Information Technology - Concentration: Data Science and Analytics (BS)

The School of Science and Technology offers a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree with a major in Information Technology. The Information Technology Major includes concentrations in Systems and Security, Software Development offered both on campus and online, Enterprise Systems, Digital Media and Data Science and Analytics.

Laboratory Courses

Many courses in the School of Science and Technology include both a class and a laboratory component. The laboratory and class components complement each other as integrated elements of a course that facilitate the accomplishment of the Course Outcome Goals. As such they cannot be separated. Students must pass both the lab and class. If a student fails either the class or the laboratory component, they will receive a fail grade and must repeat the class.

Laptop Requirement for I.T. Majors

All Information Technology students in their Junior and Senior years at GGC are required to purchase (or possess) a laptop computer and specific software bundle identified by the School of Science and Technology. Additional information regarding the IT Laptop Program’s hardware, software, and networking requirements can be found at www.ggc.edu/ITlaptop Additional requirements may be needed for some courses. In this event, GGC will provide the necessary computing environment on campus to support these initiatives.

Any non-IT major students who are taking ITEC 3000-4000 level courses are expected participate in this program and have the IT Laptop purchased. All IT Junior and Senior students are expected to purchase the specified laptop and the required software bundle by the start of classes.

Curriculum

General Education Requirements (60 hours)

The primary objective of the general education requirements is to guarantee that all students seeking a degree will be exposed to a common set of learning experiences that draw from a broad spectrum of subject areas. These common learning experiences are designed so that a student who completes the general education requirements will achieve the general education program goals as well as take introductory courses in the information technology major that are prerequisite to courses in the program of study curriculum.

Additional Requirements (3 hours)

The physical education requirement is comprised of one credit hour of Wellness and two credit hours of additional Physical Education courses.

Legislative Requirements

Georgia law requires that each candidate for a degree demonstrate knowledge of the history and constitution on the United States and Georgia. These requirements may be met by receiving a passing grade in certain courses, or by passing the appropriate examination. The courses and the requirement(s) each course satisfies are as follows:

1. HIST 2111 or HIST 2112 satisfies the Georgia and U.S. history requirement (if taken at a University System of Georgia institution).
2. POLS 1101 satisfies the Georgia and US Constitution requirement (if taken at a University System of Georgia institution).
3. Students with transfer credit (HIST 2111, HIST 2112 or POLS 1101) from outside the University System of Georgia will need to contact the Testing Center regarding the legislative exams requirement.

Major Requirements (60 hours)

The courses in the Information Technology Major consist of both required and elective courses. The required courses are designed to ensure that all students receiving the BS Information Technology degree will share a common set of learning experiences toward achievement of the Program Outcome Goals. In addition, students will apply these learning experiences in the accomplishment of a research project or internship. Elective courses allow students to delve further into areas of specialization that provide breadth and/or depth of learning.

Graduates who complete the Information Technology Major (Data Science and Analytics Concentration) will be able to:

1. Demonstrate a strong foundation in mathematics and science, and apply this fundamental knowledge to solving IT problems;
2. Work as individuals and as members of a collaborative team that solve IT problems;
3. Demonstrate competence in effectively communicating technical information using oral, written, and digital presentation techniques;
4. Demonstrate a desire and ability to continuously refine their computing knowledge and skills and learn to use new tools and processes;
5. Demonstrate a working knowledge of multiple programming languages and system environments; and
6. Demonstrate knowledge in the design, implementation, and improvement of network and database systems.

Students will be expected to achieve, in addition to the general IT core objectives, the following DSA-specific learning outcomes:

1. Effectively analyze data-intensive problems; identify and evaluate solutions based on standard data analytics processes;
2. Use data visualization to communicate with technical and non-technical audiences; 
3. Provide recommendations to manage risks and to produce the deliverables needed for solving data-intensive problems, selecting correct data governance models and resulting in ethical handling of all data.

 

• Select one category to fulfill Domain Electives in other Required Courses