Applied Information Technology
Why Study Applied Information Technology at Fisher?
Note: Majors will no longer be accepted into the Applied Information Technology major following the fall 2011 semester. APIT courses for students currently enrolled in the major and for courses servicing the Informational Technology minor will continue to be offered by the Department of Mathematical and Computing Sciences.
In considering a major in AIT at St. John Fisher College, the first question you may be asking yourself is, "What's the difference between computer science and information technology?" Very basically, computer science involves using computers and computing power to solve problems. Information technology is about taking data in its raw form and using computing power to create systems that, in turn, manipulate data into information that has value and integrity. The two are very different fields of study.
Too often in industry software projects fail to reach their full potential. When this happens, it's hardly ever due to technology systems and almost always about issues that arise relative to the understanding (or lack of the understanding) of people, processes, and the uncertainty and inconsistencies of real-life. In other words, poor human factors engineering skills.
The mix of skills addressed in the AIT curriculum provide the insight needed to address these issues. Traditional programmers, generally, do not hold close these skills. It's a different way of thinking and approaching a quality project and, subsequently, a quality product.
Whether the task is a user manual, business relationship, website, documentation, analysis, or a collaborative virtual forum, design and development takes insight into the human condition, creativity, perceptiveness, and independent thinking. AIT will prepare you in a unique way to be a quality contributor in industry in areas such a requirements writing, interaction designing, design communication, and user documentation.
Take a minute to explore the areas where the AIT program is integrating these skills:
AIT and Communication/Journalism [pdf]
AIT Foundation Courses [pdf] - Grouped Progression (These are the courses required in the AIT major; the second discipline courses, as you will see by the above documents, vary.)
AIT Information
AIT Minors
AIT Internship
Chelsea Yaeger '12
My decision to attend St. John Fisher College was not very hard to make. I live in Rochester and have been to the campus several times for sports and high school programs. The campus is small which helps it feel like a community that I could easily adapt to. I am able to live on campus and know that if I need to I can go home without any problems of distance. Fisher was my number one choice of schools and I am happy to be here.
When I was a freshman I had declared my major in business, in hopes of owning my own business one day. However, when I took an introduction to higher technology course I fell in love with AIT and after looking into the program, knew it was what I wanted to be studying. Computers and technology have always been a strong point for me but I never realized how many different careers there were in that area. Since I changed my major, I am excited to go to classes to learn about AIT and how our world is now built by it.
Since AIT is such a broad field all majors must pick a concentration of study. This allows each student to take what they have learned and connect it to another field. Personally my concentration is communications and journalism, which has helped me realize how important technology is for the communications industry. Print media is declining and online media is taking over; whether it is online newspapers, magazines, and books or the new iPad, AIT and communications are interconnected in many ways.
To those who are incoming freshman or any student who is unsure of their major, AIT is a great program and can be used in many fields. The information you learn will help you become a professional, so when you graduate you will be well prepared to start your career. This major really allows you to go in a direction that you choose, with all the support and guidance from your professors. When attending college you may have a set plan of what you want as a career after you graduate, but if you really look into every possible major you may unexpectedly find one that helps you towards a career in which you will love.
Authored Spring 2010 Second semester sophomore year