The evolution of information technology and the role it plays in organizations continues to be quite dramatic. Today, information systems play a vital and increasingly strategic role in the delivery of products and services. Advances in computer and communications technology have resulted in the development of systems and applications that are radically transforming the very nature of business. This emergence has created a demand for expert support personnel. Information technology specialists support various functions, such as customer service, marketing, human resources, research and development, finance, and general management.

The information technology program concentration equips students with technical expertise to support information systems, participate in systems planning, and maintain technology-based systems.

The Myers University IT Department encourages students to register for IT 423, an internship course in marketing as part of course electives. It is essential for IT students to gain real-world experience and to develop a network of professional contacts.

The IT major results in the Bachelor of Science degree; as such, the student is obligated to meet the General Education and Business Core requirements for that degree - see the current University Catalog for more details.

* Electives- Choose one. 
** IT 4xx- internship is available for Junior and senior level students with approval of the division Chair and the Career Resource Center.

1. Describe the major areas of information systems.
2. Decide and discuss a possible major field concentration.
3. Analyze and discuss ethical and social issues regarding information technology.

1. Describe the major characteristics of an operating system
2. Describe the major interfaces between hardware and software that an operating system provides
3. Understand operating-system-dependent programming considerations
4. Describe the different user interfaces of the operating systems under review
5. Perform basic commands in MS-DOS, Windows XP, and UNIX/Linux

1. Describe the major characteristics of a web server.
2. Perform fundamental installation, maintenance and analysis tasks on a web server.
3. Design and develop a basic web page using HTML and scripting.
4. Understand the importance of web infrastructure to a successful e-commerce business.

1. Identify the components of a LAN.
2. Identify and distinguish between the different media used in network communications.
3. Distinguish between the different networking standards, protocols and access methods.
4. Recognize the primary network architectures and identify their major characteristics.
5. Identify the primary functions of network operating systems and distinguish between a centralized computing environment and a client/server environment.
6. Distinguish between LANs and WANs, identify the components used to expand a LAN into a WAN, and determine how to implement an appropriate modem in the larger LAN/WAN environment.

1. Describe the basic tasks associated with end user computing support, including:
   1. Needs analysis and assessment
   2. Installing and maintaining systems
   3. End user training and documentation
2. Identify and apply principles and techniques of problem identification and resolution

1. Describe the system administration function within organizations.  
2. Develop strategies for system planning
3. Participate in the management of application portfolio resources
4. Understand and implement the operational aspects of system management.

1. Demonstrate an understanding of computer programming terminology and concepts through practical exercises.
2. Demonstrate problem-solving techniques using structured program design methodology.
3. Demonstrate simple business application modeling.
4. Produce graphical flowcharts and text-based pseudocode solutions to typical data processing problems.
5. Master the use of variables, sequencing, decision handling, loops, tables and file processing.
6. Manually simulate the output of flowcharts and pseudocode given input data.
   

1. Design, code, execute and troubleshoot simple programs in Visual Basic.
2. Explain the use of variables & constants, expressions, selection structure, repetition structure, sequential files and arrays.
3. Demonstrate methods and techniques of event-based programming using a graphical Interactive Development Environment.

1. Analyze and deconstruct a complex problem into manageable steps that together provide a design for the problem solution
2. Design and document the problem solution detailing each step to completion;
3. Demonstrate programming competency in input/output operations, control structures, storage management, data structures, pointers, dynamic memory allocation, arithmetic operations, and object-oriented methodologies;
4. Explain the steps involved in creating the program;
5. Demonstrate that the program compiles and executes correctly for a given set of data; demonstrate use of debugging tools and techniques;
6. Demonstrate an understanding of issues associated with running the produced program on multiple platforms.