CMIT-135
Build a Strong IT Foundation
Champlain College Online’s Computer Information Systems Associate Degree equips you with the fundamental knowledge and hands-on skills needed to launch a career in IT. Designed for career-focused individuals, this program covers networking, programming, database management, and cybersecurity, preparing you for a seamless transition into the workforce or further education.
Start Your IT Career with In-Demand Skills
- Networking & Systems Administration: Learn to configure and secure wired and wireless networks while managing operating system resources
- Programming & Software Development: Gain hands-on experience with Python, Java, and SQL to develop solutions and automate tasks
- Database Design & Management: Learn the foundation of relational database design, data normalization, and query optimization using SQL
- Cybersecurity Foundations: Develop essential skills in system security, risk mitigation, and cyber threat prevention
- Project Management for IT: Learn to plan, execute, and manage IT projects within scope, budget, and time constraints
Note: All programs, undergraduate and graduate, must be submitted individually to the Department of Veterans Affairs for review and approval before students can utilize their G.I. Benefits to pay for them. This program is currently awaiting approval. To learn more about the process, visit the VA School Program Approval page on the VA website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your enrollment coach or email us at onlineadmissions@champlain.edu
Program Curriculum
Learn more about Champlain's 100% online computer information systems associate degree, designed for working professionals.
Champlain's online computer information systems courses encompass the top skills needed by today's IT professionals. Graduates of the program are required to complete the following courses.
Professional Courses (30 credits)
General Education Courses (21 credits)
General Electives (9 credits)
Note: Some of the courses in this program are available in 15-week terms only. Please contact your advisor for details and information on how this may impact your time to completion.
This course provides students with an understanding of the many different devices and technologies, from historical to emerging, that are required to design and build networks. In a broad survey of concepts and terminology, students will learn about topology, communications, protocols, and security, and to diagram basic networks to specification.
From day one, students in this course are problem solving, first in terms of algorithmic design and then as early as week two via programming in the latest version of Python, using PyCharm. Students begin by writing a program to have a conversation, having strings and numbers as input, and advance, by week seven, to building a working password saver program, capable of looking up, adding (and encrypting), and storing passwords.
This course, through guided research and hands-on learning experiences, provides students with an understanding of operating systems, including their core fundamental principles and how they work. Students are introduced to the three most popular operating systems for personal computers (Windows, OSX and Linux), and mobile operating systems, and learn about standard functions such as memory, process/thread, input/output, storage and device management.
Learn the basics and more in this course on Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS) and SQL (Structured Query Language). Students propose a final project in the first module and then work, week-by-week, to design, create, and populate the database. Then, students learn to create queries and stored procedures.
Prerequisites
Project Management is the formal application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project-based activities to meet organizational requirements. Project management is accomplished through the use of processes such as Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, and Closing. Project managers can divide projects into these phases to provide better management control with appropriate links to the ongoing operations of the organization. Collectively, these phases, known as the project life cycle, form the foundation for the practice of project management and are guided by the Body of Knowledge from the Project Management Institute (PMI).
This course will introduce foundation subject matter and technologies that are critical to the multidisciplinary landscape of cybersecurity.
Prerequisites
Complete CMIT-130 and CMIT-135.
This course covers the fundamentals of systems analysis while emphasizing the role of communication and other soft skills needed in IT and in business overall to be successful. The topics are useful for anyone who is involved in developing software system requirements and architectures (e.g., users, technical managers, product managers, technical leads, programmers, other software project team members, and clients).
Prerequisites
CMIT-135, CMIT-200, MGMT-260
This course is an introduction to programming using the Java programming language. Topics include programming logic, selection and repetition, array processing, classes, methods, and loops. The course introduces the student to the basic concepts of object oriented programming and exception handling. The focus is on developing high quality, working software that solves real problems.
Prerequisites
CMIT-135
From storyboard to form creation, students walk through the steps to create a basic four to five-page website to specification in this course that introduces HTML5 and CSS. Hands-on assignments reinforce skills development and best practices in design: navigation, column layout, image editing and usage, fonts and tables.
