Sept. 16, 2005
The Information Technology (IT) program at Georgia Southern University is among the first such programs in the United States to receive national accreditation. The University’s Bachelor of Science in Information Technology program has been accredited by the Computing Accreditation Board of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).Only two other institutions in the entire country have IT programs that have been accredited by ABET, which is the recognized accreditor of college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering and technology. “ABET accreditation solidifies the reputation of the IT program at Georgia Southern as one of the leading programs in the nation,” said Art Gowan, the chair of the University’s Department of Information Technology. The curriculum features a strong IT core with a specialization area, an emphasis on communication and project management, and a second discipline in a related field. Graduates of the IT program have the ability to perform a multitude of high-tech tasks, such as establishing and maintaining computer networks, designing Web pages that use sound and graphics, and maintaining databases. “We believe that we have programs that are intellectually challenging, relevant to the needs of employers and fun,” Gowan said. “We will train tomorrow’s Internet and Intranet innovators – digital problem-solvers who will lead one of America’s fastest-growing career fields.”
National accreditation from ABET demonstrates that a program meets the standards of the profession for which it prepares students. Through a collaborative effort of numerous professional and technical societies, ABET develops the standards and provides professionals to evaluate each program. According to Gowan, ABET accreditation helps students and their parents choose quality programs, enables employers to recruit graduates they know are well-prepared, and gives colleges and universities a structured mechanism to assess, evaluate and improve the quality of our programs. The importance of gaining national accreditation was also stressed by James Bradford, the dean of Georgia Southern’s College of Information Technology. “Accreditation of our undergraduate program in Information Technology is one of many activities undertaken within the College of Information Technology to advance our mission, which is to be recognized both nationally and internationally for excellence in IT education and research,” Bradford said. For more information on the Bachelor of Science in Information Technology program at Georgia Southern, visit http://cit.georgiasouthern.edu/itdept/ or call (912) 486-7844.