The program leading to a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology (IT) equips students for a successful career in IT and graduate studies in diverse disciplines. Emphasizing technical foundations, problem-solving skills, and hands-on practice, the curriculum equips students to create and enhance IT solutions using both established and emerging technologies. Covering key areas such as programming, web systems, networking, human-computer interaction, databases, information management, and project management, the program incorporates a strong focus on professional development, including technical communication, ethical considerations, and teamwork. The Bachelor of Science in Information Technology program is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET.

Program Educational Objectives

In the course of their careers, graduates of the Information Technology program will:

• Work productively as problem solvers and providers of integrated IT solutions.

• Remain current in their profession through lifelong learning, including graduate school.

• Exhibit teamwork and leadership as well as exercise their profession with the highest level of ethics and social responsibility.

Requirements for the major in Information Technology, B.S. Program

To earn the Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Information Technology students must complete a minimum of 128 credits and meet the following requirements:

General Education Requirements

In order to graduate on-schedule without taking additional courses, it is highly recommended that students meet with an Undergraduate Academic Adviser concerning the selection of all of their General Education courses.

Each candidate for an Oakland University baccalaureate will need to satisfactorily complete approved courses in each of the following areas: Foundations, Explorations, Integration, Writing Intensive, and US Diversity. For details, refer to the General Education Requirements section of the catalog. In order to satisfy both General Education and other program requirements, in some of the General Education areas students should select from the courses listed below.

Foundations

Writing Foundations (course)
Formal Reasoning (Satisfied by course or course; see Quantitative Foundations)

Explorations: 1 Course from Each of the 7 Explorations Areas

Arts
Language and Culture
Global Perspective
Literature
Natural Science and Technology (Satisfied by an Approved Science Elective)
Social Science
Western Civilization (Satisfied by course); see Additional Major Requirements)

Integration

Knowledge Applications (Satisfied by course; see Quantitative Foundations)

U.S. Diversity:

May be met by an approved course in the Explorations Area.

Writing Intensive and Capstone

Capstone (Satisfied by course; see Required Professional Subjects)
Writing Intensive in the Major (Satisfied by course; see Required Professional Subjects)
Writing Intensive in General Education (may be met by an approved course in the Explorations Area)

Additional Major Requirements

All students must complete the following requirement.

Professional Ethics: course Introduction to Ethics in Science and Engineering

Quantitative Foundations

course Calculus I (4)
or course Calculus for the Social Sciences (4)
course Introduction to Statistical Methods (4)
course Mathematics for Information Technology (4)

Approved Science Elective

Take 1 of the following:

course Biology I (4)
course Biology II (4)
course Biology and Society (4)
course General Chemistry I (4) and course General Chemistry Laboratory I (1)
course Chemistry, Society Health (4)
course Introduction to Environmental Studies (4)
course Introduction to Health and Health Behaviors (3)
course Language and the Brain (4)
course Earth Science/Physical Geography (4)
course The Physics of Everyday Life (4)
course Introductory Physics I (4) and course General Physics Lab I (1)

Information Technology Core

course Problem Solving Using VBA and Excel (4)
course Introduction to Python Programming and Unix (4)
course Object-Oriented Computing (4)
course Computer Systems (4)
course Introduction to Computer Networks (4)

Required Professional Subjects

course Web and Mobile Systems (4)
course User Experience Design (4)
course Software Engineering and Practice (4)
course Database Design and Implementation (4)
course Security and Privacy in Computing (4)
course Data Structures and Algorithms (4)
course System Administration (4)
course Integrated Computing Systems (4)
course IT Project Management (4)
course Senior Capstone Project (4)

Professional Electives

Students must complete 3 courses as part of the professional electives requirements. Courses can be selected from within 1 area if the student has a particular academic interest or any combination of courses listed under different areas.