This hands-on course will cover the fundamentals of current Windows server systems and network administration. Topics will include the basics of installing the operating system, adding and managing users and groups, installing and managing services, Windows security objects and permissions, disaster recovery, and migration from previous versions of the operating system.
Prerequisites
CMIT-140
This course introduces students to the foundational concepts needed to communicate effectively in writing for academic study and professional development. Students will also learn to read critically to evaluate an author's message. Students will be introduced to rhetorical modes and their role in the development of written communication. Students will also learn how to use revision strategies to create written communication that meets its intended purpose for its intended audience
This course builds on students' proficiency in the writing process and rhetorical modes to introduce the use of sources in written communication. Students will practice information literacy as they learn to determine information needs from sources, develop effective search strategies, and incorporate sources in written communication, legally and ethically.
Prerequisites
Complete ENGL-100
Starting with a frame of human communication as a dynamic system of interactions in which people make choices that impact their relationships, other people, and themselves, students will define theory-informed communication concepts and processes, and critically examine how they apply to everyday life across a variety of contexts. Students will reflect on how the theory, concepts and processes apply to their own lives in becoming competent communicators who are knowledgeable, skilled, and versatile.
Students will learn and apply critical inquiry skills to analyze persuasive communication created by others and to develop persuasive communication/arguments of their own to solve problems in professional, civic, social, and personal contexts. Specifically, students will learn to recognize fallacies in logic; apply inductive and deductive reasoning strategies to the interpretation and development of persuasive communication; evaluate the validity of sources; and develop logically sound persuasive communication. Students will explore the roles of self-awareness, empathy, and ethics in the context of critical inquiry and the development of arguments.
Prerequisites
Complete ENGL-110.
Mathematical reasoning, when applied to everyday and professional lives, has two dimensions: logic for deterministic situations and probabilities for non-deterministic situations. This course aims to help students develop these mathematical reasoning skills.
This course introduces students to basic statistics for data literacy. With a focus on exploring real-world data, students will interpret numerical information and utilize the tools necessary to complete the entire statistical process: designing a study; gathering, organizing, and analyzing sample data; and making inferences about a population. Students will demonstrate data-driven decision-making and effective communication of numerical data.
Introduces students to the biochemistry and physiology of nutrition and exercise. Emphasis will be placed on human body systems such as musculoskeletal, digestive, respiratory and circulatory, and their relationship to nutrition and fitness. Students will also study the biochemistry of energy conversion as it relates to exercise physiology. Laboratory sessions are designed to reinforce, by a hands-on approach, the principles discussed in lecture. Course includes two laboratory hours per week.
Students learn the biology, genetics, chemistry, and physics involved in the forensic investigation of crimes. A wide range of topics are studied including DNA, entomology, fingerprinting, trace evidence, serology (blood, saliva, and semen), blood spatter, and chemical analysis of drugs, alcohol, and other compounds. Students apply their new knowledge of forensic science through the use of case studies and laboratories. This course includes two laboratory hours per week.
Students will develop the ability to apply scientific methods to understand the natural world, to identify scientific aspects of daily life, and to evaluate the quality of scientific information based on its source and the methods used for its generation.
In this course, students will gain an introduction to classical mechanics and learn about motion, force, energy, and momentum. The course covers vectors, scalars, and coordinate systems, as well as kinematics in one and two dimensions, Newton's Laws of Motion, circular motion, and kinetic energy and work. Students also learn about potential energy and energy conservation, collision theory, rotational motion, moment of inertia, torque, rotational dynamics, and angular momentum.
With pressure and release, a window opens and closes, recording light on a sensor. The simple action captures the instinct, judgement, and skill of the person behind the lens. This class will begin a study of the art and craft of photography. Students will develop their vision and their understanding of how to achieve it. Solid skills will be learned and many doors will be opened.
