When did the change start?
In Fall 2007 the new ITM degree, Information Technology Management, was launched.
What changed?
Quite a lot actually. First, the CIS and NTCOMM majors merged into one, called ITM. This stands for Information Technology Management. Starting in Fall 2007, all courses became ITM. Second, in ITM, there are two ‘emphasis’ areas: Development and Network Management. Third, some new courses and changes to the overall direction of the program.
Did everything change?
ITM will require the same number of courses, approximately 12 within the major. Over half of the core requirements will remain, as will some of the electives.
Why did it change?
There were three main reasons for the change:
- We are keeping up with changes in our discipline. New technologies reshape the needs of business for people to determine, develop and manage those technologies, while global environments reshape the means to supply labor.
- It reflects the changing needs of our community based on our focus groups with the IT community. There is an extensive overlap in required skills between networking and IS jobs, so reintegration makes sense, with some but less specialization.
- The number of students entering our discipline dropped over 50% both nationwide and locally between 2002 and 2004. The job situation has turned around and we need to prepare for extensive growth over the next few years.
What are these changing trends?
Certain recent trends are leading to new careers and skill set for technology professionals. Here are some examples of these trends:
- Businesses need more help from their data stores to stay competitive
- Information systems are routinely internet-based
- Security risks are more than concerns, they can make or break companies
- A majority of systems are now bought and configured, fewer are built from scratch
- Global, dispersed business needs integrated, enterprise-wide information systems to manage operations
- Business processes are a focus of competition, and technology enables designing more efficient, effective and agile business processes
- Companies will continue to outsource the more straightforward technical IT jobs, like programming, server administration, and some others; the jobs that will stay in-house are those that are more business-facing, like system and business analyst, architect, network management and design, security, project management, etc.
- Effectively managing projects is recognized as key to all of the above.
What were the new courses?
- Business Intelligence (ITM 310) focus on the rise of a variety of new means to retrieve, integrate, analyze, and apply an unprecedented quantity and diversity of information to support ‘data-driven’ decision-making in organizations.
- Web Application I and II (ITM 325 and 425) focus on the proliferation of the Internet as a ubiquitous means of working together and hence on the new languages, protocols and tools for creating work applications.
- Information Security (ITM 455) focuses on assuring security, the central issue involved in systems that travel the un-policed internet highway.
- Enterprise Systems (ITM 410) focuses on a new family of core operational systems within organizations as separate ‘islands’ of applications and information are integrated in place, or replaced by more comprehensive pre-integrated applications that span the enterprise’s functions.
- Project Management (SCM435) will be introduced early in the program for all business (as well as ITM) majors, and addressed in depth later in the major. Enterprises conduct extensive work and allocate resources organized around project teams, and we work similarly in our IT courses to prepare students for that reality.
I am part way through my CIS or NTCOMM major. Should I switch to ITM?
Maybe; it’s your decision. Switching or not, you still take the new ITM courses to fulfill your new or old catalog. It might affect the total number of classes you take overall.
If you are a CIS Major:
There are two courses to examine. The second programming language and NTCOMM305 are no longer required. If you did NOT take them, then switch to ITM with a Development emphasis—no extra classes, and less hassle converting courses.
If you took one or both, switching to ITM will mean having to take 1 or 2 extra courses in total. It is your choice to switch or not. If you stick with CIS or NTCOMM, you will use the new ITM courses to fulfill your remaining requirements.
If you are a NTCOMM Major:
There are two courses to examine. The logic course, PHIL 211, and NTCOMM 305 are no longer required. If you did NOT take them, then switch to ITM with a Net Mgmt emphasis—no extra classes, and less hassle converting courses.
If you took one or both, switching to ITM will mean having to take 1 or 2 extra courses in total. It is your choice to switch or not. If you stick with CIS or NTCOMM, you will use the new ITM courses to fulfill your remaining requirements.