Computing and Information Technologies Bachelor of Science Degree
Overview for Computing and Information Technologies BS
Why Study Computing and Information Technologies at RIT
Gain Hands-on Experience: Two blocks of cooperative education mean nearly a year of hands-on, full-time paid work experience in industry.
Accelerated Degree Option: Earn two degrees in less time by pursuing your BS in computer and information technologies and your MS in computer science.
Study Abroad: Enjoy a study abroad opportunity at RIT Croatia, where you can take computing courses and explore the Croatian culture without disrupting your studies or progress to graduation.
Strong Career Paths: Recent graduates are employed at BlueCross BlueShield, Cisco, Datto, Federal Bureau of Investigation, L3Harris Technologies, Northrop Grumman Corporation, and more.
STEM-OPT Visa Eligible: The STEM Optional Practical Training (OPT) program allows full-time, on-campus international students on an F-1 student visa to stay and work in the U.S. for up to three years after graduation.
RIT’s Computing and Information Technology Degree
Information technology is found in every aspect of our lives—the workplace, our homes, the way we communicate, and in much of the entertainment we consume. IT professionals, therefore, are in great demand and highly valued.
RIT’s computer information technology degree embodies a hands-on approach to technology. Learn to design, implement, and manage complex IT systems by approaching complex problems and creating custom solutions that help users meet their goals. You will play an integral role in any modern organization, often working behind the scenes to deploy technology where it’s needed most.
Computer Information Technology Courses
A defining aspect of the computing and information technologies degree curriculum is the breadth of technologies and the focus on integration. You will learn how to solve problems and find ways to make it work. Course work prepares you to be not just technical wizards, but also communicators and facilitators, enabling you to be successful throughout your careers.
The bachelor's in computer information systems builds on core courses so you can further your skills in two separate areas or establish even greater depth in a single area. Possible areas of concentration include:
- Web administration
- Database
- Networking and communications
- Web development
- Enterprise administration
Global Opportunities
The computing and information technology degree is offered at RIT’s main campus and at RIT Croatia. Because the curriculum is the same, you can spend a semester abroad learning about computing and the Croatian culture without impacting your progress toward graduation.
Hands-On Experience in Computing and Information Technology
In the senior year of the computing and information technology degree, students are required to take Senior Development Projects I and II. This is a year-long course in which teams are composed of students from the RIT U.S. and RIT Croatia campuses. Whether you choose to study abroad or remain in Rochester, you will be working side-by-side with peers from across the world.
Another highly impactful hands-on experience you will participate in is two blocks of cooperative education providing you with field training and experience through streamlined computing co-ops.
Combined Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's Degrees
Today’s careers require advanced degrees grounded in real-world experience. RIT’s Combined Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degrees enable you to earn both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in as little as five years of study, all while gaining the valuable hands-on experience that comes from co-ops, internships, research, study abroad, and more.
- +1 MBA: Students who enroll in a qualifying undergraduate degree have the opportunity to add an MBA to their bachelor’s degree after their first year of study, depending on their program. Learn how the +1 MBA can accelerate your learning and position you for success.
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Meet us on campus
Learn about academics, co-op and internships, financial aid, and more at one of our on-campus open houses.
October 13 | October 25 | November 8
Careers and Cooperative Education
Typical Job Titles
| Systems Administrator | DevOps Engineer | Full Stack Engineer |
| Information Technology Engineer | Information Technology Specialist | Software Engineer |
| Systems Engineer | Operations Engineer | Network Technician |
| Web Developer |
Industries
Cooperative Education
What’s different about an RIT education? It’s the career experience you gain by completing cooperative education and internships with top companies in every single industry. You’ll earn more than a degree. You’ll gain real-world career experience that sets you apart. It’s exposure–early and often–to a variety of professional work environments, career paths, and industries.
Co-ops and internships take your knowledge and turn it into know-how. Your computing co-ops will provide hands-on experience that enables you to apply your computing knowledge in professional settings while you make valuable connections between classwork and real-world applications.
Students in the computing and information technologies degree are required to complete two blocks of cooperative education experience.
