MIDDLETOWN, Pa. — Penn State Harrisburg will offer a new degree program in fall 2023 designed to help prepare professionals to solve organizational problems through enterprise technology solutions.
The Enterprise Technology Integration (ETI) degree in the Penn State Harrisburg’s School of Business Administration will provide students with expertise in analyzing, developing, integrating and evaluating information technology solutions to meet organizational needs; understanding organizations’ IT needs driven by the emergence of cloud computing and database technologies; and helping enterprises adapt their business processes to be more competitive.
“Investments in enterprise digital transformation efforts and migration to the cloud increased significantly during the pandemic disruption,” said Roderick Lee, associate professor of information systems. “To remain competitive, organizations must leverage cloud computing to support the digitization of mission-critical services such as sales, customer engagement and supply chain management.”
“The ETI program is directed primarily at students seeking careers in application systems integration, cloud engineering, business technology analysis, or IT consulting,” according to Jesse Middaugh, assistant teaching professor of information sciences and technology
The Bureau of Labor Statistics has projected a 15% growth in computer and information technology occupations over a 10-year period ending in 2031. Middaugh added, “ETI graduates will have the technical and soft skills required to help organizations solve problems through highly integrated enterprise solutions.”
The program’s interdisciplinary curriculum combines foundational coursework in areas such as information technology and business, with specialized courses in cloud computing, advanced database technologies, supply chain management and enterprise analytics. Students also will select from a 12-credit sequence of courses in a focus area — such as application development, cybersecurity, health informatics, or ROTC, Intelligence and Cyberwarfare — to gain deeper knowledge about enterprise-wide systems integration in a particular domain.
In addition to expanded knowledge in cloud computing and advanced database technologies, “the ETI degree is consistent with all of our IT offerings in that it is infused with high-impact practices – such as a first-year seminar, service-learning, writing-intensive course, internship, and a capstone experience – that substantially increases student engagement, learning, and development,” said Lee.
“The ETI program enhances the school’s portfolio of interdisciplinary information technology degrees, which includes recent additions of Cybersecurity Analytics and Operations and Human-centered Design and Development, and a revision of the Information Systems degree. The ETI program is also a timely addition to our programmatic offerings when businesses are implementing enterprise resource planning systems to integrate their supply chain networks,” said Angappa Gunasekaran, director of the School of Business Administration. “In addition, the ETI program allows the college to continue delivering distinctive and effective technology curricula that enhances experiential learning and is responsive to industry needs.”