Information Technology at Adrian College

Skills in Information Technology generally fall into two broad categories: technical skills and soft skills. Common technical skills include web development, database management, operating system knowledge, programming, technical writing, hardware deployment, cloud computing, and information security.

Students will be able to build a strong understanding of all of these topic areas through our IT program, which was vetted by various professionals we interviewed as high-priority areas - and ones with a notable skills gap in the workforce.

This program features a heavier emphasis on programming than many IT degrees to provide students with more flexibility in their career paths. This is especially true for students who pursue the Application Development Concentration.

In terms of building soft skills, this program seeks to leverage the traditional strengths of small colleges, which excel at providing skills in communication and critical thinking, two incredibly vital skills in Information Technology. To that end, we recommend the inclusion of courses in communication, organizational behavior, and writing.

By offering some of these courses online, we give students access to world-leading faculty and a curriculum vetted by real Fortune 500 companies.

Dr. Charles Severance, University of Michigan - Dr. Charles Severance holds a PhD in Computer Science from Michigan State University. He is the former Executive Director of the Sakai Foundation, and one of the world’s leading online CS educators. His contributions and curriculum form the basis of our programming curriculum

Mala Chandra - Mala Chandra developed multiple core Java technologies, including J2EE, J2ME and Java Beans. In 2004, she was named one of the 25 most influential women in the development of the internet. She has developed courses in gamification, social media and other subjects for the University of Washington.

Alexey Malashkevich - Alexey is a highly respected engineer and engineering manager with strong experience in building cloud-based financial technology systems. His skill in building engineering teams gives him particular insight into the skills most valuable in today’s technology workforce. Furthermore, his expertise in cloud applications was valuable in verifying learning outcomes from cloud computing classes. Alexey is the former CEO of Agile Code - a software development firm - and has 20 years of experience bringing software products to market.

Google - Google serves as a curriculum collaborator to the Computer Science and Cloud Computing courses in this program, providing ongoing guidance and feedback on the course topics and learning outcomes. As one of the leading technology companies in the world, Google knows firsthand what the most relevant skills are in the technology sector. 

Some higher-end IT roles have a median salary above $150,000 and can often make that while working from home. However, there are many other job opportunities enabled by a major or minor in Information Technology. Those include:

• Network Administrator
• Information Systems Manager
• IT Support Specialist
• Software Developer
• IT Administrator
• Computer Systems Analyst

Additionally, students will be fully prepared for two CompTIA certification exams - the A+ certification and the Network Certification. Students should be able to sit for these exams by the end of their sophomore and junior years respectively. As such they will be exceptional candidates for both internships and - upon completion of their degree - a great job.

This IT program has notably less math than a typical program and sticks to practical lessons rather than theoretical ones.

• Math Required: Statistics
• Hardest Class: Networking Technologies and Telecommunications. This course is probably not the hardest class in the program in terms of overall rigor but is the class that features the sharpest step forward in difficulty. 

Most Popular Courses:

• Introduction to Information Technology Systems
• Networking Technologies and Telecommunications
• PostgreSQL
• Operating Systems and Architecture
• Information Security and Data Protection
• Internet History Technology and Security