Information Technology (Bachelor's)
Kent State’s Bachelor of Science in Information Technology is a comprehensive program that prepares students for dynamic careers in the IT field. With courses in data management, programming, and cybersecurity, students gain both technical expertise and problem-solving skills. This online degree offers pathways in application development, cybersecurity, and networking, equipping graduates to adapt and thrive in a variety of technology roles.
Information Technology Bachelor’s Degree Program Overview
The Bachelor of Science in Information Technology provides an applied, hands-on education focused on supporting end users and organizations across a variety of workplace settings. Students learn to administer computing and network infrastructures; develop desktop, web and mobile applications; integrate databases and data-driven interfaces; and build and deploy solutions in modern cloud environments. Foundational coursework includes project management and collaboration practices and an introduction to relational databases. Across the curriculum, students also learn when and how to use artificial intelligence (AI) tools responsibly for tasks like code assistance, documentation, testing, data analysis and troubleshooting.
Graduates are prepared for roles across business, education, manufacturing, healthcare, non-profit, and government, including web or software developer; systems, network or cloud administrator; cybersecurity or digital forensics analyst; database administrator; IT support specialist or consultant; and IT project coordinator or manager.
The Information Technology major offers concentrations in Application Development, Cloud and Virtualization Technologies, Cybersecurity and Forensics, Database Design and Administration, Health Information Technology, Integrated Information Technology, Networking (including systems administration) and Web Development.
The Information Technology major comprises the following concentrations:
- The Application Development concentration prepares students to design and build software for desktop, web, and mobile; apply testing and deployment practices; incorporate AI thoughtfully for code review, refactoring and documentation.
- The Cloud and Virtualization Technologies concentration prepares students to plan, deploy, and administer virtualized and cloud resources; use automation and scripting; learn when to apply AI for documentation and capacity insights.
- The Cybersecurity and Forensics concentration prepares students to secure systems and networks and support digital investigations; practice incident response and evidence handling; leverage AI carefully for monitoring, logging, triage and reporting.
- The Database Design and Administration concentration prepares students to design, implement, secure, and administer relational databases; write SQL for queries and reporting; explore AI-assisted query drafting and documentation with verification.
- The Health Information Technology concentration prepares students to manage and secure IT systems in healthcare environments, including EHR support and compliance; discuss responsible AI uses in documentation and data review with privacy safeguards.
- The Integrated Information Technology concentration allows students to create a flexible plan spanning multiple IT domains tailored to career goals; encourages cross-functional projects and measured use of AI tools across disciplines.
- The Networking concentration prepares students to plan, configure, and maintain network infrastructures across on-prem and cloud; practice systems administration, identity, and security hardening; introduce AI-assisted monitoring where appropriate.
- The Web Development concentration prepares students to create dynamic, data-driven web applications with client- and server-side frameworks, APIs and deployment practices; evaluate AI for design ideation, code review and content drafts.
Program Learning Outcomes
Graduates of this program will be able to:
- Analyze emerging and existing information technologies and design integrated IT solutions that address individual, organizational, and societal needs.
- Manage and optimize IT infrastructures, applications, and services to meet requirements for performance, reliability, security, and scalability.
- Communicate and collaborate effectively as a member or leader of multidisciplinary teams, using appropriate documentation, standards, and project management practices to deliver IT initiatives.
- Apply professional, ethical, legal, and social principles, and engage in research and lifelong learning, to guide the responsible adoption, governance, and evaluation of information technologies.
- Exhibit career readiness by curating a professional portfolio of authentic IT artifacts, experiential learning evidence, and reflections that showcase technical proficiency, impact, and readiness for employment or advancement.
Information Technology Bachelor’s Degree Program Admissions Requirements
The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students.
First-Year Students on the Kent Campus: First-year admission policy on the Kent Campus is selective. Admission decisions are based upon cumulative grade point average, strength of high school college preparatory curriculum and grade trends. Students not admissible to the Kent Campus may be administratively referred to one of the seven regional campuses to begin their college coursework. For more information, visit the admissions website for first-year students.
First-Year Students on the Regional Campuses: First-year admission to Kent State’s campuses at Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Salem, Stark, Trumbull and Tuscarawas, as well as the Twinsburg Academic Center, is open to anyone with a high school diploma or its equivalent. For more information on admissions, contact the Regional Campuses admissions offices.
International Students: All international students must provide proof of proficiency of the English language (unless they meet specific exceptions) through the submission of an English language proficiency test score or by completing English language classes at Kent State’s English as a Second Language Center before entering their program. For more information, visit the admissions website for international students.
