Getting down to the nuts and bolts

It’s inevitable in business these days: everyone knows the office IT person. While computer scientists concentrate on theory and languages to create new technology, information technology professionals put the rubber to the road to make technology work in the real world. If you are the practical type who takes satisfaction from seeing systems run smoothly and helping people solve technical problems, you should consider a degree in IT.

IT majors learn to work with both software and hardware, including operating systems, cable networks, websites, web servers, database programming and cloud architecture. This broad base of practical skills allows you to interact well with other technology disciplines and become a key team member in any operation.

Keeping the ship afloat

When technology stops working, so do people. There is a constant and ever-growing need for professionals who can create and maintain the systems that keep businesses productive.

Common career paths for IT majors include:

• System administration
• Network administration
• Support
• Helpdesk
• Database management
• Security analysis  

Making the right connections 

At SFA, we stay connected to the world we send our graduates out into. An advisory council of industry professionals (many SFA alumni) visits every fall to advise the department on keeping our curriculum up to date and to meet with students for career advice and internship and job opportunities.

When we’re not networking in the labs or the lunchrooms, our student organizations host regular game nights and pizza parties, and the department also hosts an annual programming contest.

Undergraduate programs and requirements