A survey of the continuing change experienced in art since the 15th century. Students will examine how an image is achieved as well as the significance of the subject represented. Individual inquiry concerning the nature of art is encouraged.
Students learn to appreciate films through the critical analysis of various elements of mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing and sound. The course introduces the conventions of classical Hollywood cinema, considers the work of one major director (auteur), and surveys selected international and independent films. Students view and discuss films each week.
Students in the course will explore the cultural history of the music genre broadly referred to as rock. Students will explore the social, economic and political contexts that are influenced by and that influenced each style in the United States. By listening, watching, reflecting upon, discussing and writing, students will explore how music takes on meaning, personally, and culturally. Topics and themes include the relationships between and among gospel, country, funk, folk, disco, rap and hip hop; the role of business and technology in those relationships, and political or transgressive elements of rock music.
Students will apply communication theory and research to address the particular challenges to communicating effectively in organizations. Students will learn how to identify organizational communication problems, analyze those problems, and generate effective solutions. Students will examine the relationship between organizational structure and specific communicative practices, and how communication practices by organizational members establish, maintain, or change organizational culture. They will also learn how to anticipate communication deficiencies in organizations, and use communication as a means to facilitate organizational development and innovation.
Prerequisites
Complete COMM-130
Provides a comprehensive analysis of the fundamentals of substantive criminal law. Students will learn the essential elements of crimes and the rationale underlying criminal law. The nature of jurisdiction, the criminal act, the criminal state of mind and matters affecting responsibility for criminal conduct are included.
This course focuses on the rules and procedures governing how the American criminal justice system must process individuals suspected, accused, and convicted of law violations.
This course provides students with a broad overview of the history, theory, and fundamentals of criminal investigation. Students are introduced to the basic responsibilities of investigators and protocols for report writing, evidence collection, and preparation of cases for trial. They also learn specific investigative techniques for different types of crimes, such as crimes involving violence and property, terrorism, and hate crimes, and, where appropriate, compare investigative protocols from other legal cultures.
Prerequisites
Take CRIM-120, CRIM-121.
Principles of Economics introduces the fundamental concepts of economics - the study of how people manage resources, and how they react to scarcity. This course focuses on both microeconomics (the behavior of consumers and companies) and macroeconomics (large-scale economic factors such as employment and interest rates), so that you'll gain a broad understanding of how a modern market economy functions, how decisions in business settings are informed by economics, and how economics applies to your everyday life.
Students will study important themes in the social history of the United States since the Civil War. This course allows students to expand their critical thinking skills through an examination of primary and secondary sources. Themes might include: the evolving status of women; the immigrant experience; the concept of the American dream; the paradox of freedom vs. slavery; the minority experience; the tensions between social classes. Students will be evaluated primarily on writing assignments.
Students will learn how to create conditions for successful conflict engagement, a necessary skill for any professional. The course focuses on the foundational capacities to remain calm and connected with oneself and others. In this state students can access helpful ideas and responses and be their best selves regardless of environment. Improving facility for conflict creates stronger relationships and reduces fear. By the end of the course, students will understand that disagreement and difference can become a source of personal and interpersonal growth.
Ethics refers to accepted standards of right and wrong that prescribe what humans ought to do in various contexts, typically in relation to rights, obligations/duties, benefits to society, fairness, consequences, and virtues. In this course, students will explore both theoretical and practical dimensions of ethics in order to 1) define ethics and identify ethical positions and principles, 2) critically reflect on how ethics impacts individual and collective responsibility, decision-making, and action, and 3) apply ethics to the personal, civic, and professional contexts.
Prerequisites
ENGL-110
In this course, students will explore broad, foundational knowledge in psychology, including its history, major theorists and a survey of psychology subfields such as developmental, cognitive and social psychology. Students will also describe and assess the role of ethics and social responsibility in the study and application of psychological theory and practices.
In this class, students will explore how social relationships, groups, societies and culture develop and change over time. From a sociological theory foundation and employing the sociological imagination, students will examine the impact of social structures, institutions, and systems on individual lives. Students will apply sociological research methods to investigate sociological phenomena in their own lives.
