BIT Core

If you are emphasizing BIT, the core sequence now includes 301, 320, 342, and 355. This is what it means for someone to emphasize BIT, and these are the courses that recruiters will look for if you say that you are emphasizing BIT.

Why have we designated these courses as the ones that concentrators should take? Our own experience, plus the comments of companies that hire BIT concentrators from UM, tells us what skills and knowledge are highly valued in our graduates. The fundamentals of business administration are provided by the required BBA courses; however, students have to take, at a minimum, the BIT core courses to understand the role information systems play in business strategy, management, and operations and to gain the technical competence needed to analyze business problems from an IS perspective.

301

You gain an introduction to all areas of information systems from personal productivity tools to enterprise level applications.

320

You learn about databases — the fundamental technology of information systems — from design through use. This tool is used by all information systems to store their data. Being comfortable with its use is vital for anyone in consulting, marketing, accounting, finance, or, generally, management. You will also gain analytical skills that will help you approach a wide variety of business problems.

342

You learn about telecommunication technology and how it can affect the operations and strategy of a business. Nearly every business has been affected by the Internet in many ways. This course will help you understand how you might use the Internet and wireless technologies to the benefit of your business.

355

You learn about programming plus technologies used to implement cross-platform applications. This provides the beginnings of a technical competence needed by a consultant or business analyst.

These courses cover the core content of our discipline: programming, analysis, databases, & telecommunications. After taking our courses you will not be a computer scientist. You will be a technologically-competent BBA who will be ready to be employed and to contribute as a manager, consultant, or analyst.