The Associate of Applied Science in IT is designed for the student who desires a two-year degree program providing current skills leading to employment in the field of information technology. Due to the broad range of careers available in this field, the degree has areas of specializations to accommodate more students’ needs. Additionally, specific course requirements may be modified to accommodate student career goals with written approval of the Dean. All options emphasize development of the skills necessary to apply current technology toward solution of today’s business problems.
The General IT emphasis prepares students for careers by introducing a wide range of technologies including basic networking and security, Operating systems, cloud technologies, virtualization, server administration and IoT (Internet of Things). These courses utilize curriculum from the Cisco Networking Academy, Palo Alto Networks, Academy, VMWare Academy and most course are aligned with CompTIA certifications.
The challenging Network Emphasis not only prepares students for careers involving data, voice and video communication, and network administration, but also prepares them to operate today’s computer hardware, communication networks, and operating system software. Several Many courses in the program utilize the Cisco Networking Academy Curriculum that prepares students for the Cisco Certified Networking Associate (CCNA) and the Cisco Certified Technician (CCT) Certification Exam. In addition to preparing students for certification through Cisco, several courses align with CompTIA certifications. The Security Emphasis prepares students for entry level positions in the cybersecurity field. This emphasis focuses more in-depth attention on network and cybersecurity training such as Advanced Network Security, Firewall Fundamentals, Digital Forensics, and Ethical Hacking. Most of the courses in this emphasis align with CompTIA certifications and the NIST/NICE frameworks.
CIT Internship is available for students interested in improving their technical skills and making contacts within the industry.
Program Learning Outcomes
- Develop an awareness of the social and economic factors that affect the necessity for and security of information technologies in the modern world
- Demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to configure, maintain and troubleshoot standard computing hardware, software, and operating systems
- Develop the skills necessary to demonstrate knowledge of routing, switching, network applications, protocols, and services
- Demonstrate the skills necessary to design and implement a modern, efficient and sustainable computer network and to perform network administration, management, and security activities
- Demonstrate knowledge of emerging trends and the ability to solve real-world problems within the information technology field