Description

Technology is dramatically changing our economy and our society. Today’s decision-makers need a firm grasp of information technologies so as to function maximally within traditional business disciplines. The successful manager must be in command of the requisite tools to access, monitor, analyze and apply company information and knowledge--technologically. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics points to very strong call, and only to grow stronger, for leaders across fields with significant technical skills. The Holy Spirit University of Atlanta’s program is designed for any individual in a management role (middle, senior, executive levels) who seeks a better understanding of Information Technology applications and who will, as a result of these complementary skills, be empowered to manage information in a more pliable fashion tied to maximized outcomes.

The program is based on the firm and documented contention that information technology is one of the key drivers of business in the twenty-first century, providing new sources of revenue and opportunity to change dramatically a firm’s cost structure. In brief, IT has become inextricably intertwined with corporate strategy.

Purpose and Program Appeal

The program, which leads to the Graduate Certificate in Information Technology for Management, is designed to provide just that brand of training so crucial in today’s technologically-charged corporate environment. At the successful conclusion of the program (established in a time-efficient yet mastery-focused framework), the credential earned will confirm an authoritative command of the managerial dimensions of Information Technology (as needed by the non-specialist in all arenas and at all levels). While surely open to those within the technology world, emphasis is duly accorded to the manager’s competent interpretation and application of technology-based information and processes.
The graduate will thus be positioned to augment operational efficiency and to gain the competitive advantage. The key: managing knowledge (information) to drive innovation and productivity.

Core Emphases - Learning Areas

Under the guidance of distinguished Holy Spirit University of Atlanta faculty, program participants will understand:

• The factors responsible for the explosion of information technology that has occurred over the past several decades.
• The role that leaderships plays in the management of information technology.
• The special challenges that the introduction of IT in an organization presents and the means to convert those challenges into definitive advantages.
• The characteristics of a technologically enabled organization.
• The use of technology for computations and communications: similarities and differences.
• The nature of the competitive advantage which enhanced IT skills present to managers of an organization.
• The quintessential role of IT in the structuring and restructuring of organizations.
• The crucial links between information technology and strategy.
• The indispensability of IT knowledge to key decision makers.

Synthesis of Program Objectives

The Graduate Certificate in Information Technology for Management is designed to complement your current level of IT experience and improve your leadership and management skills within the corporate (or organizational) environment. Advanced level courses are interdisciplinary to meet the needs of a diverse industries, while focusing on several core competencies. The Program (including the final, intensive project) is designed so that graduates will ideally:

• Understand the basic structure, driving forces of change, performance characteristics, and strengths and weaknesses of the current Information Technology within the management arena.
  
• Improve critical thinking and communication skills in framing, analyzing, and interpreting the meaning and consequences of strategy and decision-making based on enhanced knowledge of, and access to, IT data and other IT applications.
  
• Develop the ability to compare, contrast, and appreciate diverse interpretations of IT as it impacts performance, structure and management.
• Recognize and analyze current and emerging trends in IT that directly impact management, leadership and change.
• Be prepared to address many of the major issues and challenges faced by management and which IT can readily facilitate, if not resolve.
• Employ appropriate problem assessment and resolution tools – that is in the application of IT knowledge to the managerial realm.
• Recognize the applications and limits of analysis and decision-making models, with and without IT components.
• Begin to develop the ability to structure decisions bearing on structure, efficiency, models and productivity based on the applications of augmented understanding of IT within the managerial arena
  

An Overview of the Program Structure

This intensive four-graduate-course program presents realistic strategies in an array of critical areas for the application of IT and leadership. The courses are delivered on-line learning with interaction among peers, advisors, academic and student services facilitators and, of course, field-specialists (all participating faculty hold the Ph.D. and have extensive experience and accomplishments both in the corporate arena and in the sphere of Information Technology). Course content, graded assignments and shared discourse are all designed to provide readily-usable systems and strategies for the significant and ever-increasing challenges of IT applications to management and leadership.
Courses positively exploit fine Internet features -- threaded discussions, chat, bulletin boards, e-mail, file sharing, and more for in-depth participation. You also have online library privileges, with instant search and retrieval of important databases, and the counsel of authoritative figures to lead you in the right directions.
The fourth and final course (BA 700) is a Research Project course, which allows each participant to produce a substantive and significant work focused upon his or her specialized interests within the broad field of IT as it informs and shapes new models of management. Once the proposal is approved, a group of highly-qualified faculty will provide guidance from start to finish to maximize the value of the experience and to foster successful (and meaningful) conclusion.

Further Study Options Beyond the Graduate Certificate

Students interested in further study may transfer courses completed with a grade of “B” or better for the certificate directly toward degree requirements for the University of Atlanta’s Master of Science in Information Technology or Master of Business Administration.

Required Curriculum at the Holy Spirit University of Atlanta

The Holy Spirit University of Atlanta’s Graduate Certificate in Information Technology for Management includes the following required courses:

Course No.	Course Title	Credits
MIS 637	Information Technology for Management	3
MBA 610	Managerial Technology in Business	3
MBA 640	Organizational Management and Change	3
MIS 700	Final Project - Information Technology for Management	3
Total	4 courses	12 credits

Admission Requirements

• Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college/university or by a Ministry-recognized institution of higher education. (Submit official certification or proof of degree completion.)
• Significant Management and/or Management/IT related Experience (Submit comprehensive rйsumй)

Requirements for Successful Completion of Certificate Program

Students must earn a grade of no less than B- in each of the four required courses. Note: While the grade of B- or better in each course will satisfy Certificate requirements, only grades of B or better may be subsequently transferred to any Holy Spirit University of Atlanta graduate degree program..

Awarding of Graduate Certificate in Information Technology for Management

Upon successful completion of all four courses (as specified above), the student will complete the “Application for Awarding of Certificate,” which will be reviewed by the Graduate Dean and then duly processed by the University Registrar.

Graduate Certificate Program Costs

Program Tuition: $4,000
Books: $ 500 + shipping (Estimated cost)
University Certificate: $ 50