Information Technology

A degree in Information Technology provides students with a strong foundation in programming, problem analysis, problem-solving, and software engineering significantly supplemented with practical experience using hardware and software resources available in contemporary computer laboratories maintained by the Department.

Students pursuing an Information Technology degree may choose to follow one of three concentrations: Applied Information Technology, Computer Networking, or Health Information Technology.

The Applied Information Technology concentration allows for flexibility in a student’s degree. The concentration is adaptable by requiring the student to select a minor that will have the focus to further prepare them to meet their career goals at the time of graduation. The Information Technology concentration provides students with a foundation in business and information systems to complement the core requirements in problem-solving and programming in a business environment. The goal of this curriculum is to prepare the student for the industry as a technically oriented member of an information systems development team.

The Computer Networking concentration focuses on the technical aspects of computer networking. The goal of this curriculum is to prepare the students to be able to analyze and design the different network architectures and security architectures that must be in place. Students will also learn the importance of using different network technologies to be able to protect data. The goal of this curriculum is to prepare the student for the industry as a technically oriented member of an information technology support team or to take on the individual role of a network administrator.

The Health Information Technology concentration focuses on the technical aspects in relation to the medical field. The goal of this curriculum is to prepare the students to be able to analyze, collect, and protect patient information and medical records in addition to gaining knowledge of Information Technology as its foundation. The goal of this curriculum is to prepare the student for the industry as a technically oriented member of a health information technology team.

Facts

Athens State University

• Small class sizes
• Taught by full-time faculty members
• Career Development Center
• Tutoring Lab specific to Mathematical, Computing and Natural Sciences
• Lowest tuition rate in the state of Alabama
  • Full-time enrollment (12 credit hours)
    • $2,749 (Athens State)
    • $4,865 (UAH)
    • $4,800 (UNA)
    • $3,888 (JSU)
    • $3,900 (Troy)

Computer Science & Information Technology Programs at Athens State

• Classes incorporate service/project-based learning
• Two of the four faculty members engage students in undergraduate research
• Computer Science program is ABET-accredited
• Information Security Concentration & Information Technology program being considered for ABET accreditation
• Based on recent research the top Employers for Athens State Computer Science and Information Technology graduates are:
  • SAIC
  • Northrop Grumman
  • COLSA Corporation
  • Huntsville Hospital
  • Dynetics, Inc.
  • Boeing
  • KBRwyle
  • ADTRAN
  • Intergraph
  • Jacobs
  • Torch Technologies, Inc.
  • Yulista Aviation, Inc.
  • NASA.

Technology in North Alabama

• Since 2017 Huntsville has had a 306% tech job growth
• IT jobs will grow 22% through 2020
• Per capita, Huntsville is one of the top five cities in the US with a concentration of software developers, and #4 in overall STEM workers.
• In 2018 there were 4,711 open computing jobs in the state of Alabama
• The average computing salary in the state of Alabama is $84,739