Computer Information Systems

Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.)
Contact Information: Program Office 615-353-3771, E-mail: Information.Systems@nscc.edu, Program Site

The Computer Information Systems program prepares students for employment in the Information Technology field. The two concentrations in the CIS program have been developed to map the curriculum to the skill standards that are being used in industry today. The skill standards that the two concentrations are using came from a nationally-accredited study on the skill standards for Information Technology. Using these skill standards will ensure that graduates have the basic skills that employers need, within a framework that emphasizes the development of teamwork, communication, and critical thinking.

Graduates of the program should be able to:

• Identify and understand the supporting roles of Information Technology (IT) in organizations;
• Communicate effectively with stakeholders/ management and end-users regarding problem requirements, resources, and solutions; and
• Demonstrate the ability to analyze, develop and implement various IT processes and applications.

Grading Policy

A student majoring in CIS must receive a “C” or above in each course in order to meet prerequisite requirements for subsequent courses.

Transfer/Advising

The A.A.S. degree is designed to prepare a student for employment upon graduation. Some universities, at their discretion, accept some technical courses for transfer. A student who plans to transfer to a university should consult his/her advisor and the receiving university about transfer and articulation policies. Failure to do so could result in loss of transfer credits.

Note:

“Technical Elective” means that the student may take any course beyond his/her course requirements with a CIS, CISP, CNT or CPT prefix. The exception is CIS 1010  which is not to be taken by CIS majors.

Application Developer Concentration

This concentration is designed to prepare entry-level application developers for employment in the area of business software application development and Web development in creating dynamic Web content and transaction-based Web systems. Graduates of the concentration will have designed, written, tested, and debugged programs in several major programming languages in both individual and team-oriented settings. Both theoretical and practical components are covered throughout the concentration. The concentration will also provide a means for current programmers to upgrade their programming skills by learning new languages.

Notes:

Additional course requirements: The Tennessee Board of Regents requires that students either demonstrate the appropriate skill levels in math, reading, and/or writing before enrolling in college-level courses or enroll in appropriate co-requisite experiences with college-level courses to develop competency in those skills while performing college-level work. ACT/SAT scores, COMPASS test scores, or other relevant information determine whether a student needs to enroll in co-requisite courses in math, reading, and/or writing (English).

Cooperative work experience can be an important addition to a student’s formal classroom work. Co-op courses may substitute for technical courses with the prior approval of the instructor. The Career Services Office will provide the correct course numbers.

* This course is part of the general education core.