Former Students: Former Kent State students who have not attended another institution since Kent State and were not academically dismissed will complete the re-enrollment process through the Financial, Billing and Enrollment Center. Former students who attended another college or university since leaving Kent State must apply for admissions as a transfer or post-undergraduate student.
Transfer Students: Students who attended an educational institution after graduating from high school or earning their GED must apply as transfer students. For more information, visit the admissions website for transfer students.
Admission policies for undergraduate students may be found in the University Catalog’s Academic Policies.
Students may be required to meet certain criteria to progress in their program. Any progression requirements will be listed on the program’s Coursework tab
Program Courses
Program Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Major Requirements (courses count in major GPA) | ||
| IT 11004 | SURVEY OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY | 3 |
| IT 11005 | INTRODUCTION TO OPERATING SYSTEMS AND NETWORKING TECHNOLOGY | 3 |
| IT 11006 | INTRODUCTION TO WEB SITE TECHNOLOGY | 3 |
| IT 11009 | COMPUTER ASSEMBLY AND CONFIGURATION | 3 |
| IT 12000 | INTERMEDIATE OFFICE PRODUCTIVITY APPS | 3 |
| IT 13000 | APPLIED SECURITY ESSENTIALS | 3 |
| IT 15000 | FUNDAMENTALS OF PROGRAMMING FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY | 3 |
| IT 21002 | NETWORK SETUP AND CONFIGURATION | 3 |
| IT 21003 | SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PROFESSIONALS | 3 |
| IT 21004 | INTRODUCTION TO DATABASE FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY | 3 |
| IT 21007 | CYBER ETHICS IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY | 3 |
| IT 21009 | SEMINAR IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY | 3 |
| IT 21015 | PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND COLLABORATION IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY | 3 |
| IT 36314 | SEMINAR IN EMERGING COMPUTER AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES | 3 |
| IT 36319 | GENERATIVE AI AND ETHICS IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (WIC) (min C grade) 3 | 3 |
| IT 36339 | CLOUD AND VIRTUALIZATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY | 3 |
| IT 42000 | SOCIAL MEDIA SECURITY | 3 |
| TAS 37900 | TECHNICAL AND APPLIED STUDIES CORNERSTONE | 3 |
| TAS 47999 | TECHNICAL AND APPLIED STUDIES CAPSTONE (ELR) (WIC) 1 | 3 |
| Additional Program Requirements (courses do not count in major GPA) | ||
| UC 10001 | FLASHES 101 | 1 |
| American Civic Literacy Requirement 4 | 3 | |
| Kent Core Composition | 6 | |
| Kent Core Mathematics and Critical Reasoning | 3 | |
| Kent Core Humanities and Fine Arts (minimum one course from each) | 6-9 | |
| Kent Core Social Sciences (must be from two disciplines) | 3-6 | |
| Kent Core Basic Sciences (must include one laboratory) | 6-7 | |
| Kent Core Additional | 6 | |
| General Electives (total credit hours depends on earning 120 credit hours, including 39 upper-division credit hours) 2, 5 | 2 | |
| Concentrations | ||
| Choose from the following: | 24 | |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 120 | |
1Minimum C grade required to satisfy the writing-intensive requirement.
2Students may earn up to 6 credits for IT 21095.
3A minimum C grade must be earned to fulfill the writing-intensive requirement.
4If students complete the American Civic Literacy requirement by taking HIST 12061, the course will apply to the Kent Core Humanities category. If they complete it with POL 10101, the course will apply to the Kent Core Social Sciences category.
