The 24-credit IST Certificate is designed to prepare the student for a place in the Information Technology workplace with a 24-credit milestone. The eight-course requirement is flexible, with a maximum of fifteen 100-level credits in courses with IST designations and a minimum of nine 200- level credits in courses with IST designations.
The eight-course sequence of the IST Certificate program provides some preparation for industry recognized certifications such as the CompTIA A+, CompTIA Net+, Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA), FOA Certified Fiber Optic Technician (CFOT), FOA Fiber To The Premises (CFxT), the Microsoft Technology Associate, and EMC2 ISM.
Students may then choose to finish the Associate in Science Degree and further their education at a four-year college. Students who already have a degree may choose this Certificate to redirect their expanding networking skills and prepare them for the rapidly changing and ever-challenging world of Information Technology.
Up to nine credits may be taken under the CIS or DGMT designation and applied to the IST Associate in Science Degree or IST Certificate programs.
Curriculum Recommendations
Students are encouraged to explore the topic areas of networking devices, network infrastructure, PC maintenance and support, security, and Windows network operating systems during their 100- level course experiences and focus on their specific areas of interest when selecting their 200-level coursework.
The course sequence of IST122G, IST123G, and IST222G comprise the entire Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Academy. These courses are offered in 8-week/8-week format over a semester to allow students to complete the CCNA Certification preparation track over two semesters.
The IST200G course offers the Fiber Optic Association CFOT, and CFxT, certification exams as part of the course assessments. (See www.thefoa.org for details.) Other industry certification exams such as the Cisco (CCNA), Microsoft (MTA), CompTIA, certifications are not included within the IST program. However, the IST curriculum is designed to provide foundation preparation for these industry certification exams. Students wishing to pursue these certifications must arrange to take these exams on their own.