This course explores the complex and evolving relationship between human beings and technology. Through a multi-disciplinary approach that draws on fields such as sociology, psychology, philosophy, and history, students will examine the ways in which technology has shaped human culture, identity, and values, as well as how humans have influenced and continue to influence the development, adoption and use of technology.
Additional Program Details
Graduates of the computer information systems associate online program will demonstrate the following industry-specific skills, knowledge, and competencies:
- Implement and Secure Basic Network Infrastructure: Identifying, Configure, and secure network components, both wired and wireless, to create and maintain stable LAN and WAN environments aligned with organizational security protocols.
- Develop Foundational Programming Solutions: Apply programming concepts, including conditionals, loops, functions, and data structures, using coding languages to solve computing problems and automate tasks.
- Administer Operating Systems and Manage Resources: Describe and perform basic operational tasks within multiple operating systems, taking into consideration the core functions and components essential to system management and security.
- Design and Query Relational Databases: Create, normalize, and manage relational databases using SQL, exploiting entity relationships and database structure to organize, store, and retrieve data effectively.
- Apply Project Management Fundamentals: Utilize foundational project management techniques to plan, execute, and control projects, ensuring alignment with scope, budget, and time constraints, to support organizational goals.
Champlain College Online's software development faculty, led by Department Chair Richard Pickering, are expert practitioners in the field. Their industry expertise ensures that our software development curriculum is aligned with the needs of employers, and reflects the skills today’s software development professionals need for success. Classes led by our seasoned experts will give you real-world insight into the field, and create a rich community of career-focused learning.
Tuition & Costs
Online Undergraduate Tuition Fall '23 - Summer '25
*Based on a 3-credit course; cost will vary if course is a different number of credits
** Veteran rate effective Spring 2025, not retroactive
See the undergraduate cost of attendance and fees here
Affordability and Paying For Your Education
We provide a number of options to make your online education affordable, including preferred tuition for alumni, associate degree graduates, community college graduates, and military.
Where Can an Associate Degree in Computer Information Systems Take You?
The demand for IT professionals continues to rise as businesses rely on technology to operate efficiently and securely. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for computer support specialists is projected to grow 6% from 2023 to 2033, while roles in information security analysis* are expected to grow 33%.
*Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024, Computer and Information Technology
With a Computer Information Systems Associate Degree, you'll gain the foundational skills to step into critical IT roles, build a career in this exciting field, and prepare to pursue Champlain College Online’s Bachelor’s in Computer & Information Systems.
Entry-Level Positions for AS in Computer Information Systems Graduates:
- Network Support Assistant
- Computer Systems Technician
- IT Support Assistant
- Entry-Level Database Administrator
- Entry-Level Systems Analyst
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Why Champlain
Flexibility
"I chose Champlain because it gave me the flexibility I needed. The accelerated format offers a great way to reach your goals faster, and makes earning your degree or certificate a realistic achievement that truly is obtainable."
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Academic Excellence and Recognition
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Regionally accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education
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Designated as a Military Friendly School for our commitment to the military community
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Ranked among the best by Tech Guide for game design and computer science
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Named the among the best schools with accelerated bachelor's degrees by Intelligent.com
Meet the Program Director
Richard Pickering, PhD
- Computer Science
- Software Development
- Software Engineering & Project Management
- Web Design & Development
About
Dr. Richard Pickering is an Assistant Professor and the Program Director for Technology here at Champlain College Online. Richard has a Ph.D. in Teaching and Learning coupled with an MBA and numerous technology-related certifications.
Prior to Champlain, Dr. Pickering enjoyed a distinguished career blending pedagogical expertise with strategic leadership in program management and product development in the educational business sector.
Dr. Pickering also has held positions as Chief Executive Officer at Virtual High School Global Consortium, Chief Operating Officer at Victory Productions, various Program/Product Manager posts as well as Adjunct Professor appointments.
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