GARY – The Indiana University Northwest College of Arts and Sciences recently announced a more flexible, online option for students seeking a bachelor’s degree in informatics, beginning in the fall 2017 semester.
With a curriculum jointly administered by the campuses of IU Northwest, IU Kokomo, IU East, IU South Bend, IU Southeast, and Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, the new online degree was approved the Indiana Commission of Higher Education in October.
“By sharing resources, IU Northwest can offer an informatics degree to more students whose obligations often hold them back from regularly attending classes on campus,” said Bill Dorin, professor of computer information systems. “At the same time, students can customize the degree to their needs by choosing online or on-campus electives that are more in line with their career path in Northwest Indiana.”
A degree in informatics prepares students for such careers as systems and database analysts, network administrators and web developers. Dorin described Informatics as an intersection of technology and another field of study such as biology or health.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), “employment of computer and information technology occupations is projected to grow 12 percent from 2014 to 2024, faster than the average for all occupations.”
The BLS also said that “these occupations are expected to add about 488,500 new jobs, from about 3.9 million jobs to about 4.4 million jobs from 2014 to 2024, in part due to a greater emphasis on cloud computing, the collection and storage of big data, more everyday items becoming connected to the Internet in what is commonly referred to as the ‘Internet of things,’ and the continued demand for mobile computing.”
The online informatics bachelor’s degree is designed to provide students with a foundation in computer skills supported by a strong theoretical base. This foundation enables graduates to enter the job market as information systems specialists. The fastest growing areas of study are bioinformatics and health informatics.
For information about the online degree in informatics at IU Northwest, contact the Department of Computer Information Systems at (219) 980-6638.
