Students being lectured by IT professor Kitner. This photograph was taken in the School of Business, West Penn Building.

Information Technology

Point Park University was one of the first in the nation to offer a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology. From the earliest days of the program, the department has continued to upgrade the curriculum to reflect the rapid pace of change in this ever-expanding field. This updated degree stresses a broad general education with emphasis on developing the fundamental skills required to be competitive in the ever-changing world of computer technology. The degree consists of 42 credits from the University Core, 33 credits from the School of Business Core, 30 credits from the IT core, and 18 credits of IT and general electives. The total number of credits required is 120.

Click here for the degree requirements for the IT major (before Fall 2018).
Click here for the degree requirements for the IT major (starting Fall 2018).
Click here for the degree requirements for the IT minor.

The Information Technology degree is currently offered in two formats; traditional on-ground and online. The requirements for both are exactly the same, but note that the semesters for online are 8 weeks versus 14 weeks for the on-ground delivery.

Program Objectives

Note: The following objectives still have to be formally updated to reflect the new IT curriculum.

1. Work well with others and with a demonstrated appreciation of individual differences and a sensitivity to diversity. (Teamwork)
   • Play different team roles: such as, system analyst, database application developer, tester, user interface designer, programmer.
   • Work as a team to design and prototype different components of an information system.
   • Work as a team to research recent developments in the application of computing technology in the business world.
2. Clearly communicate thoughts and ideas both verbally and in writing. (Communication)
   • Document process of designing and prototyping the interface, business, and/or database layers of an information system.
   • Participate in a formal presentation to the class and answer any questions that arise.
   • Write reports that document specific system components and their effects on stakeholders- i.e. network design and its impact to the customer.
   • Research developments in the application of computer technology in a business or e-business environment and report the findings.
3. Apply information technology tools and techniques to meet the needs and expectations of the workplace. (Information Technology)
   • Demonstrate the ability to assess software and/or hardware needs in a business environment.
   • Develop and demonstrate the ability to design and implement the three layers of an Information system.
   • Understand the design and implementation of networks and security systems.
4. Analyze, integrate and communicate complex information to facilitate management decision making. (Decision making/ Problem solving/ Critical Thinking)
   • Explain and justify designs based on design principles, patterns and heuristics.
   • Analyze system requirements and model program domains.
   • Analyze the differences between the internal design of different database systems and how the design differences impact performance issues.
5. Apply theory and practice in solving organizational problems. (Theory and Practice)
   • Read and write object oriented code, in Java, that uses classes, inheritance, polymorphism, interfaces, and GUI’s.
   • Read and write analysis and design documentation in the Unified Modeling Language.
   • Design and write programs to access relational databases using Java and JDBC.
   • Design both static and dynamic websites that illustrate the nature of client/server software and design techniques.
   • Develop online and/or off line training materials for automated systems.
   • Design and implement user interface using Visual Basic.NET.