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Program Description and Objectives

Emphases and Differentiation from Existing Programs

Technology is an integral part of modern society, from education to entertainment to all aspects of work, fueling economic growth throughout the world. Cities and regions with skilled Information Technology (IT) workforces are the main beneficiaries of this new Information Economy. 

IT has become a major and rapidly increasing part of Florida's economy. Software developers, telecommunications companies, Internet content providers and electronic business-to-business firms are found throughout the State, with especially high concentrations along the I-4 and south I-95 corridors. 

In a report written in 2000, Bridging the Gap: Information Technology Skills for a New Millennium, the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) stated that the IT industry would create a demand in this country for roughly 1.6 million IT workers in that year. With demand far exceeding supply, half of those positions-over 800,000-were thought likely go unfilled. Today's economic reality is significantly different from two years ago.  Headlines refer to layoffs, the stock market has lost significant value, and most people in the IT industry have been personally affected in some way by downsizing, job freezes, or wage limits.  This makes it much more difficult to predict what will happen during the next few years as new graduates seek jobs in the IT industry. While there can be no guarantees, the IT program is designed to give students skills and education that are flexible and deal with subject areas (networking, databases, distributed applications.) that can be expected to be in demand again regardless of which economic sectors eventually lead a recovery.  

It is important to realize that IT professionals are not strictly computer scientists and computer engineers, and that the IT profession needs many more skills than computer programming, computer design and systems analysis. The following is a list of the IT job clusters recognized by the Northwest Center for Emerging Technologies, a strategic alliance of the National Science Foundation, Microsoft, Boeing and a variety of educational organizations:  

1. Database Development and Administration
2. Digital Media
3. Enterprise Systems Analysis and Integration
4. Network Design and Administration
5. Programming/Software Engineering
6. Technical Support
7. Technical Writing
8. Web Development and Administration

Computer Science and Computer Engineering address cluster 5, and, together with Electrical Engineering, deal with the science and engineering aspects of clusters 1, 2, 3 and 4. UCF's Technical Writing program and the proposed Ph.D. in Texts and Technology address cluster 7. Our new Digital Media program addresses 2 and 8. Our Management Information Systems program addresses the design and business enterprise application aspects of 1 and 3. The Information Technology Bachelor of Science program addresses the technical administration and systems integration aspects of 1, 3, 4, 6 and 8.  With the addition of the BS in IT degree program in 2001 UCF students may choose their educational opportunity from among all of the recognized clusters.

The Information Technology BS program is designed to provide students with a strong conceptual core (that will prepare them to be lifelong learners) along with significant hands-on experience. Moreover, the inclusion of advanced courses in technical writing, a course in ethics, and five upper division courses (recommended to be) in an area outside IT will prepare these students to deal with the subject areas and communicate in the language of the industries in which they choose to work. Basically, students have an interdisciplinary core in which the principles and practices of the three disciplines of the School are presented in a cohesive, connected manner. They then create their own multidisciplinary component by taking upper division non-IT courses that are often outside the College of Engineering and Computer Science.

Objectives

The objectives of the new Information Technology degree program are to:

• Provide a solid understanding of the methodologies and foundations of computer science and engineering;

• Provide practical, hands-on, small team experience designing, implementing and administering distributed information systems;
• Provide a strong background in at least one discipline in which IT plays a critical role.  Many students will choose this discipline from an area other than IT.

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