5IT 36095 may be repeated for credit when the topic changes.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Concentration Requirements (courses count in major GPA) | ||
| IT 20030 | VISUAL AND OBJECT-ORIENTED PROGRAMMING IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY | 3 |
| IT 21006 | DATABASE PROGRAMMING | 3 |
| IT 30000 | PYTHON PROGRAMMING IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY | 3 |
| IT 36308 | ERGONOMICS AND USABILITY IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY | 3 |
| IT 46309 | ASP.NET WEB PROGRAMMING | 3 |
| IT 46315 | SQL AND RELATIONAL DATABASES | |
| Concentration Electives, choose from the following: | 9 | |
| IT 36304 | C++ PROGRAMMING | |
| IT 36305 | C# PROGRAMMING | |
| IT 36306 | JAVA PROGRAMMING | |
| IT 36309 | PROGRAMMING MOBILE APPLICATIONS | |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 24 | |
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Concentration Requirements (courses count in major GPA) | ||
| IT 36330 | NETWORK SECURITY FUNDAMENTALS | 3 |
| IT 36355 | COMMAND LINE UTILITIES | 3 |
| IT 38000 | AI IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND CYBERSECURITY | 3 |
| IT 38001 | CYBER WARFARE | |
| IT 40000 | CYBERSECURITY | 3 |
| IT 41002 | CLOUD TECHNOLOGY | 3 |
| IT 46302 | IT SERVER AND NETWORK TECHNOLOGIES | 3 |
| IT 46313 | VIRTUAL MACHINE CONFIGURATION AND ADMINISTRATION | 3 |
| IT 46331 | NETWORK SECURITY AND FIREWALLS | 3 |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 24 | |
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Concentration Requirements (courses count in major GPA) | ||
| IT 21200 | ETHICAL HACKING | 3 |
| IT 36320 | COMPUTER FORENSICS | 3 |
| IT 36321 | DIGITAL AND NETWORK FORENSICS | 3 |
| IT 36330 | NETWORK SECURITY FUNDAMENTALS | 3 |
| IT 38000 | AI IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND CYBERSECURITY | 3 |
| IT 38001 | CYBER WARFARE | 3 |
| IT 40000 | CYBERSECURITY | 3 |
| IT 46331 | NETWORK SECURITY AND FIREWALLS | 3 |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 24 | |
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Concentration Requirements (courses count in major GPA) | ||
| IT 21006 | DATABASE PROGRAMMING | 3 |
| IT 36350 | PROGRAMMING OFFICE PRODUCTIVITY APPLICATIONS | 3 |
| IT 46315 | SQL AND RELATIONAL DATABASES | 3 |
| IT 46340 | DATA DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION | 3 |
| IT 46350 | DATABASE ADMINISTRATION AND REPORTING TOOLS | 3 |
| IT 36330 | NETWORK SECURITY FUNDAMENTALS | 3 |
| Concentration Elective, choose from the following: | 6 | |
| IT 36308 | ERGONOMICS AND USABILITY IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY | |
| IT 36396 | CERTIFICATION PREPARATION IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY | |
| IT 38000 | AI IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND CYBERSECURITY | |
| IT 38001 | CYBER WARFARE | |
| IT 41002 | CLOUD TECHNOLOGY | |
| IT 43000 | HEALTHCARE INFORMATION SYSTEMS | |
| IT 46309 | ASP.NET WEB PROGRAMMING | |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 24 | |
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Concentration Requirements (courses count in major GPA) | ||
| IT 31002 | HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SUPPORT | 3 |
| IT 36330 | NETWORK SECURITY FUNDAMENTALS | 3 |
| IT 41010 | USING MOBILE APPLICATIONS FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY | 3 |
| IT 43000 | HEALTHCARE INFORMATION SYSTEMS | 3 |
| IT 46331 | NETWORK SECURITY AND FIREWALLS | 3 |
| IT 40000 | CYBERSECURITY | 3 |
| IT 41002 | CLOUD TECHNOLOGY | 3 |
| Concentration Elective, choose from the following: | 3 | |
| IT 36396 | CERTIFICATION PREPARATION IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 1 | |
| IT 46302 | IT SERVER AND NETWORK TECHNOLOGIES | |
| IT 46313 | VIRTUAL MACHINE CONFIGURATION AND ADMINISTRATION | |
| IT 46340 | DATA DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION | |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 24 | |
1Students may repeat IT 36396 for a maximum of 6 credit hours toward the concentration.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Concentration Requirements (courses count in major GPA) | ||
| IT 41010 | USING MOBILE APPLICATIONS FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY | 3 |
| Information Technology (IT) Electives | 21 | |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 24 | |
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Concentration Requirements (courses count in major GPA) | ||
| IT 21110 | NETWORK ROUTING AND SWITCHING | 3 |
| IT 36330 | NETWORK SECURITY FUNDAMENTALS | 3 |
| IT 36355 | COMMAND LINE UTILITIES | 3 |
| IT 40000 | CYBERSECURITY | 3 |
| IT 38000 | AI IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND CYBERSECURITY | 3 |
| IT 38001 | CYBER WARFARE | |
| IT 46302 | IT SERVER AND NETWORK TECHNOLOGIES | 3 |
| IT 46313 | VIRTUAL MACHINE CONFIGURATION AND ADMINISTRATION | 3 |
| IT 46331 | NETWORK SECURITY AND FIREWALLS | 3 |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 24 | |
1Students may repeat IT 36396 for a maximum of 6 credit hours toward the concentration.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Concentration Requirements (courses count in major GPA) | ||
| IT 21006 | DATABASE PROGRAMMING | 3 |
| IT 21011 | TECHNIQUES OF MULTIMEDIA WEB DESIGN | 3 |
| IT 36303 | DIGITAL IMAGE EDITING | 3 |
| IT 36309 | PROGRAMMING MOBILE APPLICATIONS | 3 |
| IT 36308 | ERGONOMICS AND USABILITY IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY | 3 |
| IT 46303 | DIGITAL VIDEO EDITING | 3 |
| IT 46309 | ASP.NET WEB PROGRAMMING | 3 |
| IT 46315 | SQL AND RELATIONAL DATABASES | 3 |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 24 | |
Graduation Requirements
| Minimum Major GPA | Minimum Overall GPA |
|---|---|
| 2.000 | 2.000 |
- Students may declare more than one concentration in the Information Technology major, provided that they complete minimum 12 credit hours of coursework unique to each concentration.