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Curriculum for 2025-2026 for Computing and Information Technologies BS
Current Students: See Curriculum Requirements
Computing and Information Technologies BS
The curriculum below outlines the typical course sequence(s) for this program.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | |
| GCIS-123 | Software Development and Problem Solving I | 4 |
| MATH-131 | Discrete Mathematics (fulfills General Education: Mathematical Perspective A ) 1 | 4 |
| NSSA-102 | Computer Systems Concepts | 3 |
| General Education: First Year Writing (WI) | 3 | |
| General Education: Ethical Perspective | 3 | |
| YOPS-10 | RIT 365: RIT Connections | 0 |
| Hours | 17 | |
| Spring | ||
| CSEC-140 | Introduction to Cybersecurity | 3 |
| COMM-142 | Introduction to Technical Communication (WI) | 3 |
| GCIS-124 | Software Development and Problem Solving II | 4 |
| MATH-161 | Applied Calculus (fulfills General Education: Mathematical Perspective B) 1 | 4 |
| General Education: Global Perspective | 3 | |
| Hours | 17 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| ISTE-140 | Web & Mobile I | 3 |
| NSSA-220 | Task Automation Using Interpretive Languages | 3 |
| NSSA-241 | Introduction to Routing and Switching | 3 |
| STAT-145 | Introduction to Statistics I | 3 |
| General Education: Artistic Perspective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| ISTE-99 | School of Information Second Year Seminar | 0 |
| ISTE-230 | Introduction to Database and Data Modeling | 3 |
| ISTE-240 | Web & Mobile II | 3 |
| NSSA-221 | Systems Administration I | 3 |
| General Education: Natural Science Inquiry Perspective 1 | 4 | |
| General Education: Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Summer | ||
| ISTE-499 or ISTE-498 | Undergraduate Co-op or Undergraduate Creative, Innovative or Research Experience | 0 |
| Hours | 0 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| ISTE-260 | Designing the User Experience | 3 |
| General Education: Scientific Principles Perspective 1 | 4 | |
| General Education: Social Perspective | 3 | |
| CIT Concentration Course 1 | 3 | |
| Open Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| ISTE-430 | Information Requirements Modeling | 3 |
| CIT Concentration Course 2 | 3 | |
| CIT Concentration Course 3 | 3 | |
| General Education: Immersion 1 | 3 | |
| Open Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Summer | ||
| ISTE-499 or ISTE-498 | Undergraduate Co-op or Undergraduate Creative, Innovative or Research Experience | 0 |
| Hours | 0 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| ISTE-500 | Senior Development Project I | 3 |
| CIT Concentration Course 4 | 3 | |
| CIT Concentration Course 5 | 3 | |
| General Education: Immersion 2 | 3 | |
| Open Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| ISTE-501 | Senior Development Project II (WI-PR) | 3 |
| CIT Concentration Course 6 | 3 | |
| General Education: Immersion 3 | 3 | |
| Open Electives | 6 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Total Hours | 126 | |
Notes:
- All students pursuing a bachelor’s degree are also required to complete two different Wellness courses.
Footnotes:
- 1
These General Education (GE) courses can be either 3 or 4 credits, as long as the student has a total of 60 GE credits at graduation. Taking 4 credit courses to fulfill the Natural Science Inquiry, Scientific Principles and Mathematical (A and B) perspectives is preferred, but not required.
Concentrations
Students matriculated in this degree will select two three-course concentrations representing eighteen semester hours of work (nine each). Concentrations and corresponding courses are listed below.
Database Applications
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ISTE-330 | Database Connectivity and Access | 3 |
| ISTE-434 | Data Warehousing | 3 |
| ISTE-436 | Database Management and Access | 3 |
| ISTE-432 | Database Application Development | 3 |
| ISTE-438 | Contemporary Databases | 3 |
| ISTE-470 | Data Mining And Exploration | 3 |
Enterprise Administration
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| NSSA-320 | Configuration Management | 3 |
| NSSA-322 | Systems Administration II | 3 |
| Electives | ||
| NSSA-244 | Virtualization | 3 |
| NSSA-370 | Project Management | 3 |
| NSSA-422 | Storage Architectures | 3 |
| NSSA-423 | Scalable Computing Architectures | 3 |
| NSSA-425 | Data Center Operations | 3 |
| NSSA-428 | DevOps Principles and Practices | 3 |
Human Centered Computing
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ISTE-262 | Foundations of Human Centered Computing | 3 |
| ISTE-264 | Prototyping and Usability Testing | 3 |
| ISTE-266 | Design For Accessibility | 3 |
Networking and Communications
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| NSSA-245 | Network Services | 3 |
| Electives | ||
| NSSA-242 | Wireless Networking | 3 |
| NSSA-342 | Large Scale Networking | 3 |
| NSSA-370 | Project Management | 3 |
| NSSA-441 | Advanced Routing and Switching | 3 |
| NSSA-443 | Network Design and Performance | 3 |
Web Development
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ISTE-340 | Client Programming | 3 |
| ISTE-341 | Server Programming | 3 |
| SWEN-383 | Software Design Principles and Patterns | 3 |
Special Topics
A three course, nine-semester hour special topics concentration is available to selected students who wish to pursue an in-depth study of an area not present in the program’s concentration offerings. The student will develop a special concentration proposal with the faculty advisor. The head of the academic unit will review the proposal and will approve or deny the request. Only one special topics concentration will be allowed to any given student.
Admissions and Financial Aid
This program is STEM designated when studying on campus and full time.
First-Year Admission
First-year applicants are expected to demonstrate a strong academic background that includes:
- 4 years of English
- 3 years of social studies and/or history
- 3 years of mathematics is required and must include algebra, geometry, and algebra 2/trigonometry. Pre-calculus is preferred.
- 2-3 years of science is required and must include chemistry or physics; both are preferred.
- Computing electives are preferred.
Transfer Admission
Transfer applicants should meet these minimum degree-specific requirements:
- A minimum of college algebra is required. Pre-calculus or calculus is preferred.
- Chemistry or physics is required.
- Computing courses are preferred.
Financial Aid and Scholarships
100% of all incoming first-year and transfer students receive aid.
RIT’s personalized and comprehensive financial aid program includes scholarships, grants, loans, and campus employment programs. When all these are put to work, your actual cost may be much lower than the published estimated cost of attendance.
Learn more about financial aid and scholarships
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School of Information