OSU Institute of Technology’s School of Information Technologies is being recognized nationally for its online Bachelor of Technology in Information Technology program.
OSUIT was ranked 11th on Best Choice Schools’ recently released list of Top 30 Schools for an Online Computer Science Degree, and was the only university in Oklahoma to make the list.
Best Choice Schools is an online resource that aims to help people determine the college and degree program that best fits their needs.
The rankings were determined by a number of factors including graduation rate, cost, student to faculty ratio, and percentage of applicants admitted.
Randy Ritchey, dean of the School of Information Technologies, said he and his staff were ecstatic when they learned the online degree program had been ranked so highly in the national listing.
“We are so proud. We’ve always known we have a top-notch program. It’s incredibly rewarding to have it recognized nationally. This is a true honor for us,” Ritchey said.
Best Choice Schools looked at colleges and universities that offered online bachelor’s degrees in computer science including information technology degrees; software engineering degrees; database development degrees; web and application programming degrees; and project management degrees.
OSUIT’s Bachelor of Technology in Information Technology degree offers students four options: Cybersecurity & Digital Forensics; Network Infrastructure; Software Development; and IT Enterprise Management.
“Many find a combination of software and security, or networking and security, work really well to prepare them for today’s workforce,” Ritchey said.
According to Best Choice Schools, the computer science field is expected to grow 19 percent through the year 2020 as the demand for professionals with bachelor’s degrees continues to rise.
“In today’s society, people need flexibility. Online degrees are the perfect solution for people with busy schedules. By not being restricted to coming to a campus, a student saves drive time,” he said. “By having the flexibility to study on the student’s schedule, earning a bachelor’s degree is more attainable for most people.”
Being ranked 11th nationally will help promote the program to an even wider audience, Ritchey said, and bring more attention to the program and OSUIT.
“For students, it validates the choice they made for their education. For faculty, it encourages us to continue working towards maintaining the best program possible. We always want to look for ways to improve and be the best we can be,” he said. “We want to get the word out that we have an outstanding program, and we love to help students achieve their educational goals.”