Division of Business and Technology
An academic division of the College of Southern Maryland.
Information Services Technology - Certificate
[Technical Support] [Web Developer] [Computer Skills for Managers]
Award: certificate
Number of credits required: 36
Locations: LAPL, LEON, PRIN
Offered: days and evenings
Contact: Jeff Tjiputra, Chair
Description:
This certificate program provides foundation skills for personnel preparing to advance in the rapidly expanding information services field. As the use of computers extends to most workplaces, the demand is great for specialists who can assist non-technical users to manage, operate, maintain, and support the technology. Students develop strong communication skills and gain technical proficiency in a variety of computer applications. Most courses in this certificate are applicable to the associate's degree in Information Services Technology.
The maximum number of credits accepted in transfer from other institutions to this program is 27.
Required Courses:
| Number | Title | Credits |
| COM1250* | Introduction to Interpersonal Communication | 3 |
| ENG1010* | Composition and Rhetoric | 3 |
| ITS1015* | The Information Age: Emerging Technologies | 3 |
| ITS1020* | Operating Systems Concepts | 3 |
| ITS1110* | Program Design and Development | 3 |
| ITS2120* | LAN Administration | 3 |
| ITS2430* | Information Technology Center Support | 3 |
| Mathematics | ||
| Acceptable: take three credits from the following: | ||
| BAD1300*, EGT1200*, MTH1100*, MTH2300*, MTH2500* | 3 | |
| Electives | ||
| Acceptable: take 12 credits from the following: | ||
| ENG2050*, ITS1040*, ITS1120*, ITS2710*, ITS2250*, ITS2440*, ITS2450*, ITS2910* | 12 | |
Information Technology:
AAS Degree and
One-Year Certificate
This curriculum is designed not only to teach technology but also to develop the technological decision-making skills required by a successful Information Technology professional. The Information Technology program prepares students for challenging and rewarding career opportunities in three fields: Applications/Systems Development and Administration, Local/Wide Area Networks and Telecommunications, and Database/Web Development and Administration. Regardless of the program track, however, every Information Technology major is taught various aspects of the management of information technology, such as performance measurement and modeling, software distribution, change management, application management, disaster recovery, security, business analysis, top-down design of systems, writing of technical documents, modeling of business applications, and trend analysis. The concept of teamwork is reinforced through the assignment of group projects in every course offered by the department.
Entering students must have a minimum high school average of 75 percent and continuing college students must have an overall grade point average of at least 2.5. Applicants to the program should note that high school algebra is essential to program success; further, MA27 (Algebra II) or its equivalent is required prior to most programming and advanced classes. Students are admitted on a rolling basis, fall and spring.
Faculty in the program will provide academic and career advisement.
Three tracks to suit the needs of the student and the industry
Track 1
Applications/Systems Development and Administration
Students are trained in various operating systems such as Windows NT, Windows 95/XP, Novell NetWare, UNIX, etc., to become proficient in the analysis, development and delivery of a client server-centric computing environment for the business community. Students are taught programming languages such as Visual Basic, Java, C++ and various scripting languages. They also learn the art of delivering client server-centric applications to desktops through a case study approach.
Track 2
Local/Wide Area Networks and Telecommunications
The backbone of modern-day enterprise is its network infrastructure. This curriculum trains students to be knowledgeable in areas such as logical/physical design of networks, enterprise network management, performance analysis, traffic-flow analysis, TCP/IP protocol suite and WAN technologies. It is geared to students who wish to enhance their careers in the field of data and computer communications. This track is suitable for individuals already working in the field who plan to become network analysts, communications specialists and field or system engineers.
Track 3
Database/Web Development and Administration
This curriculum prepares students interested in pursuing a career in database administration and development. With technologies such as data warehousing, mobile computing, OLAP, e-commerce, database-driven Web sites and data mining being deployed in enterprises around the world, demand for expertise in database technologies is growing exponentially. As a whole, the curriculum offers a comprehensive survey of building mission-critical database-driven business applications.
AAS Degree
vs.
Certificate
The AAS degree program is more suitable for those students who wish to earn a bachelor's degree in Information Technology. Students interested in embarking on a challenging and highly rewarding career path with a limited time commitment may choose the one-year certificate program.