Information Technology, B.A.

Program Overview

Lenoir-Rhyne's information technology program strives for academic excellence by offering rigorous courses designed to challenge the qualified and motivated student and to liberate the mind through an emphasis on quantitative and abstract reasoning, problem-solving, critical thinking and strong communication skills.

The information technology degree focuses on computer programming, network security, system development, project management, database development and software engineering.

In this major students can tailor their education to an area of interest through several electives in computer science, mathematics, programming and application design. In addition, students can also select a concentration to specialize their skills even further.

Students who attended an accredited community college and have obtained an associate's degree in information technology, networking, database development, programming or a related fiel may be eligible to transfer directly into this program. 

Learning Outside the Classroom

Information Technology majors have numerous opportunities to gain firsthand experience outside the classroom. Students are encouraged to take advantage of internships and mentor opportunities, allowing them to work with and learn from experienced information technology professionals. There are also opportunities to attend conferences that highlight new developments and opportunities in the growing and exciting field of information technology.

Career Opportunities

Students who complete degrees in information technology have bright professional futures in a fast-moving field. As computing technologies continue to expand and evolve, professional opportunities will arise for individuals with expertise in developing and maintaining computers and computer systems. Opportunities exist across a surprisingly diverse array of professions:

• software developer
• database administrator
• network specialist
• project manager

Based on their concentration, students can also find opportunities as web developers or in data analytics for companies and government agencies, and combining technical skills with the ability to communicate, collaborate, think critically and assess analytically will provide for a distinctive advantage. Lenoir-Rhyne's rich integration of professional preparation with a deep grounding in the liberal arts provides an excellent model for professional practice.

One Year Practical Project

During the program, information technology students have an opportunity to use their new skills in a one-year software development team capstone project.

Students will have the ability to explore the inner workings of constructing a software program that will be used in the real world. They will also learn teamwork skills and how to interact with other software developers. This one-year experience can boost students' résumés and provide powerful talking points when interviewing for a job after graduation.

In the fall semester of the senior year, a CSC-400 course covers methodologies that can be used when starting with an idea and then developing it into actual working software. Throughout the first four months, students will discover many intricate design and software engineering details involved in building programs.

In the following spring semester, the CSC 460 course provides hands-on experience creating a complete set of working software. Teams meet with real-world clients and implement a software solution for their needs. Once the team understands multifaceted requirements, the fun part of software development begins. This is a time when the team experiences the thrill and excitement of real project teamwork.

For many students, this is a lasting memory that stays with them for a lifetime and also provides an experience that helps them land that dream job.

Major Requirements

The information technology degree focuses on project management, application design, networking, system management, ERP processes, database design, computer programming, application development, security and software testing. Additionally, information technology students will choose a concentration of study. There are two concentrations available. 

• Web design and web development as part of your major
• Analytics, including Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)

The concentration in Web Design and Web Development includes courses that span Graphical User Interface (GUI) design, client-side web processing and server-side webb processing. These courses prepare you for a career in developing web pages and web applications for organizations.

The concentration in Analytics includes courses on quantitative analysis, statistics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL). Students will work in teams to solve weekly problems in a variety of courses. The emphasis is on practical problems using real data, teamwork and acquiring hands-on skills in the latest analytics tools. Students who complete this concentration often proceed to graduate school and are highly attractive to many employers in the private and government sectors. 

NOTE: For students wishing to double-major in Computer Science and Information Technology, required courses for both majors must be satisfied, and at least 15 unique credit hours must be earned in the second major.

Honors

Students majoring in Information Technology who are judged qualified by the faculty may, upon invitation, elect to pursue honors work in Information Technology. To graduate "With Honors in Information Technology" students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 and a minimum major GPA of 3.2. In addition, they must complete twelve credits of honors work in the Information Technology program, including an acceptable senior project, completing an original thesis to be submitted for approval of the faculty, and passing an oral defense of the research.