Broader curriculum will mean higher salaries and career longevity
Already a leader in technology education custom-designed for career development, the Monroe College School of Information Technology is introducing a Bachelor of Science degree program in IT that will provide the necessary high-level technical training as well as problem solving, critical analysis, and computing skills that will enhance prospects for long, rewarding IT careers in a range of industries.
“To be successful in the workplace, a broader, liberal arts-based curriculum, even in a technical trade, promotes intellectual and personal growth that equips our graduates to be able to adapt to the changing dynamics of modern-day workplaces,” said Janice Girardi, Dean of the School of Information Technology. “With our Bachelor of Science degree, we’ll be opening up new worlds of opportunity, not only in traditional tech and network companies, but in virtually every industry, since IT is now prevalent literally everywhere.”
While Monroe Bachelor of Science in Information Technology students will study at length in their field and therefore spend more time learning the mechanics of their trade, they’ll also take more major-related liberal arts courses, which will provide a well-rounded core of knowledge that will last a lifetime. Students will grow and broaden their intellectual capacity of problem-solving and reasoning in the natural and social sciences. Also, having more liberal arts courses will foster critical reflection, communication, and synthesis of knowledge from different disciplines.
“This will open a larger range of career possibilities in virtually any industry, whether science/technology-based or not,” Dean Girardi said. “Those holding a Monroe BS degree will find career opportunities in non-science areas such as business, finance, marketing, education, government, private/public service, and writing because employers are now starting to hire them to provide specific, technical insight into broad markets of operations.”
In fact, in this age of global economy and community where technology is experiencing unprecedented growth, Bachelor of Science majors are becoming more valuable, diverse and in short, a hot commodity. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics sees employment in combined IT occupations having an expected job growth of 24 percent by 2016.
“Information Technology workers are needed in nearly all types of organizations and as IT operations expand across the economy and industries, the demand for IT workers will expand with them,” said Professor Cliff Brozo, Deputy Chair in the School of Information Technology. “Network systems and data communications analysts are projected to be the fastest growing occupations with projected employment increases of 53 percent by 2016 and according to government economists, four of the 10 occupations estimated to have the most job openings through 2018 fall within the School of Information Technology.”
Also, students will be pleased to know that salaries for these positions are among the highest for students with any college degree. Median annual wages of network and computer systems administrators were $66,310 in May of 2008 and the middle 50 percent earned between $51,690 and $84,110. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $41,000 and the highest 10 percent earned more than $104,070.
Median annual wages of computer systems analysts were $75,500 in May of 2008. The middle 50 percent earned between $58,460 and $95,810. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $45,390 and the highest 10 percent earned more than $118,440.
According to Indeed.com, the average salary for Junior IT Project Managers in New York City is $108,000 with $50,000 being the lowest salary. New York City salaries for this job title are 23 percent higher than the national average.
Applicants interested in applying to Monroe College’s B.S. in Information technology program should go to www.monroecollege.edu or call the 800-55-MONROE. |