Information Technology Bachelor’s Degree Program Tuition and Fees
Ohio Residents
| Per Credit Hour | Per 3-Credit Course | Approximate Tuition Cost |
$345.63 Lower Division Courses (81 ch) $405.15 Upper Division Courses (39 ch) | $1,036.89 Lower Division Courses $1,215.45 Upper Division Courses | $32,300 full-time1 |
Non-Ohio Residents
| Per Credit Hour | Per 3-Credit Course | Approximate Tuition Cost |
$355.63 Lower Division Courses (81 ch) $415.15 Upper Division Courses (39 ch) | $1,066.89 Lower Division Courses $1,245.45 Upper Division Courses | $33,500 full-time2 |
1The flat-rate semester fee of $3,803.42 for LOWER division courses and $4,457.36 for UPPER division courses applies to full-time Ohio resident undergraduate students taking between 12-18 credit hours per semester. The approximate full-time tuition for this 8 semester program is calculated at 5 semesters of LOWER division courses and 3 semesters of UPPER division courses, as an average.
2The flat-rate semester fee of $3,803.42 for LOWER division courses and $4,457.36 for UPPER division courses applies to full-time non-Ohio resident undergraduate students enrolled in a fully online degree program and taking between 12-18 credit hours per semester, PLUS a surcharge of $10 per credit hour of actual credits taken (between 12-18 semester credits or $120-$180). The approximate full-time tuition cost for this 8 semester program was calculated at 5 semesters of LOWER division courses plus the $750 surcharge, and 3 semesters of UPPER division courses plus the $450 surcharge, as an average.
For part-time semesters: The $345.63 per-credit-hour tuition rate for LOWER division courses and $405.15 for UPPER division courses applies to part-time Ohio resident undergraduate students, PLUS a $10 per-credit-hour surcharge for non-Ohio resident undergraduate students, taking fewer than 12 credit hours per semester.
- An additional Distance Learning fee for all students enrolled in a distance learning course is $15 per credit hour. Program tuition and costs are estimated and subject to change.
- Actual tuition costs will vary based on a student’s chosen academic plan. The full cost of attendance consists of tuition and fees, and when applicable, food, housing, books, course materials, supplies and equipment, transportation and personal expenses for the enrolled terms. Other expenses not included in tuition and fees totals can be found on the Kent State University cost of attendance web page.
- For a complete listing of tuition rates for approved online programs, please contact Kent State’s Financial, Billing & Enrollment Center at 330-672-6000 or via our website Contact Us link.
Careers
- -0.7% little or no change
- 78,000 number of jobs
- $104,620 potential earnings
- -4.2% decline
- 331,500 number of jobs
- $96,800 potential earnings
- 15.8% much faster than the average
- 1,693,800 number of jobs
- $133,080 potential earnings
- Cloud solutions architect
- Information security analyst
- Application Development
- âFull-stack developer
- Mobile application developer
- Cloud Visualization Technologies
- Cloud engineer
- Virtualization administrator
- Cybersecurity and Forensics
- Digital forensics analyst
- Security consultant
- Database Design and Administration
- Data analyst
- Business intelligence developer
- Health Information Technology
- Electronic health records (EHR) manager
- Health IT specialist
- Integrated Information Technology
- IT project manager
- Systems analyst
- Networking
- âInfrastructure manager
- Network engineer
- Web Development
- Front-end engineer
- UI/UX designer
Notice: Career Information Source
* Source of occupation titles and labor data comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook. Data comprises projected percent change in employment over the next 10 years; nation-wide employment numbers; and the yearly median wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less.
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