Degree Completion Plan for NVCC AS in IT

Degree Requirements

The IT major can be successfully completed by a student with the NVCC AS in IT in 4 full-time semesters with an average of 15 credits each semester as shown in the sample schedule. The 120 semester hour degree requirement consists of GMU General Education requirements, IT foundation and core courses, and courses required for the chosen IT concentration area. The lower-level General Education requirements are met by completing the AS in IT. 6 additional credits of Mathematics and 3 hours of Natural Science credit are required. The required Math courses beyond those taken for the AS in IT are MATH 111 and MATH 125. At least 30 semester hours toward the BS in Information Technology degree must be earned at George Mason University, and at least 45 semester hours of the degree requirements must be level 300 or above. The Information Technology degree program is based at the GMU Prince William campus, although 100-level and 200-level courses will also be available at Fairfax.

Students pursuing the BS in Information Technology must complete requirements for at least one of three IT Concentration areas: 1) Computer Graphics and Web Development; 2) Information Security and Network Administration; and 3) Database Management and Programming. To complete the IT major a student must, for three of the seven prescribed categories, select at least one course from each of the three categories with a total of five courses from the three selected categories. Two out of the three selected categories are prescribed according to the student’s chosen concentration, and at least three courses must come from these; the student must choose any third category to complement the concentration.

IT Foundation, Core, and Concentration Requirements

In addition to University General Education [GE] requirements, including humanities and social sciences as well as mathematics and basic sciences requirements, the IT major requires IT foundation, core, and concentration courses as described below. Each concentration includes a seven-hour capstone design project. It is expected that the student will complete the capstone design project over a period of two consecutive semesters.

1. IT Foundation Courses. All IT majors must complete the following foundation courses.
   • IT 101 Introduction to Information Technology (3) (met by ITN 100 at NVCC)
   • IT 103 Introduction to Computing (3) (met by ITE 115* at NVCC)
     *Prior to Spring 2004, it was necessary to take both IST 117 and IST 128 to meet this requirement.
   • IT 108 Programming Fundamentals (3) (met by ITP 120 at NVCC)
     (Note that ITP 132 does NOT meet this requirement; students who have not taken ITP 120 will need to take IT 108 at GMU.)
   • IT 212 How Computers Work (3) (met by ITE 221 at NVCC)
   • IT / STAT 250 Introductory Statistics (3) (met by MTH 241 at NVCC)
2. IT Core Courses. All IT majors must complete the following core courses.
• IT 207 Appliled IT Programming (3)
• IT 213 Multimedia and Computer Graphics (3) (met by ITE 170 at NVCC)
• IT 214 Data Base Fundamentals (3) (met by ITD 256 at NVCC)
• IT 223 Information Security Fundamentals (3)
• IT 300 Modern Telecommunications (3)
• IT 304  IT in the Global Economy (3)

or both of the following

CS 105   Computer Ethics and Society (1)
CS 306 Synthesis of Ethics and Law for the Computing Professional (3)

• IT 341 Networking Essentials (3)
• IT 343 IT Resources Planning (3)
• MSOM 300 Managing Financial Resources(3)
• MSOM 301 Managing People and Organizations(3)
• SYST 469 Human Computer Interaction (3)
3. All Information Technology majors must complete a two-semester sequence of approved capstone design courses.
   • IT 492 Senior Design Project I (3)
   • IT 493 Senior Design Project II (4) or IT 468 Cyber Security Capstone (4 credits)
4. Concentration Courses:

All Information Technology majors must complete a total of at least 15 semester hours of IT concentration courses from the three categories of courses listed under the student’s selected IT concentration area. Two out of the three categories are prescribed according to the concentration; the student must choose the third category to complement the concentration in consultation with an advisor. A list of courses in each category may be obtained from the department.

 Graduate Study: Students who plan to pursue advanced degrees are encouraged to take IT 208 or a comparable course in Data Structures. Check the degree requirements of the graduate program you wish to pursue.

 

Sample Schedule for IT Major with NVCC AS in IT

First Semester		Second Semester
IT 221 Introduction to Info Security Tech	3	IT 300 Modern Telecommunications	3
IT 341 Networking Essentials	3	IT 304 IT in the Global Economy	3
MATH 111 Linear Mathematical Modeling	3	IT 443 IT Resources Planning	3
MSOM 302 Managing Information	3	MSOM 303 Marketing in a Digital World	3
ENGL 302 Adv. Comp. (Nat Sci or Bus) [GE]	3	IT Concentration Related Requirement	3
Total Hours	15	Total Hours	15
Third Semester		Fourth Semester
IT 492 Senior Design Project I [GE]	3	IT 493 Senior Design Project II or IT 468	4
MATH 125 Discrete Mathematics	3	IT Concentration Related Requirement	3
SYST 469 Human Computer Interaction	3	IT Concentration Related Requirement	3
IT Concentration Related Requirement	3	Natural Science non-lab	3
IT Concentration Related Requirement	3	Elective	3
Total Hours	15	Total Hours	16