Artificial Intelligence Area

course Ethics and Bias in AI (4)
course AI for IT Operations (4)
course AI-Human Interaction (4)

Cybersecurity Area

course Software Verification and Testing (4)
course Information Security (4)
course Information Security Practices (4)
course Mobile Security (4)
course Network Security (4)
course Software Security (4)

Data Science Area

course Data Visualization (3)
course Contemporary Issues in Data Science (3)
course Database System I (4)
course Bioinformatics (4)
course Big Data Analysis with Cloud Computing (4)

Game and Application Development Area

course Game Design (4)
course Android Application Development (4)
course Game Programming (4)
course Advanced Web Design Application (4)

System Administration Area

course Script Programming (4)
course Cloud Computing (4)
course Computer Networks (4)
course Enterprise System Administration (4)

Note

course Special Topics, course Undergraduate Research, and course Independent Study may also count toward fulfilling the professional electives requirement, provided each course is at least 3 credits. General elective credits may be needed to meet the minimum of 128 credits required for the degree, depending on the chosen professional electives courses. Students following this catalog may apply any future courses introduced within the professional electives to meet the professional electives requirement.

Professional Training

Take 2 credits from 1 of the following courses:

course Internship (2)
course Industrial Project (2)
course Undergraduate Research (2)

Communication and Leadership

Choose 1 of the following courses:

course Group Dynamics and Communication (4)
course Communication, Culture, and Belonging (4)
course Communication in Organizations (4)
course Communication in Leadership (4)
course Group/Team Development and Leadership (4)
course Principles of Leadership (4)

Flexible Electives

Students must complete a minimum of 6 additional credits in flexible electives. Flexible elective courses can be chosen from 3000-level or higher courses in CSI, BE, ECE, ISE, ME, APM, MOR, MTH, STA, BIO, CHM, or PHY, or from the approved courses listed below. course Internship cannot be used to fulfill the flexible electives requirements. Additionally, courses at the 5000-level require approval from the instructor.

Approved flexible elective courses:*

course Immersive Python (2)
course Ruby for Web Developers (2)
course Programming in Visual C# for .NET Technology (2)
course Programming in C (2)
CSI 2370 - C++ for Programmers (2)
course Fundamentals of Cybersecurity (4)
course Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (4)
course Introduction to Data Science in Python (4)

*Students can receive credit for either course or course, but not both. Similarly, credit can be received for either course or course, but not both.

Optional Concentrations

The Computer Science and Engineering Department offers optional major-dependent concentrations to any student enrolled in the Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology. These concentrations aim to broaden students’ knowledge in specific areas. The concentrations will be noted on the transcript of the students. To earn a concentration as part of the Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology, students must fulfill all the requirements of the Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology and complete a minimum of 15 credits by selecting specific courses. These selected courses also count towards fulfilling the professional and flexible electives requirements of the Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology. Please refer to the individual concentration requirements for more details. Students interested in the concentration should consult an academic adviser for guidance on course selection. Completing the concentration requires minimum 128 credits. The following major-dependent concentrations are available to students enrolled in the Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology:

Concentration in Cybersecurity

Students are required to take 4 courses: both from Group A, 1 from Group B, and another 1 from either Group B or Group C.

Group A:

course Information Security (4)
course Information Security Practices (4)

Group B:

course Mobile Security (4)
course Network Security (4)
course Software Security (4)

Group C:

course Script Programming (4)
course Computer Networks (4)
course Enterprise System Administration (4)

Concentration in Data Science

Students are required to take 3 courses from Group A and 1 course from Group B.

Group A:

course Introduction to Data Science in Python (4)
course Database System I (4)
course Big Data Analysis with Cloud Computing (4)

Group B:

course Data Visualization (3)
course Contemporary Issues in Data Science (3)

Concentration in Game and Application Development

Students are required to take 3 courses from Group A and 1 course from Group B.

