Contact:

Deborah Nosky, Program Director, 222 Hinds Hall, 315-443-1864, dlnosky@syr.edu

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B.S. in Information Management & Technology

Introduction:

The School of Information Studies offers a bachelor of science degree (B.S.) in Information Management and Technology. This degree program provides a broad introduction to information management, services, and technologies, coupled with a firm foundation in the arts and sciences. Students learn the most effective ways to find information, assess people’s needs, and design and manage systems that meet those needs.

Coursework in Information Management and Technology teaches students how to locate and acquire information resources; select, manage, and use information technology; and help organizations use information resources to work more efficiently and more effectively. The overarching emphasis is on the usefulness of these information systems to people. Therefore, the program is balanced with management, communications, and liberal arts courses.

Admission:

Students may be admitted into the B.S. in Information Management and Technology program in the first year.

For students transferring into the B.S. degree program from another university, a grade point average of at least 3.0 is required.

Internal transfer students are routinely admitted to the BS in IM&T program with a GPA of 3.2 or higher. Please visit the Student Services Suite in Hinds 114 for an application and dates and times for the next iSchool information sessions.

Dual Enrollment:

A formal dual program of study is available in cooperation with the Martin J. Whitman School of Management and with the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. A student may apply directly to the dual programs as an incoming first-year student or may add the dual, as a current student, after completion of the dual degree admission requirements.

Dually enrolled students must fulfill the degree requirements of both schools. Upon graduating, they receive a bachelor’s degree (one diploma) conferred jointly by the two schools.

Information Studies/Management

Students who select a dual degree program of study with the Martin J. Whitman School of Management often seek a working knowledge of business with the technical training in information systems to set them apart from standard business school graduates. Job opportunities are plentiful and get more exciting as the advances in technology prepare businesses for competition in the global marketplace. Technology coupled with business is the ultimate preparation for the job market in the future. Students may combine the Information Management and Technology major with any of the Whitman majors: Accounting, Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises, Finance, Management, Marketing Management, Retail Management, and Supply Chain Management.

The School of Information Studies is the home college. To complete the dual degree program with the Whitman School, students must complete a minimum of 142 credits for graduation.

Information Studies/Public Communications

Online news sites, e-newsletters, video downloads, and blogs are competing with traditional sources of information such as newspapers and magazines, other printed materials, television, and radio. New communications professionals understand the need to be savvy in emerging technologies, and many aspiring professionals enroll in the dual degree program in Information Management and Technology and one of the majors offered through the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Students may combine the Information Management and Technology degree major with any of the Newhouse majors, including Advertising; Broadcast and Digital Journalism; Graphic Design; Magazine; Newspaper and Digital Journalism; Photography; Public Relations; and Television, Radio, and Film. This 138-146 credit dual program of study prepares students to work in the information technology intense world of public communication. Newhouse is the home college.

Overview:

The B.S. in Information Management and Technology teaches students to understand the value of information to society, organizations, and individual professionals. Students are prepared to analyze the information needs of individuals and organizations and to design and manage information systems that meet specific needs.

Information is now recognized by many organizations as their most valuable resource. Information professionals are employed by a variety of organizations, including governments, health care facilities, research institutes, legal services, large and small retail industries, banks and investment companies, sports and entertainment industries, consulting firms, colleges and universities, and international agencies.

The study of information focuses on the use and users of information as much as upon the systems that manipulate it. Students must have a broad education in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities, as well as in the areas of information management and information technologies.

All students take an Information Management and Technology primary core of 24-25 credits, which includes basic courses in information technology, information-based organizations, and information management. Students select five additional Information Management and Technology courses from the following concentrations:

• Information Security
• Project Management
• Network Management
• Web Design and Management
• Database Management
• Digital Retail Strategies

Courses within the Information Management and Technology curriculum prepare students for a wide array of positions that:

• Perform organizational information needs analysis and information planning
• Formulate information and information technology policies and procedures
• Conduct research and development in information technologies appropriate to support an organization’s mission
• Facilitate technology transfer between organizational units
• Monitor and evaluate information resources, including information sources, services, and technologies
• Coordinate information resources management across and outside an organization
• Budget for and acquire information resources

Students may further focus on an area of interest by incorporating one or more concentrations into their coursework, thus enhancing their resumes and marketability.

As information specialists are in high demand in the marketplace, careers are not limited to specific disciplines or industries. Our graduates are highly sought for such positions as information security managers, information management consultants, web design and development managers, database developers, project managers, process managers, database designers and managers, systems and design analysts, network administrators and managers, technology evaluators, user training and support technicians, and many other roles.

Some students may prefer to continue their education after receiving the bachelor’s degree in order to pursue a professional career in such fields as business, education, government, law, librarianship, or medicine. The B.S. degree is an excellent pre-professional degree in that it combines a broad liberal arts education with computer and information technology skills; information seeking, use, and presentation skills, and a conceptual understanding of information’s role in the modern society and economy.

Students graduating with a major or minor from the iSchool can petition to waive up to 6 credits toward one of the school’s master’s degree programs, thereby reducing the number of credits needed to complete the graduate degree.

Information Management and Technology majors often complement their programs with a minor. A sample of minors include the following:

• Accounting
• Biology (especially for pre-med)
• Chemistry (especially for pre-med)
• Economics
• Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises
• Finance
• Management Studies
• Marketing
• Philosophy
• Policy Studies
• Public Communications
• Sport Management

Learning Outcomes:

The educational objectives of the undergraduate program in information management and technology are to enable graduates to do the following:

• Maintain knowledge of the functional areas of information management and their application to a variety of organizational contexts.
• Use critical thinking skills and creativity to understand the uses of information for solving complex problems.
• Understand the uses of information technologies for solving human problems.
• Accomplish goals through effective leadership and teamwork.
• Understand the need for and use of information in relation to ethical, societal, regulatory, and technological issues.
• Clearly and effectively communicate ideas in writing and orally.
• Use relevant technologies appropriate to solve problems.
• Recognize the need for and an ability to engage in lifelong learning.

Curriculum:

To graduate, students must complete 120 credits and must maintain at least a 2.5 grade point average in the information management and technology core.

The 120 credits must be distributed as follows:

• 39-40 credits for the Information Management and Technology Major
  • 24-25 credits in the Information Management & Technology Primary Core
  • 15 credits of Information Management & Technology Electives
• 21-23 credits in Skills Electives
• 12 courses / 36 credits in Arts and Sciences Divisional Requirements
• 21-24 credits in General Electives