Information Technology
What this major studies in college, how to prepare in high school where a source says so, and careers open with a bachelor’s degree. Every fact below names its source.
Last checked:
What it is
Penn State's information sciences and technology degree builds an understanding of core information technologies, prepares students to apply information sciences and related technologies in practice, and sharpens their ability to think critically and work in teams. [1]
The major is built to give students the theory and skills to compete and be productive in a global setting shaped by information technology. [1]
Typical college courses
Curriculum guidelines for IT bachelor’s degrees, written by a task group formed by ACM and the IEEE Computer Society, give a detailed overview of the essential IT domains of competencies that all graduates should achieve. [2]
IT graduates are hired in well-established IT domains, such as networking, information management, and platform and integrated systems technologies. [2]
The report recommends increasing the amount of mathematics coursework for IT bachelor’s degrees. [2]
The information sciences and technology B.S. requires, each with a grade of C or better, IST 110 (Information, People and Technology), IST 210 (Organization of Data), IST 220 (Networking and Telecommunications), IST 230 (Language, Logic, and Discrete Mathematics) and STAT 200 (Elementary Statistics), among other courses. [1]
The rows below show one named program as an example: the Penn State bachelor of science in information sciences and technology (courses all options share), 2026–2027 bulletin. Course descriptions are in our own words. Course names and numbers differ at every college; confirm each college’s own list.
| Course | Status | What it covers (example: Penn State bulletin) | Comes after |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information, People and Technology | Required in this example program[1] | Information, People and Technology (IST 110) surveys the big ideas of an education in the College of Information Sciences and Technology and the challenges IT professionals face, such as how technology can organize and connect human enterprises. [3] | No prerequisite is shown for it. [3] |
Get ready with these topics: How computers work: hardware, software and abstraction · Online interactions and digital citizenship · Privacy and data collection · Collaborating online | |||
| Organization of Data | Required in this example program[1] | Organization of Data (IST 210) introduces databases: how data is stored, changed, evaluated and displayed. [3] | No enforced prerequisite is shown, and IST 110 is recommended as preparation. [3] |
Get ready with these topics: Spreadsheets and organizing data · How data is represented · Visualizing data | |||
| Networking and Telecommunications | Required in this example program[1] | Networking and Telecommunications (IST 220) introduces how digital networks are laid out, transmission media, signal modulation, and how data packets are switched and routed. [3] | No enforced prerequisite is shown, and IST 110 is recommended as preparation. [3] |
Get ready with these topics: Networks and the internet · How computers work: hardware, software and abstraction · Digital information and waves · Waves: frequency, wavelength and speed | |||
| Language, Logic, and Discrete Mathematics | Required in this example program[1] | Language, Logic, and Discrete Mathematics (IST 230) introduces formal languages, mathematical logic and discrete math, applied to the information sciences. [3] | It comes after MATH 110 or MATH 140. [3] |
Get ready with these topics: Mathematical induction · Counting and combinations · Sequences and summation notation · Reasoning and conditional statements | |||
| Elementary Statistics | Required in this example program[1] | Elementary Statistics (STAT 200) is a standard first course in statistics, covering descriptive statistics, frequency distributions, probability, and the binomial and normal distributions. [4] | It comes after placement into MATH 21 or higher. [4] |
Get ready with these topics: Measures of center · Measures of spread · The normal model · Conditional probability and independence · Confidence intervals for a proportion · Significance and p-values | |||
| Introduction to Application Development (one of three choices) | One of the choices in this example programThe B.S. also requires, with a grade of C or better, one of Introduction to Programming, Introduction to Programming Techniques, or Introduction to Application Development. [1] | Introduction to Application Development (IST 140) is a first course in the concepts and skills of building applications. [3] | It comes after a C or better in MATH 21 or placement above MATH 21, and MATH 22 is recommended as preparation. [3] |
Typical high school preparation
We did not find an official source that gives high school course advice for this major, so none is listed. For the high school courses colleges ask for in general, see the College Preparation page.
Related majors
Each card opens that major’s page. Compare the courses before you choose, and confirm each college’s own list.
