements, not a version of the Accounting major. Today s corporations are completely dependent on sophisticated computerized business information systems to keep track of employee records, inventory, sales, internal , supplier connections, and so on. Designing these systems and adapting them to changing demands requires large numbers of skilled employees and consultants, who often have considerable opportunity for advancement, given their key role in making the organization operate. Major in Accounting, with a sequence in IT For students who decide to major in Accounting, but who want to emphasize the IT aspects of accounting: i. Business Information Systems (a sequence within the Accounting major) and ii. Accounting Information Systems (another sequence within Accounting) These two Accounting sequences are similar, differing in a couple of requirements. These sequences are not about how to enter data into accounting software. Rather, they are about designing and maintaining useful accounting systems that support the profitable operation of the organization. MAT 121 (Applied Calculus) or MAT 145 (Calculus I) is required for all of these options. MAT 120 is a prerequisite for MAT 121, so you are already on your way once you have completed MAT 120. (In MAT 120 you learned about some ways to describe graphs consisting of straight lines. Calculus extends to graphs with curved lines. Many business graphs are curved lines e.g., the 50-day moving average of a stock price is most likely a constantly changing curve.)

6 But what if you are a Business student who doesn t want to actually major in IT? Even if you re not sure you want to go so far as to choose one of the Business majors described above, you can at least try to work in some of the 200-level IT courses that go into the sequences listed above. Take a look at courses like these: ACC 255: ELECTRONIC BUSINESS MANAGEMENT ACC 260: COMPUTER PROGRAMMING FOR BUSINESS ACC 261: BUSINESS SYSTEMS ANALYSIS The more you know about how business IT systems work, the better you are prepared for the business world of tomorrow, and the better you may look to potential employers because you will stand out from the crowd. So, even if you have to take these courses as extras, it may be worth it.