Group A:

course Game Design (4)
course Android Application Development (4)
course Game Programming (4)

Group B:

course Software Verification and Testing (4)
course Advanced Web Design Application (4)

Concentration in System Administration

Students are required to take 3 courses from Group A and 1 course from Group B.

Group A:

course Script Programming (4)
course Cloud Computing (4)
course Information Security (4)

Group B:

course Information Security (4)
course Computer Networks (4)
course Information Security Practices (4)
course Mobile Security (4)
course Network Security (4)
course Software Security (4)

Major Standing

To enroll in 3000- or higher level courses and to become candidates for the degree of Bachelor of Science with a major in Information Technology, students must gain major standing. An application for major standing should be submitted prior to intended enrollment in 3000- or higher level courses. Students can obtain the major standing form from the SECS Undergraduate Advising Website. At the time that major standing is approved, students with majors of Pre-Information Technology will have their major changed to Information Technology. Approval of both a major standing application and change of major to Information Technology is required prior to enrolling in any 3000- or higher-level courses.

To gain major standing Information Technology, students must:

• have a minimum average GPA of 2.0 in major standing courses which consist of course or course, course, approved science elective, course, course, course, course, course;

• have no more than 2 grades with C-, D+, or D in the major standing courses;

• have not attempted any major standing course more than 3 times; and

• have not repeated more than 3 different major standing courses, with courses bearing a W (withdrawal) grade not being counted.

Conditional major standing, which permits students to register for 3000- or 4000-level SECS courses, will be granted in the semester during which the student will fulfill requirements for major standing courses.

Students who have questions about petition of exception, transfer credit, academic standing, major standing, or any other aspects of their degree programs should consult an academic adviser and other relevant sections of the undergraduate catalog.

Performance Requirements

Satisfactory completion of the program requires an average grade of at least 2.0 within each group: quantitative foundations and approved science elective; information technology core; and professional courses (including required professional subjects, professional electives, communication and leadership, and flexible electives). Within the professional courses at most 2 different courses may be repeated, a total of 3 attempts per course is permitted, and at most 2 grades below C are permitted. A grade of C or better in course Senior Capstone Project must be received.

Sample Information Technology Schedule

Students entering the School of Engineering and Computer Science with the required background may follow a schedule such as the one indicated below. However, students will need additional time to complete the program if they do not have the required background upon entrance to the program.

Freshman Year

Fall Semester – 16 credits

course Introduction to Python Programming and Unix (4)
course Calculus for the Social Sciences (4)
or course Calculus I (4)
General Education (4)
General Education (4)

Winter Semester – 16 credits

course Problem Solving Using VBA and Excel (4)
course Object-Oriented Computing (4)
course Introduction to Statistical Methods (4)
General Education (4)

Sophomore Year

Fall Semester – 16 credits

course Mathematics for Information Technology (4)
course Introduction to Computer Networks (4)
General Education (4)
General Education (4)

Winter Semester – 16 credits

course Computer Systems (4)
Approved Science Elective (4)
General Education (4)
General Education (4)

Junior Year

Fall Semester – 16 credits

course Web and Mobile Systems (4)
course User Experience Design (4)
course Security and Privacy in Computing (4)
Communication and Leadership (4)

Winter Semester – 16 credits

course Software Engineering and Practice (4)
course Database Design and Implementation (4)
course Data Structures and Algorithms (4)
Professional Elective (4)

Senior Year

Fall Semester – 16 credits

course System Administration (4)
Professional Training (2)
Professional Elective (4)
Flexible Elective (4)
Flexible Elective (2)

Winter Semester – 16 credits

course Integrated Computing Systems (4)
course IT Project Management (4)
course Senior Capstone Project (4)
Professional Elective (4)

Applicable Minors

All Minors are applicable to this major with the exception of the following Minor(s): Child Welfare, Computer Science, and Information Technology.

Information Technology

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General

Requirements

Major Dependent Concentration(s)

Major Dependent Concentration Declaration

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Concentration Title

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