Information Science & Technology

Earn the IT degree you need to stay competitive in a changing workplace.

You have been working in IT and have not had time to finish your degree. You have thought about earning your bachelor’s degree to stay competitive at work, but have struggled to find a respected online IT degree program that fits your life rather than forcing you to change your life to earn your degree.

Now, here is a chance to use credits you have already earned to move ahead with your degree.  

The UW-Milwaukee School of Information Studies Bachelor of Science in Information Science and Technology —offered in the UW Flexible Option—is designed to help you achieve your goals, on your schedule, and on your budget. As a competency-based program, you will build on your existing IT knowledge and skills.

The Bachelor of Science in Information Science and Technology (IST) combines core IT skills like front-end web design, programming, and project management, with electives that you choose. Offered by the UW-Milwaukee School of Information Studies (SOIS), the unique curriculum of this accredited degree will make sure you are learning the skills employers are looking for. 

As a result, earning this bachelor’s degree will position you for career growth and set you apart from the competition. For example, our graduates have advanced their careers as Web Developers, Systems Administrators, Security Analysts, Database Administrators, in IT Support Services roles, and more. Additionally, many more have used this degree to grow into leadership positions. 

Benefits of a Competency-Based IT Program

The UW Flexible Option is designed for self-motivated students who didn’t have time for a traditional college experience. This is because the competency-based format of the UW Flexible Option puts you in control of earning your degree. The program works well for students who are balancing work and family responsibilities. Furthermore, you will build on the knowledge and skills you already to advance more quickly through the program. 

• Start any month, and enroll in a 12-week term (we call them ‘subscription periods’)
• Benefit from no live log-on times, and take breaks when you need
• Take as many or as few courses at a time as you want
• No deadlines, group work, or class discussions
• Completely online—work where, and when, you choose

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Who Should Enroll?

The UW Flexible Option has helped many IT professionals—like you—achieve their goal of earning a degree. The innovative features of our competency-based approach honor your existing experience while giving you the tools you need to master the content that’s new to you. 

The unique features of the UW Flexible Option mean this style of learning may not be the best for everyone. Generally, our most successful students are those who are:

• Motivated, disciplined self-starters
• Comfortable holding themselves accountable to a self-set schedule
• Capable of thriving in an independent learning environment

About the UW-Milwaukee School of Information Studies

SOIS is a leading and collaborative school, advancing knowledge and preparing students from diverse backgrounds to be successful information professionals within their communities. SOIS continues to be an innovation leader in education—the IST program has been offered on-site and online since 2003. This degree is taught and designed by a mix of tenure-track faculty and IT professionals.  Especially unique is that students can personalize and custom-design their degree plans based on transfer credits and elective credits to maximize their career options.

Accreditation

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges & Schools.

Gain IT skills that you can apply right away in your career. 

You will study things like front-end web design, database management, information architecture, human-computer interaction, information organization, storage and retrieval, and applications of the Internet. The IST program prepares graduates to be IT leaders in our increasingly digital culture and economy. Our students work with our Career Services Advisor to help identify opportunities to apply this degree to your career. 

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of the Bachelor of Science in Information Science and Technology (IST) program will be able to:

1. Analyze complex information and technology needs, and to apply principles of information science and other relevant disciplines to identify and implement solutions.
2. Design, implement, evaluate, and administer information systems to meet a given set of requirements – including user and organizational needs — in diverse environments.
3. Communicate effectively in a variety of professional contexts.
4. Function effectively as a member or leader of a team engaged in the design, implementation, and evaluation information technology solutions.
5. Recognize organizational and social responsibilities as information professionals and make informed judgments based on legal and ethical principles

Program Curriculum & Skills

The IST program teaches a variety of skills and competencies necessary for today’s IT professionals. The bachelor’s degree is 120 credits, divided into five areas:

• General education [21 credits]
• IST (major) core [27 credits]
• IST upper division electives [15 credits]
• IST cross-functional electives [15 credits]
• General elective requirements [42 credits]

The specific courses that you’ll need to take may vary based on your transfer credits, goals, and degree plan. Below are the skills that you will learn across your IST program level courses. 

Program Certificates

Certificates are great ways to diversity your academic experience, and they signal to employers you have an additional set of skills above and beyond your degree. Depending on your unique academic plan of study, you may be able to supplement your bachelor’s degree with a UW-Milwaukee certificate as part of your enrollment in the UW Flexible Option. You may choose to earn one (or more) of the following certificates. Please consult with your Academic Success Coach to learn more about how these programs might fit in your academic plan.

• Health Care Informatics
• Business & Technical Communications

Faculty

In this program, your coursework is designed by expert UW-Milwaukee faculty. Check out our faculty directory to learn more about the School of Information Studies faculty team.

Residency Requirements

University of Wisconsin System campuses require students to complete a specific number of credits “in residence” to earn a degree. (“Resident credits” are credits earned at the campus granting the degree.) Transfer students must complete at least 30 credits with UWM, even if this brings the total number of earned credits beyond the total number of credits required for the degree. For example, if you enter a UW Flexible Option program with 100 transferable credits, you must still complete 30 credits with UWM to receive the bachelor’s degree (even though normally the degree requires 120 credits).

The UW Flexible Option offers working adults—like you—a more affordable way to finish a degree. Your coursework takes place in subscription periods, rather than semesters. These subscription periods start every single month, and are approximately 12 weeks long.

Instead of paying based on your course or credit load, you choose between two flat rate tuition plans. Our unique subscription period structure and flat-rate tuition model means you are in control of both your schedule and your cost. Financial Aid is available for this program.

• All-You-Can-Learn Option: For a flat tuition rate of $2,250 you can enroll in as many courses as you have time for. You can add additional courses in your subscription period if you finish others early.
• Single Course Option: Choose to focus on only one course at a time. The tuition for this option is $1,125. In this option, you may not add additional courses during your subscription period if you finish the first one early. You must wait until your next subscription period to add additional courses.

You can switch back and forth between these tuition options with each new subscription period. For example, perhaps over the summer you do the Single Course option because your family is home on summer break, but once the kids go back to school in the fall you switch to the All-You-Can-Learn option.

Are there any additional fees? There are no segregated fees with this program, which saves you hundreds of dollars per credit hour. However, your tuition does not include the cost of textbooks or other special materials that may be required for individual courses.

Finishing your degree is closer than you think! Schedule an advising call at 608-262-2011, or contact us at flex@uwex.edu.

Admissions Requirements

Candidates for the Bachelor of Science in Information Science & Technology (IST) must have at least one year of professional IT experience and a cumulative GPA of 2.00 from all prior accredited colleges and universities.

Application Steps

Start this program any month of the year. You may apply up to five months in advance of your desired start date.

How to Apply

If previously enrolled in a UW Flexible Option program, please review our returning student admissions process.

Transfer Credit Evaluations

NOTE: Prior college transcripts from which you may transfer credit must be accredited by a regional or national accrediting organization recognized by the CHEA (Council for Higher Education Accreditation).

• Transfer credit is awarded for college-level coursework completed at regionally accredited institutions.  See Transfer Credit Evaluations for more information.
• Learn more about how credit by exam and military coursework may apply towards your degree.

Still have questions?  Check out our Admission FAQ page.