Computer Science
Computer science is the study of computation, including its principles and foundations, its efficient implementation, its analysis, and its practical use in many different application areas. [5]
Cybersecurity
Penn State's bachelor of science in cybersecurity analytics and operations is an interdisciplinary program that prepares students for careers as cybersecurity professionals. [6]
Data Science
Data sciences is a field that develops, applies and checks methods, systems and tools for drawing useful knowledge, sound conclusions and actionable insights from large, complex and varied data. [7]
Where this degree can lead with a bachelor’s
National figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Pay varies by state, setting and experience. This is not a promise of pay or a job.
Examples from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook. Other careers may need more study after the bachelor’s degree.
Computer systems analysts
Computer systems analysts study an organization’s current computer systems and design ways to improve efficiency. [8]
The median annual wage for computer systems analysts was $105,850 in May 2025. [8]
Employment of computer systems analysts is projected to grow 8 percent from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the average for all occupations. [8]
Computer systems analysts typically need a bachelor's degree to enter the occupation, and studying a computer science or information systems field is common, although not always a requirement. [8]
Computer network architects
Computer network architects design and implement data communication networks, including local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs) and intranets. [9]
The median annual wage for computer network architects was $134,050 in May 2025. [9]
Employment of computer network architects is projected to grow 8 percent from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the average for all occupations. [9]
Computer network architects typically need a bachelor's degree in a computer-related field and experience in a related occupation, such as network and computer systems administrators. [9]
Questions people search
Chosen from our search-question research. Every answer is cited.
What can you do with an information technology degree?
Computer systems analysts typically need a bachelor's degree to enter the occupation, and studying a computer science or information systems field is common, although not always a requirement. [8]
Computer network architects typically need a bachelor's degree in a computer-related field and experience in a related occupation, such as network and computer systems administrators. [9]
Information technology vs computer science: what is the difference?
Penn State's information sciences and technology degree builds an understanding of core information technologies, prepares students to apply information sciences and related technologies in practice, and sharpens their ability to think critically and work in teams. [1]
Computer science is the study of computation, including its principles and foundations, its efficient implementation, its analysis, and its practical use in many different application areas. [5]
Your next step
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Sources
- The Pennsylvania State University. Information Sciences and Technology, B.S.. https://bulletins.psu.edu/undergraduate/colleges/information-sciences-technology/information-sciences-technology-bs/. 2026–2027 Undergraduate Bulletin. Checked .
- Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). ACM Issues Curriculum Guidelines for IT Baccalaureate Degrees. https://www.acm.org/media-center/2018/january/it-2017-curriculum-report. news release, January 17, 2018. Checked .
- The Pennsylvania State University. Information Sciences and Technology (IST) course descriptions. https://bulletins.psu.edu/university-course-descriptions/undergraduate/ist/. University Bulletins, 2026–27 edition. Checked .
- The Pennsylvania State University. Statistics (STAT) course descriptions. https://bulletins.psu.edu/university-course-descriptions/undergraduate/stat/. current University Bulletins (the BMB, BIOL and NUTR course pages show the 2026–27 edition). Checked .
- The Pennsylvania State University. Computer Science, B.S.. https://bulletins.psu.edu/undergraduate/colleges/engineering/computer-science-bs/. 2026–2027 Undergraduate Bulletin. Checked .
- The Pennsylvania State University. Cybersecurity Analytics and Operations, B.S.. https://bulletins.psu.edu/undergraduate/colleges/information-sciences-technology/cybersecurity-analytics-operations-bs/. 2026–2027 Undergraduate Bulletin. Checked .
- The Pennsylvania State University. Data Sciences, B.S.. https://bulletins.psu.edu/undergraduate/colleges/engineering/data-sciences-bs/. 2026–2027 Undergraduate Bulletin. Checked .
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook: Computer Systems Analysts. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/computer-systems-analysts.htm. OOH page last modified August 27, 2026 (pay data May 2025; projections 2025–35). Checked .
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook: Computer Network Architects. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/computer-network-architects.htm. OOH page last modified August 27, 2026 (pay data May 2025; projections 2025–35). Checked .
Format: Publisher. Page title. URL. Edition or catalog year. Checked date.