CWU ITAM Degree Offers Alternatives For Students

December 7, 2006

ELLENSBURGWash. - Seattle continues to rank among the top 10 metropolitan areas in the U.S. for growth in information technology-related jobs. However, employers want workers that complement their technical proficiency with professional workplace abilities such as problem solving, communication and organizational skills.

"Even with strong technical backgrounds and excellent work experience, many IT (information technology) professionals find it is difficult to advance in their careers without a bachelor's degree," says Dr. Linda Beath, Central Washington University associate vice president for undergraduate studies.

In response, CWU offers a Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) degree in Information Technology and Administrative Management (ITAM). It allows IT employees to apply their technical education to earn a university degree.

Offered at both CWU-Lynnwood and CWU-Des Moines, the program responds to the needs of employers by augmenting students' technical expertise through development of a full array of other applicable skills, according to Beath.

"Employers are growing more selective," she adds. They don't just want good programmers, they want people who also have strong management and communications skills."

The need is also growing for workers to develop program-specific supervisory and management skills in order to effectively compete in the marketplace, Beath points out, which the CWU program also addresses.

To be eligible for it, students must have earned an associate's degree in an information-technology field and have completed at least one year of full-time work. Students could complete their bachelor's degree within six quarters of full-time enrollment.

For more information about the program, visit the CWU Information Technology and Administrative Management Web page at www.cwu.edu/~itam or call 509-963-2611.

Contact: Robert Lowery (509-963-1487/fax 509-963-2301/e-mail: loweryr@cwu.edu)