By David West
04/22/2015
NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State University’s online bachelor’s program in computer information systems has been rated as the top information technology program in the country, according to Nonprofit Colleges Online.
The rankings at nonprofitcollegesonline.com were created to recognize online colleges and universities committed to putting the interest of students first. Northwestern State was recognized for having the least expensive bachelor’s program in the information technology field among regionally accredited not-for-profit colleges and universities in the U.S. at an estimated cost of $19,736 for four years of full-time, out-of-state tuition. NSU does not charge out-of-state-tuition for online students. The university received a Students Before Profits Award, which was created to promote nonprofit colleges and universities offering online degree programs that put students before profits and education before the bottom line.
“NSU’s online Bachelor’s of Science in Computer Information Systems provides a strong curriculum exploring networking, cloud computing, cyber forensics, programming, internet web design and development, information security and more,” the site said in its ranking. “Many of these programs are consistently ranked among the top by other national publications and we believe they deserve to be considered among the best online bachelor’s in information technology programs available.”
The computer information systems program provides theoretical and practical hands-on classes in database, networking, programming and systems analysis and design. According to program coordinator Curtis Penrod, the CIS area changes frequently and faculty work with private industry to ensure the program teaches skills needed in the workforce.
“We are pleased to gain this national recognition for our online bachelor’s program in computer information systems,” said Penrod. “The faculty in this area has worked over the past two decades to create an outstanding program that keeps up with the rapidly changing field of information technology. The quality of our students is a reason that our graduates are in high demand by employers on the regional, national and international level.”
Northwestern State students have won 15 first place awards at the Association of Information Technology Professionals National Collegiate Conference over the last 16 years. The conference annually draws more than 600 competitors from more than 50 colleges and universities along with major corporations looking to hire top information technology students.
For more information on the award, go to nonprofitcollegesonline.com/rankings/best-online-bachelors-in-information-technology. You can learn about NSU’s computer information systems degree program at business.nsula.edu/computer-information-systems-home.
